Beychevelle 2016 has been released at €56.40 per bottle ex-negociant, an 11.9% increase on the 2015 price of €50.40. It is being offered by the international trade for £678 per 12×75, up 26.7% in sterling terms on the 2015 release of £535 per case.
Jancis Robinson scored the wine 16.5, noting that the wine is “competent rather than exciting.” Neal Martin took a slightly different view, commenting that this year’s vintage is “so fresh and full of energy that the senses are almost overwhelmed. Frankly it leaves all other Beychevelles in recent years standing.” He awarded the wine 96-98 points, higher than all other recent vintages.
Prices for Beychevelle are not closely correlated to critic scores. Instead they follow the traditional pricing pattern for fine wine where vintages appreciate in price with the passing of time, as the chart below shows. As a result, buyers might have hoped for the new vintage to enter the market priced below others. However, given the critical acclaim of this year’s vintage, collectors are likely to be tempted nonetheless.
Beychevelle has a shorter maturity profile, and strong following in Asia due to its dragon boat label, partly explaining considerable price rises after recent releases.
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