Chateau Beau Sejour Becot 2018

ANTONIO GALLONI: "The 2018 Beau-Séjour Bécot has really closed down since I tasted it en primeur. Inky red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, mint and blood orange gradually open in the glass, all framed by veins of chalky minerality. The 2018 is a fabulous wine in the making, but readers have to be patient. Time in a decanter or simply in the glass helps to bring out the wine's considerable depth."

DECANTER: "Blueberry, blackberry, coffee beans, slate, sage and rosemary are layered up here, opening slowly to show a gunsmoke edge. A success en primeur and has lived up the billing. The first vintage to be entirely overseen by Juliet Bécot. A yield of 50hl/ha. A mix of amphorae, 20hl Stockinger casks and 225l barrels used for the ageing."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Frische schwarze Herzkirschen, ein Hauch von Pflaumen, ätherische Nuancen, kaum spürbare Holzkomponente. Saftig, rund und harmonisch, seidiges, tragendes Tannin, mineralisch, mit feiner Säurestruktur ausgestattet, bei allem Volumen durchaus delikat, gute Länge, sicheres Reifepotenzial."

JAMES SUCKLING: "A very fresh and beautiful wine with extremely fine tannins that melt nicely into the pure fruit. Medium to full body. Crisp and very fruity. Wonderful finish that lasts for minutes. It grows in stature at the end."

JEB DUNNUCK: "This estate makes an incredibly classic, elegant Saint-Emilion. The 2018 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot is based on 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon that was brought up in 65% new French oak. Coming from a beautiful terroir on the upper plateau, it reveals a deep purple/ruby color as well as perfumed cassis and mulberry fruits intermixed with ample spring flowers, chalky minerality, violets, and graphite. Medium to full-bodied and nicely concentrated on the palate, it has terrific mid-palate depth, flawless balance, background oak, and polished yet significant tannins. If you want to know what limestone soil gives to a wine, try this! It has the polish and balance to offer pleasure today, yet the cellar will be your friend. This warrants 5-7 years of bottle age and will have 30+ years of prime drinking."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Deeply colored, the wine is all about its sensuality. Texturally, the wine is silk and velvet with its layers of sweet, luscious plums, cherries, smoke and licorice. Full-bodied with a fabulous depth of flavor, seamless textures, vibrancy and purity of fruit, this is just great. The silky finish coats your mouth with flavor and the essence of pure fruit as it builds and expands. The wine is a blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.. If I hadn't tasted the 2019, or heard about the 2020, I would have said this was the finest vintage ever produced at Beau-Sejour Becot."

THE WINEADVOCATE: "The 2018 Beau-Sejour Becot is a blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it slips slowly, sensuously from the glass with notes of boysenberries, black raspberries, baked plums and chocolate-covered cherries, plus hints of star anise, dried Provence herbs and lavender. The medium to full-bodied palate offers soft textured, perfumed black fruit layers with just enough freshness and a lifted finish. A little closed and shy at this youthful stage, give it a good 5-6 years in bottle and enjoy it over the next 25 years or more."

WEINWISSER: "Tiefes Purpur mit undurchsichtiger Mitte und zartem rubinrotem Rand. Was für ein verführerisches Waldhimbeerbouquet, dahinter Alpenheidelbeeren und Veilchenparfüm. Am sublimen Gaumen mit cremiger Textur, stützendes reifes Tannin und herrliche Extraktsüße. Im aromatischen Finale ein langes Crescendo mit roten und blauen Beeren, heller Tabak und zarte Graphitspuren. Das Geheimnis dieses Jahres liegt in der unglaublichen Finesse!"

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "Big, rich and packed with smoky black fruits, this is not a shy wine. Dark chocolate and black-plum flavors mingle with the solid structure and concentrated tannins. With its ripe, juicy fruitiness at the end, the wine has all the elements in place. Let it age and drink from 2027. "

WINESPECTATOR: "Juicy, with a mix of fig, blackberry and black currant fruit laced with light bramble, anise, bay and tobacco notes. Good energy through the finish, with a late minerally tug. Relies on purity and elegance overall. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2023 through 2034. 8,750 cases made. — JM"