Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve: Starts out with some very pretty oak: not super-concentrated given the year, but with a wonderfully refined texture and fresh tannins, this is elegant Cabernet harvested at perfect ripeness, long, distinguished, harmonious, but not quite as good as the very best of the second growths. 17

Michael Schuster: Mineral and fresh, ripe-fruit nose; very nicely balanced, elegant, supple wine, moderately concentrated, with fine, gentle tannin and fresh acidity; ripe, easy, juicy, and fragrant St-Julien, very Beychevelle; gentle complexity, good sweet fruit, light minerality and sweet, cedary length. Complete, restrained, and quietly classy. Classic, easy, gratifying-without-being-grand Beychevelle. Will be nice early on because it has such a graceful, easygoing personality. Perfect, lighter-style claret. 2015–25+. 16/16+