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Château Beau-Séjour Bécot

Although I recall meeting Juliette Bécot in late 2006 it was not until 2010 that I first visited the Beau-Séjour Bécot estate. It was a miserable March day, the skies above grey with a fine drizzle which permeated the air around the château and seemed to drift lazily through the vineyards. In front of me lay a sea of vines and yellow wild flowers, the latter at least lending a splash of colour to the scene, hinting at the joys of spring to come, and providing a welcome contrast to the dreary weather. Beyond the vines lay the Romanesque church of St Martin de Mazerat and its extensive cemetery, a rather crowded enclosure crammed with every imaginable style of tomb, cross and gravestone. Some tombs are precious, protected from the elements by little greenhouse-like affairs, whereas others are worn by the years, the stones encrusted with lichen, the iron railings and crosses coated with a deeply coloured layer of rust. As an ensemble though, the church and gravestones make for an imposing sight.

This church and the Beau-Séjour Bécot estate are not neighbours by chance though; indeed, the latter owes its existence to the former, as do the other neighbouring châteaux, Canon and Beauséjour-Duffau-Lagarrosse. To understand how these four entities are related we need only to look back a few hundred years to the origin of the vineyards; you might not be surprised to learn that, as is the case with many vineyards, they started life tended by ecclesiastical hands.

Beau-Séjour and the Bécots: A History

The estate today known as Beau-Séjour Bécot was once part of a much grander (and larger) Beauséjour estate, long since divided, which had a history that spanned many centuries. Its origins lay in the Middle Ages, when the land was in the ownership of the monks of St Martin, monks who also tended the vines in what would one day be the vineyard of Château Canon (this château is located just to the left of the church of St Martin de Mazerat, which is shown below). During the 17th century, however, the ascetics relinquished control of their vineyards, and one particular lieu-dit named Peycoucou, a name rather romantically thought to be derived from the singing of the cuckoos (coucou) on the hill (puy), was acquired by the aristocratic Gerès family. These were seigneurs from Camarsac who settled in St Emilion. Naturally, being of noble blood, they married within their class, Jeanne de Gerès subsequently being wedded to François de Carles de Figeac, a local nobleman. The estate thus came to the de Carles family of Figeac and it was their son, General Jacques de Carles, who renamed the property Beauséjour in 1787.

Jacques de Carles died in 1803, passing the estate to his cousin André de Carle-Trajet who sold it on after two decades to a local pharmacist, who in turn passed on the 14 hectare estate to Pierre-Paulin Ducarpe, and it is he that took the carving knife to Beauséjour in 1869. Dividing it between his two children, half of the vineyard plus the château and associated buildings was gifted to his daughter who, through marriage, had taken the name Duffau-Lagarrosse, thus creating Beauséjour-Duffau-Lagarosse (this property lies to the right of the church shown above, which is thus essentially sandwiched between Beauséjour-Duffau-Lagarrosse and Canon). His son took the remaining half, and it was this vineyard that was the nascent Beau-Séjour Bécot, and which again changed hands in 1924, this time coming to Dr Jean Fagouet who was responsible for an expansion of the vineyard to 10.5 hectares. It remained with this family until 1969, when it was acquired by Michel Bécot, who thus appended his name to that of the château, thus giving us the Beau-Séjour-Bécot that we know today. The Bécot family still own the domaine, Michel having subsequently relinquished control to his two sons, Gérard and Dominique, who are now ably assisted by Gérard's daughter Juliette, the third generation of the Bécot family to help in the running of the estate.

The Vineyards of Beau-Séjour Bécot

The Beau-Séjour Bécot vineyards lie to the west of St Emilion, on the edge of the St Martin de Mazerat plateau. Here the rock underfoot is limestone and chalk peppered with fossilised starfish as is typical of the slopes of the commune. The vines dig their roots into this, supported by a meagre topsoil, a thin coating of organic matter mixed with clay and limestone. All told there are currently 16.5 hectares, the vines predominantly Merlot, covering 70% of the vineyard, with 24% Cabernet Franc and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, with an overall average age in excess of 35 years. The planting density is 6200 vines per hectare, and the rows are interplanted with grass to increase competition at superficial levels. Vineyard practices at Beau-Séjour Bécot are intensive, with leaf-thinning twice a year, and a green harvest in the summer months to help control yields which under the direction of the Bécots have been falling, and are now typically between 30 and 35 hl/ha. There is aggressive sorting and selection of the fruit, at the time of picking and in the chai. Once there the fruit is fermented in 80-hectolitre temperature-controlled stainless steel vats which were installed in 1971. The wine is subsequently bled off into oak barrels, with between 80% and 100% new oak in each vintage, where it rests for a period of 16 to 18 months. Before bottling it is neither fined nor filtered. The grand vin, with a blend usually slightly more Merlot-heavy than the composition of the vineyard, is Beau-Séjour Bécot, and there is an infrequently-produced second wine Tournelle de Beau-Séjour Bécot, and total production amounts to around 5500 cases.

