With more than 3,600 cases sold over the past five years, our stocks of 2016 Château Beaumont are sadly coming to an end and there is no more stock available in Bordeaux.
The good news is that, after multiple tastings, we have moved on to the 2019 vintage which is another year that Beaumont have absolutely nailed. Qualitatively level with its 2016 counterpart, 2019 Beaumont is everything that is good about this excellent vintage; the style is slightly juicier, slightly riper and a little more forward in style than the 2016.
Neal Martin, blind at Southwold, scores it 91 points: “I appreciate the edginess and tension of this wine and the grip it exerts on the finish. Worth seeking out.” William Kelley of the Wine Advocate scores it 90: “It's the finest wine from this large château that I can remember tasting.”
The supple ripeness of the 2019 vintage lends the wine an approachability and a forwardness that makes it perfect for drinking now; underneath this juiciness is the classic structure typical of the château – this is a wine that will reward a couple of years and more in bottle and will most likely keep well for a decade.
Château Beaumont sits between St Julien and Margaux, and shares both ownership and management with Château Beychevelle. The vineyard covers 116 hectares in a single block, and is planted to a typical Bordeaux blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. Eric Boissenot, who consults for all four of the Médoc first growths, is consultant oenologist. It is a benchmark for claret at this level and, at £125 per dozen in bond, or £16.22 per bottle incuding taxes, it is nothing short of a bargain.
The 2019 Beaumont has turned out very well, wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet berry fruit, pencil shavings and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, supple and enveloping, with a fleshy core of fruit, lively acids and melting tannins, it's charming and nicely balanced. It's the finest wine from this large château that I can remember tasting. Drink 2021-2039.
The 2019 Beaumont has a delineated, fresh, cedar and pencil lead infused bouquet, lifted black fruit, light tobacco scents that emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly brusque tannins on the entry, but I appreciate the edginess and tension of this wine and the grip it exerts on the finish. Worth seeking out. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. Drink 2025-2042
Bright ruby in the glass, the 2019 Beaumont leans into the vintage's natural, supple fruit with juicy cherry and a little hedgerow on the nose. The palate pops with bright cherry, plum and currants, refreshing in acidity and smooth in texture. This is a bright, moreish and lightly savoury wine, compact, juicy and moreish. It overdelivers for its price point, with wood spice and a light note of iron filings adding a little complexity on the finish.
Tasted blind. Already some evolution on the nose and charm on the palate. Lots of structure too. A bit more interesting than some of its peers already. Inky finish. Better than many of its peers. 13.5%. Drink 2025– 2036.
Black cherries, plums, Asian spices, and sandalwood notes all emerge from the 2019 Château Beaumont, a nicely concentrated, medium to full-bodied Haut-Médoc with good depth of fruit and juicy acidity. This château always makes a solid wine, and the 2019 is no exception.
Dark brambles on the nose. Great intensity and sculpted fruit here, this has some dark fruits and definite liquorice aspects to the palate but feels really precise and controlled. It's smooth with soft tannins and good presence until the end. Also has great freshness and cooling mint cordial tang on the finish. I love it. Drink 2022-2035.
