2005 CHÂTEAU BEAUSÉJOUR BÉCOT 1er Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion Château Beauséjour Bécot

The bottled 2005 Beau Sejour Becot confirms that this is the finest effort from this estate in the thirty years I have been covering Bordeaux. A classic blend of 70% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, it is an intense, full-bodied St.-Emilion revealing notes of espresso roast, chocolate, blackberries, licorice, and truffles. With sweet but noticeable tannins, good acidity, and a powerful, long finish, this textbook St.-Emilion cuts a swath between the modern school of winemaking and the traditionalists. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030+.   94/100

Blueish purple. Lightly fragrant, even slightly blossomy. Quite gentle mellifluent texture. Well balanced and expressive. Fresh and refreshing. Not overdone - good, middle of the road 2005 St-Émilion. This one dances. Fresh and springlike. 2014-26   17

Good full ruby. Highly aromatic nose offers blackberry, maraschino cherry and minerals. Sweet, dense and fine-grained, with perfectly integrated acidity giving shape and grip to the dark fruit and mineral flavors and lovely lift to the wine's very subtle, long finish. An atypically velvety and mouthfilling vintage for this property, finishing with firm, chewy tannins and excellent grip.   90-93/100

Good bright ruby. At once liqueur-like and bright on the nose, with blackberry, bitter chocolate, mocha, graphite and sweet oak lifted by a cool quality. Lush and silky on entry, then primary, concentrated and sweet in the middle, with terrific density and depth to its black fruit and chocolate flavors. At once opulent and gripping. This builds slowly and spreads out on the back end, finishing with very fine, sweet tannins and superb persistence. A great vintage in the making for this property. (May/June 2007)   91-93/100

Fabulous aromas of crushed raspberry and lightly toasted oak. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a lovely, fruity finish with dark chocolate.   92-94/100

Very elegant Saint-Emilion. Good integration of oakiness, ample body, velvety texture, with a typical touch of smokiness inbuilt in the flavour, deftly integrated tannins, excellent overall balance. A classic of the vintage. Drink from 2015.   ****/18.5

A fragant nose but with aeration it becomes a little jammy. Kirsch, a little boot polish. The palate is very tannnic, plummy, figgy. Bit short on the finish.   18/25