2022 Beau-Sejour Becot
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Tasting notes
The 2022 Beauséjour-Bécot comes from a six-pack bought from a UK merchant. I’ve now tasted four bottles, twice sighted and twice blind against two Saint-Émilion wines from the same vintage. On the first and second occasions, I poured the wine for a first assessment, then decanted and monitored it over many hours. Firstly, the calibre of the aromatics clearly places the Bécot above the other two. It is endowed with copious red and black fruit on the nose: ripe wild strawberries, cassis and espresso, with background aromas of pressed roses. It unequivocally does not possess either the precision or _mineralité_ of, say, the Figeac, but it’s appealing nonetheless. The palate is framed by saturated, satin-textured tannins with sufficient acidity to maintain freshness. Like the nose, it does not have the pixelation, the crystalline attributes, of a top Saint-Émilion. There is power for sure, the growing season made sure a majority of Right Bank wines were endowed with that, though for me to score it higher it would have to demonstrate more precision and _mineralité_ on the all-important finish, which feels slightly blunt and a little bitter. The bottle tasted blind has virtues, not least its fine tannins, though the finish was more herbal than expected and outclassed by its peers in the flight. (NM)
Critic scores
Average Score
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
More reviews and scores
The 2022 Beau-Séjour Bécot has turned out brilliantly in bottle. Wafting from the glass with a complex bouquet of sweet wild berries mingled with rose petals, orange zest, violets, gentian and espresso roast, it's full-bodied, supple and suave, with a deep core of cool, layered fruit, beautifully vibrant flavors and polished structuring tannins, concluding with a saline finish. As I wrote when I tasted it from barrel, this is a Saint-Émilion of breathtaking perfume and harmony that will be worth a special effort to seek out.
Tasted on multiple occasions, the 2022 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot is flat-out sensational, as well as the finest wine I’ve tasted from this château. Powerful aromatics of red, blue, and black fruits as well as crushed stone and violets define the aromatics, and it’s full-bodied, incredibly concentrated, has integrated acidity, and ultra-fine tannins. Based on 76% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, this heavenly Saint-Emilion will benefit from just 3-5 years of bottle age and have 30 years or more of overall longevity. Back up the truck.
Tasted on multiple occasions, the 2022 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot aways impressed, and I think it's clearly one of the finest vintages for this château. Including more Cabernet Franc than usual and a blend of 76% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, its ruby/purple hue is followed by a pure, ultra-fine, seamless Saint-Emilion with a wonderful core of black raspberry fruits supported by beautifully complex notes of chalky minerality, flowery incense, tobacco, and graphite. Medium to full bodied, with beautiful tannins and a great finish, this is never the most massive or concentrated wine in a vintage, yet it shines for its incredible sense of elegance, finesse, and complexity. The élevage here will span 18 months in 55% new French oak, and this hit 14.5% natural alcohol with a pH of 3.55. It will drink well for 30+ years.