Château Beau-Séjour Bécot 2021

Rose-edged raspberries on the nose with blackcurrant leaf, soft herbal and earthy tones too. Gently floral and perfumed – so welcoming. Direct and streamlined on the palate with gently chalky/creamy tannins that are so integrated they just glide across the tongue settling around the mouth giving a salty tang to the juicy red and black fruit. Such a lovely freshness; this is delicate in terms of texture and overall frame but well positioned and expressive, benefitting from racy acidity and fruit density. It’s harmonious and balanced with such detail on the palate giving transparency of the vintage, the terroir and the grapes. Confident and finessed: a distinguished 2021 that will give a lot of drinking pleasure. 3.5pH. 32hl/ha

Licorice, cherries, flowers, cocoa, oceanic nuances, and a hint of cigar wrapper aromas crowd into the perfume. On the palate, the wine shows purity, energy, grace, and lift. The tannins are silky, the character is refined, relaxed, and most importantly, there is a gorgeous sense of purity in the red fruits you feel on the mid-palate, flowing through to the elegant, long, energetic, sensual finish. The wine blends 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a major success for the vintage. Drink from 2025-2050.

An absolutely brilliant wine in the vintage, the 2021 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot has a concentrated, medium-bodied style that never puts a foot wrong. Black raspberries, flowers, chalky minerality, and subtle truffly notes all define this vibrant 2021, and it has beautifully integrated tannins. As always with this terroir, it's not a blockbuster yet shines for its finesse, elegance, and complexity.

Slightly sweet, chocolaty and caramel notes on the nose, with plenty of core aroma and nuanced depth layering. Velvety attack on the palate, very compact and chocolaty, with powerful tannins. Beauséjour 2021 carries plenty of juice and breed, with a distinguished, racy progression, yet remains somewhat dull on the finish.

Kunz barrel sample 2022: (85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13.5% alc. vol., production 74,660 bottles) Fresh, powerful, mineral bouquet, black cherries, cassis, smoke, graphite, delicate licorice. Powerful, aromatic palate with generous fruit, good tannins, dense structure, complex dark, spicy aromas, long, fresh finish.

(85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13.5% vol. alcohol, production 74,660 bottles) Fresh, powerful, mineral bouquet, black cherries, cassis, smoke, graphite, fine licorice. Powerful, aromatic palate with intense fruit, good tannins, dense structure, complex, dark, spicy aromatics, long, fresh finish. 18/20 2029 - 2050

The notions of freshness, precision and complexity are evident from the very first aromas. BSB 2021 brims with energy and tension, yet also a hint of sweetness. A wine of clarity, high definition, with countless details that only reinforce its relevance. The tannins, coupled with the acidic structure, provide a beautiful backbone, and the wine is literally riding a fair wind. Not necessarily in terms of power, but above all in terms of temperament—energetic, mouthwatering, crystalline and persistent. And, above all, the nature of Beau-Séjour Bécot is clearly present, with small nods (shy nuances of chocolate and ripe black berries) that clearly remind us of where we are. A sparkling, sapid, even thirst-quenching wine that makes you want to have another glass… at the very least!

Deep colour, of medium intensity and slightly evolved. Aromatic nose with fresh, ripe, vanilla-tinged fruit. Delicate on entry, flavoursome through the mid-palate, with a classy texture; the wine caresses through to the finish, fragrant and long.

The 2021 Beau-Séjour Bécot has realized all the potential it showed from barrel, unfurling in the glass with aromas of wild berries and plums mingled with notes of violets, lilac, forest floor and spices. Medium to full-bodied, deep and pure, with a fleshy core of fruit framed by supple, polished tannins and bright acids, it’s seamless and sensual, finishing long and mouthwatering. As readers may recall, it was cropped at 35 hectoliters per hectare, delivering a blend based on Merlot with around 13% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon in a supporting role.