I love the 2005 Château Beychevelle, a beautifully complex, nuanced, medium-bodied Saint- Julien that has pure crème de cassis and darker fruits as well as smoked tobacco, truffly earth, and graphite nuances. It’s not a blockbuster yet exudes elegance and class, with fine tannins, a layered mouthfeel, and a great finish. It should evolve nicely over the coming 15+ years.

Still vibrant and young at 19 years old, full of charm, silky textured tannins that are well integrated but still very much cradling the fruit, with waves of cigar box, crushed rocks, earth, saffron and tobacco. Great moment to drink, 60% new oak for ageing.

The 2005 Beychevelle is composed of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot. Deep brick in color, it skips out with shimmery, care-free scents of kirsch, raspberry pie, blackcurrant pastilles, and rose oil, followed by suggestions of Ceylon tea, unsmoked cigars, and red loam. The medium-bodied palate is built like a brick house, featuring firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness to support the youthful black and red fruits, leading to a finish of great length and depth on this stunning wine. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

The Grand Vin, the 2005 Beychevelle is a gorgeous wine, with plenty of crème de cassis, floral notes, underbrush and forest floor. It is sweet and medium to full-bodied, with ripe tannin and beautiful texture and purity. Drink it over the next 20 years. - Robert M. Parker, Jr.

The 2005 Beychevelle is improving in bottle. Quite intense on the nose, it offers slightly darker fruit than previous bottles, with cedar and a touch of espresso, though there is still a little rusticity. The palate is medium-bodied with quite a rich, slightly muscular entry, a smear of dark chocolate and a structured, grippy finish. It needs time, but this is beginning to coalesce nicely and should drink well for longer than I previously envisaged. -- Neal Martin

Very much in an elegant style, this wine shows soft, almost velvet tannins supporting the ripe fruit. It has richness, a round character masking the dense texture, and setting off the clean red berry fruits and fresh acidity. ROGER VOSS

The 2005 vintage produced a seductive effort from Beychevelle, with lush plum and mulberry fruit accented with pepper and anise on the nose. The dense, silky texture hints at the relatively large proportion of Merlot in the blend (46%), which was picked beginning 21 September. The supple, velvety feel on the palate continues straight through the luxuriant finish.

We hit Beychevelle at a fragrant, gentle moment in its evolution. With a few hours of air, the wine was a lithe beauty, its cool red fruit giving a soft, sculpted feel. My notes are all about elegance, finesse and restraint-similar to the harmony this showed en primeur. With another day of air, the power of the tannins shows more directly, tarry and strong enough to sustain this wine for a decade or more.

Dark clear core; bright rim with intense purple tones. The nose has full rich aromas of raspberry and brambly fruits with strong vanilla notes coming over the top. Thick on the front palate this wine is coming together in the bottle well. Bold yet integrated tannins with a solid juicy core. Bright fruit and toasted oak linger through the finish.

The Château Beychevelle 2005 has a comparatively rich and opulent bouquet, which is quite unexpected, offering with sensual, ripe black cherry and boysenberry fruit, fresh mint and licorice. It has retained that pastille-like purity. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, good acidity, dense black fruit laced with white pepper, building gently...