The increase from 10.5 hectares under Fagouet to the 18.5 hectares that comprise Beau-Séjour Bécot today was largely achieved by the incorporation of two other vineyards into the whole; La Carte, which had been owned by the Bécot family since 1929, and Trois Moulins. The former was a 4.5-hectare estate lying directly adjacent to the Beau-Séjour vineyard and had been in the Bécot family since 1929; it had been passed to Michel Bécot, now owner of Beau-Séjour Bécot, in 1947. The latter, also 4.5 hectares, was an estate located on the St Emilion plateau, and was acquired by the Bécot family in 1979. Unfortunately for the Bécots, however, the amalgamation of these three estates did not meet with the approval of the INAO committee in charge of the 1985 revision of the St Emilion classification. These vineyards brought an incompatible terroir to the mix, it seemed, and Beau-Séjour Bécot was demoted from its status as Premier Grand Cru Classé, the top ranking alongside illustrious names such as Angélus and Figeac, to mere Grand Cru Classé. Beauséjour-Duffau-Lagarrosse, meanwhile, carried on in its exalted and superior status. It was not until the next revision in 1996, by which time Michel Bécot had long retired, that the wines had a chance to show they were worthy of reinstatement, and that is indeed the reward the Bécots received; since then, Beau-Séjour Bécot has remained a Premier Grand Cru Classé. Nevertheless the family do not seem to have stopped acquiring new vineyards, although perhaps unsurprisingly it seems they no longer attempt to incorporate them into Beau-Séjour Bécot. Perhaps the most significant addition to the Bécot portfolio is La Gomerie, a tiny estate planted exclusively with Merlot which neighbours Beau-Séjour Bécot. This they manage quite separately, very much in the garagiste mould. They have also invested in Castillon with the purchase of Château Joanin, now renamed Joanin-Bécot, in a project spearheaded by Juliette.

The Bécot Wines

Principal in the Bécot portfolio is of course Beau-Séjour Bécot, a St Emilion with which I have had limited experience, even taking into account my visit to the château in 2010. As with a number of my profiles my thoughts are dominated by successes in recent and very favourable vintages, and in both 2005 and 2009 the Bécot family have a success on their hands here. Looking at the intervening vintages, 2006 and 2008, it is perhaps remarkable that here the wines are at a quality level very close to that found in the previously mentioned 'great' vintages. Of course, we do have to bear in mind that although 2006 does not have the reputation of 2005, we should note that there were points of success in this vintage, and the right bank communes were favoured. As for 2008, some notable critics seem to regard this as a great vintage overall; I don't personally agree with this statement, and in addition the style is also very different to 2009. But again, if asked to point out which regions were favoured in this vintage, again the right bank communes would perhaps be first on my list. The Bécots have no doubt had some very good raw material to work with recently; happily, the results have been, on the whole, admirable.

As for the remainder of the Bécot portfolio, such as the aforementioned La Gomerie and Joanin-Bécot, I have no useful experience of these estates or wines. My sole experience of the Côtes de Castillon, Château Joanin-Bécot, which I tasted on a trip to Bordeaux in 2006, did hold much promise though; this is an estate, and an appellation, worth exploring further I think. (3/10/07, updated 20/1/11)

Contact details:
Address: 33330 St Emilion
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 57 74 46 87
Fax: +33 (0) 5 57 24 66 88
Internet: www.beausejour-becot.com
GPS: 44.894784, -0.164344

Château Beau-Séjour Bécot - Tasting Notes

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Château Beau-Séjour-Bécot (St Emilion) 2010: This wine is 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 2.5% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. This deeply coloured wine has a vibrant and lifted nose of macerated black cherry skins. The palate follows on in this firm style with a rather bold substance which matches the feel of the nose all too well, showing a rather direct frame which is not entirely filled by the fruit or flesh of the wine. It has a deep layer of rather chewy tannins, again harking back to that peculiarly hedonistic nose. There is a fair acidity to it though. Unsurprisingly, it all culminates in a long and chewy tannic finish. From my Bordeaux 2010 primeurs assessment. 14.5-15.5/20 (April 2011)

