The winery is located in the commune of Saint-Julien in the Médoc region of the same name. The wine was shipped directly from the harbour down by the garden as early as the Middle Ages. Bishop François de Foix-Candale had the first château (castle) built in 1565. Further owners were Duke and Grand Admiral Jean-Louis de Nogaret de la Valette and his son Bernard, who extended the building. It later came into the possession of the Brassier family, who had it remodelled in 1757. Since then, the château has been one of the most beautiful and spectacular in Bordeaux. After changing hands several times, it was bought by the insurance company GMF in 1986 and in 1989 the company "Grands Millésimes de France" was formed with the Japanese company Suntory as the new owner. Finally, in 2011, ownership was divided between Suntory and the Bordeux trading house Castel Frères.
According to old legend, all ships travelling upstream on the Gironde to Bordeaux had to salute the château by lowering their sails. The related command "baisser-voile" (lower the sails) led to the name Beychevele and later to Beychevelle. The label shows a ship with lowered sails and recalls the legend. The estate covers a total of 250 hectares. In the 1855 Bordeaux classification, it was awarded fourth place (Quatrième Grand Cru Classé). The vineyards cover 90 hectares of vines. They are planted with the varieties Cabernet Sauvignon (62%), Merlot (31%), Cabernet Franc (5%) and Petit Verdot (2%). The extremely long-lasting red wine matures for 15 to 18 months in 50% new barriques. The second wines are called "Amiral de Beychevelle" and "Les Brulières de Beychevelle" and are marketed under AOC Haut-Médoc.
