Château Beau-Séjour Bécot, formerly Château Beauséjour-Dr-Fagouet, is a
Bordeaux wine from the
appellation Saint-Émilion
Saint-Émilion (; Gascon: ''Sent Milion'') is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. In 2016, it had a population of 1,938.
In the heart of the country of ''Libournais'' (the area around Libourne), in ...
, ranked ''Premier grand cru classé B'' in the
Classification of Saint-Émilion wine
In 1955, the wines of Saint-Émilion in the wine-growing region of Bordeaux were classified. Unlike the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 covering wines from the Médoc and Graves regions, the Saint-Émilion list is updated every 10 y ...
. The
winery is located in the Right Bank of France's
Bordeaux wine region
The wine regions of Bordeaux are a large number of wine growing areas, differing widely in size and sometimes overlapping, which lie within the overarching wine region of Bordeaux, centred on the city of Bordeaux and covering the whole area of the ...
in the commune of
Saint-Émilion
Saint-Émilion (; Gascon: ''Sent Milion'') is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. In 2016, it had a population of 1,938.
In the heart of the country of ''Libournais'' (the area around Libourne), in ...
, in the department
Gironde
Gironde ( US usually, , ; oc, Gironda, ) is the largest department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,62 ...
.
The estate also produces the
second wine Tournelle de Beau-Séjour Bécot, as well as the ''"
Vin de garage"'', La Gomerie.
History
Once a vineyard cultivated by the monks of the Church of St-Martin during the
Middle Ages, in the 17th century it was acquired by the Gerès family, the land then named Peycoucou.
[ By marriage the estate came to the de Carle family, '']seigneurs
''Seigneur'' is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. A seigneur refers to the person or collective who owned a ''seigneurie'' (o ...
'' of Figeac, and in 1787 General Jacques de Carle renamed the property to Beauséjour. When the historic estate in its entirety came to Pierre-Paulin Ducarpe, it was divided in 1869 between his two children. The daughter wed Duffau-Lagarosse, received what became Château Beauséjour-Duffau-Lagarrosse
(present day Château Beauséjour) and his son inherited the half which was sold in 1924 to Dr. Fagouet, altering the name to Château Beauséjour-Dr-Fagouet.[ The estate received its current name after it was acquired in 1969 by Michel Bécot who began extensive efforts to modernise.]
Demotion
The INAO committee in charge revising the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine
In 1955, the wines of Saint-Émilion in the wine-growing region of Bordeaux were classified. Unlike the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 covering wines from the Médoc and Graves regions, the Saint-Émilion list is updated every 10 y ...
in 1985 demoted Château Beau-Séjour Bécot
from ''Premier Grand Cru Classé'' to ''Grand Cru Classé'', as Beau-Séjour Bécot had in 1979 incorporated two other vineyards into its estate, La Carte, owned by the Bécot family since 1929, and Trois Moulins. The vineyard area was increased by 85%, making only Château Pavie the larger estate in the area.[
The demotion was followed by unprecedented controversy. While no formal application to incorporate the amalgamated vineyards had been made, Beau-Séjour Bécot maintained there had been no loss in quality as demonstrated in formal wine tastings as stipulated by the Saint-Émilion AOC rules.][
The estate was promoted back to its previous classification at the following revision in 1996.
]
Production
The vineyard area extends 16.5 hectares with the grape varieties of 70% Merlot
Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...
, 24% Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being us ...
and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...
. Of the ''Grand vin'', Château Beau-Séjour Bécot and the second wine, Tournelle de Beau-Séjour Bécot, there is a total annual production of 5,000 cases.
La Gomerie
The Bécot family acquired the Gomerie vineyard in 1995, an adjacent plot of 2.5 hectares, from which a wine is produced in the manner of "Garage wine".[ From a small vineyard of extremely low yields, the wine performs according to ''"Garagiste"'' norms,
with new wood predominance, a small production, high ratings from Robert Parker and high prices.][belgiumwinewatchers.co]
La Gomerie
The wine consists of 100% Merlot, and production is limited to 1,000 cases per year. From this vineyard there is also produced a second wine, Mademoiselle La Gomerie.
References
External links
Château Beau-Séjour Bécot official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beau-Sejour Becot, Chateau
Bordeaux wine producers