Château Beau-Séjour-Bécot (St Emilion) 2009: This has rather a bold style on the nose here, with some slightly meaty oak tinged fruit. Lots of supple texture here, grippy tannins, rich and broad. The structure is in fact quite massive, although there is a bright layer of fruit above. Great substance here too. The style seems firm but harmonious with the necessary fruit included within the composition of the wine. Should be very good indeed, although in a very expansive style. From my 2009 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 17-18+/20 (March 2010)

Château Beau-Séjour-Bécot (St Emilion) 2008: Attractively sweet fruit on the nose, smoky and nicely concentrated, with lots of lovely but well judged spice. A supple and well-judged palate on entry in terms of texture, and in the middle it builds in terms of substance, extract and grip. Good tannins, good acidity, with a sufficient layer of fruit to keep them in check. It seems a little soft and fuzzy at the edges, not superbly focused but this should firm up with time in bottle I hope. Aromatically it certainly appeals and this could be a little better than my score suggests if the palate comes together. From a tasting of 2008 Bordeaux at two years of age. 17+/20 (October 2010)

Château Beau-Séjour-Bécot (St Emilion) 2008: Bright character, with damson, cranberry and sloe berry fruit. A nice entry, harmonious, with lovely, ripe, gently polished grip underneath. Stylish and composed, rich but with firm acids and grip. Lots of delicious and appealing character here. From my 2008 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 17-18+/20 (April 2009)

Château Beau-Séjour-Bécot (St Emilion) 2007: A rather dark and lightly confected fruit character on the nose here, with gamey overtones. There are little tinges of coffee and chocolate here too. The palate is brighter and a little more fresh than I expected, with a rather cool style leading into a rather firm, stony midpalate. The fruit is subdued, the suggestion sweet but without any real character coming through. The acidity is fairly prominent, but the tannins well hidden though. It ends up with a dry, lightly bitter finish. From a 2007 Bordeaux tasting at four years of age. 14/20 (November 2011)

Château Beau-Séjour-Bécot (St Emilion) 2006: A glossy, vibrant crimson-red hue. Rather a polished style on the nose, showing attractive fresh summer fruits with a little dark, sweet richness to them. Some polished oak too. Rather a dry style on entry, a very reined-in flesh here, softening in the midpalate, showing good fruit, spicy and dark, and good structure too, with a resounding flourish of ripe tannins at the finish. Dark red fruit character, sweetly ripe raspberry moving into darker black cherry, with creamy vanilla on top. A restrained composition on the palate though, and a solid structure. From a 2006 Bordeaux tasting at four years of age. 17+/20 (November 2010)

Château Beau-Séjour-Bécot (St Emilion) 2005: Rather appealing although very dark style of fruit, but importantly it has freshness and perfume alongside what is undeniably a very meaty depth of fine fruit. The palate seems a little soft at first but it has some very admirable fruit, with a good depth of flavour with only a faint, gamey quality to it. Lots of tannins, a touch hard, firm acidity, lots of good components here. This should come very good with appropriate time in the cellar. From a 2005 Bordeaux tasting at four years of age. 17-17.5+/20 (November 2009)

Château Joanin-Bécot (Côtes de Castillon) 2005: Tasted with dinner at Château Thieuley. This has an obvious presence of sweet, ripe fruit on the nose, with a slightly hot feel to it, smoky and also a touch jammy I think. On the palate it seems simply huge; there is a wealth of rich fruit, with firm and ripe tannins which is all a little in-your-face. But there is good style here too; it has acidity which gives it an attractive lift, and it is all firmly cemented together. This is no loose and blowsy wine. This will appeal to many. 16+/20 (December 2006)

Château Beau-Séjour Bécot (St Emilion) 2003: Exotic nose of sweet black plums with a little chocolate. Full, ripe, quite creamy. Well balanced and supple, with a firm but not obvious backbone of grippy tannins. Roast nut, plum and black berry fruit finish. Ripe, well structured wine. This is very good. From my Bordeaux 2003 assessment. 16+/20 (October 2005)

Château Beau-Séjour Bécot (St Emilion) 1998: Juliette Bécot talked us through the wine. The vineyards are planted with Merlot 70%, Cabernet Franc 24%, Cabernet Sauvignon 6%. There were some roasted grapes due to inappropriate leaf-thinning in July. Macerated for thirty days, malolactic in barrel. A very dark, opaque wine. The nose has elegant, very pure, fresh fruit. The palate is rich, velvety and very textured. Beneath this lies structure and acidity. The fruit on the palate shows a slightly bitter, confected edge, although I doubt this will persist. There is good potential here, but it needs five years at least in the cellar. From a tasting of 1998 St Emilion. 17+/20 (May 2004)