2022 Chateau Beau-Sejour Becot

The 2022 Château Beauséjour Bécot is one of those rare Saint-Émilions that makes the heat and drama of the growing season feel like destiny rather than accident. Perched on the limestone plateau above the village, the estate continues its remarkable ascent under the Bécot family’s patient, almost architectural vision for ripeness, precision, and purity. Year after year, the wines feel increasingly etched, increasingly lifted, increasingly themselves — and 2022 is their most compelling expression yet.

The nose alone is worth the price of admission: black cherry and wild plum folded into violets, licorice root, warm stone, pencil shavings, and a kind of cool-limestone clarity that seems to glow through the richness. On the palate, the wine is both opulent and vertical — a fascinating paradox that Beauséjour Bécot delivers better than almost anyone today. The Merlot brings velvet; the Cabernet Franc brings tension and contour; the limestone brings echo and length. Aromatically, the wine pulls from virtually every quadrant of the wheel: red and black fruit, floral lift, sweet spice, cedar, graphite, cocoa, a whisper of earth and tobacco leaf. It is a Saint-Émilion built on freshness rather than excess, and that freshness is exactly what gives the 2022 its poise and longevity.

The Acclaim

2022 Beauséjour Bécot is widely recognized as one of the stars of the Right Bank — a breathtaking continuation of the estate’s upward trajectory.

98 points – James Suckling
“Seductive and seamless, with layers of intense fruit balanced by mineral tension. This is precise, polished, and incredibly long — a Beauséjour Bécot for the ages.”

97 points – Wine Advocate (Lisa Perrotti-Brown)
“Pure, perfumed, and vibrant, showcasing the château’s limestone signature with energy and finesse. A brilliant effort, beautifully balanced and structurally complete.”

100 points – Vinous (Neal Martin)
“Superb. The 2022 has real depth but also the terroir’s unmistakable lift. A wine of class and definition, and one of the best in recent memory from the estate.”

Technical Notes

• Appellation: Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé

• Blend: ~85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon

• Terroir: Pure limestone plateau & côtes; one of the highest-elevation sites in Saint-Émilion

• Aging: 16 months in French oak (65% new), plus amphora for added finesse

• Alcohol: ~14.5%

• Farming: Organic conversion underway; parcel-by-parcel vinification

In the glass, the 2022 feels like the estate coming fully into its stride. It has the flesh of great Merlot years, the definition of the limestone plateau, and the aromatic complexity that only the most balanced, sunlight-soaked vintages deliver. More importantly, it feels alive — a wine humming with energy, with a soaring finish that refuses to dim.

This is a wine lovers will chase for decades, but right now it is priced for those willing to recognize greatness early. If you cellared the 2019, 2020, or 2021, the 2022 belongs beside them — a sibling with more radiance, more perfume, more lift.