The 2023 Beau-Sejour-Becot is a Bordeaux blend from the Saint Emilion sub-region of Bordeaux, France, produced by Beau-Sejour-Becot. This red wine, bottled with a cork closure, is made from 77% Merlot and 23% Cabernet Franc, harvested between September 7 and October 4, 2023.
This vintage is the first produced in the estate's new, highly functional winery, which has received significant acclaim. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate rated it 98 points, noting, "The 2023 Beau-Sejour-Becot has turned out beautifully and looks likely to rival or surpass the brilliant 2022. It's medium to full-bodied, layered, and velvety, with a suave attack that prefaces a cool, complete core of fruit that’s pure, perfumed, and mineral, concluding with a long, saline finish." William Kelley of the same publication highlights the wine's "notes of raspberries, dark berries and minty cherries mingled with notions of iris, wisteria and lilac."
James Suckling awarded the wine 97 points, describing it as "a wine with very bright and al-dente fruit. Aromas and flavors of redcurrants and minerals with lavender and chalk. Medium to full body and a solid core of tannins integrated with the dark fruit. Fresh and vibrant at the end." His review emphasizes the wine's energy and pure fruit.
Vinous also rated it 98 points, with Antonio Galloni stating, "The 2023 Beau-Sejour-Becot is fabulous. Rich, opulent and explosive to the core... The 2023 is an absolute stunner... I see a wine with more aromatic presence, greater precision and more refined tannins than any recent vintage I can recall."
The wine's structure and precision were further praised by Decanter, which gave it 97 points. They highlighted the "fresh blueberries and black cherries on the nose with crayon, pencil lead, tapenade, olive and liquorice. Tangy and so alive on the palate, crystalline and pure." Jane Anson, awarding it 95 points, noted the "plush velvety tannins that cushion plump damson and pomegranate fruits through to a juicy salinity on the finish."
Jeff Leve from TheWineCellarInsider.com, who also rated it 98 points, noted its "strong floral characteristics coupled with sweet, ripe, red cherries, licorice, black raspberries, and a hint of cocoa." This sentiment of purity and elegance is echoed by other reviewers, including Lisa Perrotti-Brown from The Wine Independent, who gave it 97 points, and Jeb Dunnuck, who rated it 94 points, describing it as "a beautiful, elegant yet structured wine that will age gracefully."
In summary, the 2023 Beau-Sejour-Becot is a highly acclaimed Bordeaux blend, praised for its vibrant fruit, refined tannins, and elegant structure, making it a standout wine of its vintage.