Château Beau-Séjour Bécot is a Bordeaux producer in Saint-Émilion, with a Premier Grand Cru Classé B status based on the 1955 classification. The grand vin is, as one would expect here, a Merlot-dominant blend, as is the second wine, Petit Bécot (formerly Tournelle de Beau-Séjour Bécot).
The 22 hectares (54 acres) of vineyards have an average vine age of around 45 years. Some Merlot vines are more than 70 years old.
Merlot accounts for around 80 percent of plantings, with around 15 percent Cabernet Franc and a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon. Total annual production is around 80,000 bottles.
In the winery, 20 to 40 percent of the fruit is whole-cluster fermented. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks, after around four days of cold maceration. Most of the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in barrel, spending around four months on its lees.
For the grand vin, most of the wine is matured in French oak barrels for 16 to 20 months before bottling. A small component is aged in clay amphorae.
About the cuvée
The Bécot family make a highly rated grand vin: rich and lively, it becomes more refined and complex after a few years in the bottle. This wine offers elegant fruity flavours, combined with delicate mineral notes. . On the palate, Beau-Séjour Bécot combines rich and flamboyant aromas to a nice acidity that balances this wine. A wine to be tasted matured after 15 to 20 years.
