Chateau Beychevelle

The Château Beychevelle is the first large estate on the D2 motorway heading north to Saint-Julien. Few of Bordeaux's châteaux have the same unique charm as this mansion, which looks more like an old palace. It was founded in the 17th century and once belonged to powerful Bordeaux families, including Duke Jean-Louis Nogaret de la Valette, Grand Admiral of France. The maritime theme continues on the wine labels, with a ship depicted on every bottle of Beychevelle wine. Legend has it that during the time of King Henry III, the Duke of Epernon, the first admiral of the royal navy, lived on these lands. Therefore, when passing by these places, ships were obliged to greet their admiral with powerful salvos of naval guns with their sails lowered as a sign of respect. In French, the command is "Lower the sails!" sounds like "Baisse Voiles", but in the local Aquitaine dialect this phrase sounded like "Baiche Veyles" or "Beche Veilles". Today the estate owns 250 hectares of land in Saint-Julien, 90 of which are excellent vineyards. It produces excellent wines that have long-term storage potential, but also demonstrate excellent organoleptic characteristics when young.