Château Beau-Séjour Bécot 2017, St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé

Description

Château Beau-Séjour Bécot 2017 is a St Emilion wine estate, located on Bordeaux’s right bank, which is categorised as a Premier Grand Cru Classé B in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine. It is located to the west of the ancient village of Saint-Émilion itself. The wines are celebrated for their silky tannins, vibrant black fruit, truffle, chocolate, and chalky minerality

Château Beau-Séjour Bécot, Since 1969

Previously known as Château Beauséjour-Dr-Fagouet, the Château acquired its current name when Michel Bécot bought the property in 1969. Michel retired in 1985 and the estate is currently run by his two sons, Gérard and Dominique Bécot. The sons brought in Michel Rolland as a consultant and improved the wine greatly by improving vineyard management, lowering yields etc.

Since 2014, the estate has been run by Gérard’s daughter, Juliette Becot, and her husband, Julien Barthe. She also manages the family’s other properties, as well as her own estate in Côtes de Castillon called Joanin Becot, and brought in a new consulting oenologist, Thomas Duclot. The 2017 vintage marks the first under Duclos, introducing a stylistic shift toward greater freshness, precision and infusion rather than extraction.

Classification Controversy

Controversially, Chateau Beau-Séjour Bécot was stripped of its 1er Grand Cru Classé status in 1985 because Michel Bécot had incorporated some non 1er Cru rated vineyards and was classified as a St.Emilion Grand Cru. This decision was reversed in 1996 and Château Beau-Séjour Bécot is now considered to be one of the best performing 1er Grand Cru Classé B properties.

As well as the main Chateau wine, a second wine, Tournelle de Beau-Séjour Bécot, renamed in 2012 to Petit Bécot by Beau-Sejour, and a “garagiste” wine, La Gomerie, is also produced.

Estate Vineyards

The vineyards cover some 17 hectares and are planted with 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. The average age of the vines is 45 years old. The vineyard is well-sited on a limestone plateau called Saint-Martin de Mazera in the north-west of the appellation.

Château Beau-Séjour Bécot Winemaking

• The grapes are carefully hand-harvested.
• Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats.
• A portion of the grapes is whole berry fermented.
• The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation.
• The wine is then aged in oak barriques, on average for about 18 months:
  • 65% in new barrels
  • 35% in barrels that are one year old or older.
  • For newer vintages, some of the wine is also partly aged in clay amphora.

• Approximately 85,000 bottles are produced per vintage.

The 2017 Vintage at Beau-Séjour Bécot

The 2017 Bordeaux vintage is famously remembered for the severe spring frosts that devastated many low-lying vineyards across the Right Bank. However, Château Beau-Séjour Bécot was largely protected by its “terroir of excellence” – its high position on the limestone plateau allowed the cold air to drain away, sparing the majority of the vines.