Château Beau-Séjour Bécot 2010

It comes across as compact and rich, yet stays fresh and fruity despite the fire, very true to style and therefore thoroughly recommendable.

Delivers a deliciously vibrant core of linzer torte, blackberry confiture and melted licorice snap notes, along with toasted spice and a mouthwatering apple wood accent on the finish. The grip is briary and energetic, showing a fine, buried minerality. Should stretch out wonderfully in the cellar. Best from 2016 through 2028.

Spicy, dark fruit nose. Very expressive and some nice florality. The tannins are a little green now, but the depth of fruit will come through. It’s balanced and stylish, but not very expressive now, though the finish shows ripeness and length.

Wonderful nose with loads of dark chocolate, plums and some coffee. Opens up with orange peel, leather and vanilla. Full and round on the palate with beautiful fruit and sweet, polished tannins. Long and gorgeous with a really smooth texture. Drink from 2017.

Lots of oak. Lots of extract too. Quite oppressive. Dark and dense. Dour, even. (RH)

The 2010 Beau-Séjour Bécot was picked between October 5 and 22. It has an outstanding bouquet, superior to anything that preceded it: a mix of red and black fruit, undergrowth, minerals, iris and crushed violet. The oak here is seamlessly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a fine line of acidity, and quite a sensual feel in the mouth, especially for a 2010, making this more approachable than many of its peers. There is immense depth and it certainly constitutes the most powerful Bécot to date. Yet the precision and detail on the finish take it to a higher level than the 2009, leaving you with the sense that this is a benchmark for the Bécot family. Patience will be needed, but will be repaid. Tasted at the château.

With deep color, the wine offers silky, polished textures, sweet dark berries, licorice, crushed stone and ripe tannins. On the palate, the rich wine ends with layers of plush, ripe, generous fruits that will only get better with time.

Compact red, dense at the core, with a healthy ruby rim. The nose is concentrated and powerful, slightly heady, stewed cherries, rosehip jam and cassis, light fine woods, intense roasted notes and vanillin. On the palate, full-bodied with a rich frame, still showing an inner, demanding astringency; you can feel the enormous ageing potential. Somehow this powerful Saint-Emilion still needs to find itself. However, it has moved in the right direction since the last tastings.

Deep purple-garnet, dense at the core, with violet glints on the rim. Intense cherry bouquet, subtly dry with a stemmy spice note. Fleshy palate with a slight mealiness, shows backbone, as always very characterful. Can still improve. (17/20). 12: Deep, dark garnet, with a bluish sheen. Idiosyncratic, gluey bouquet, as if there’s a certain haze over it. On the palate, strict muscles and acidity not yet fully integrated. Feels upfront and is searching for harmony. Very hard to assess. Are there better bottles? (17/20). 13: Compact red, dense at the center, ruby rim on the outside. The nose is packed with power, slightly heady, cooked cherries, rosehip jam and cassis, light fine woods, intense roasted notes and vanillin. On the palate, full with a hefty body, inner astringency still demanding, you sense the enormous ageing potential. Somehow this powerful Saint Emilion still needs to come together. But it has moved — since the last encounters — in the right direction.

Spherical in shape, a very harmonious, clean, long wine, with a discreet progression on the palate that sets it apart from some of its peers.

dense attack, supple mid-palate, lovely elegant fruit, very aromatic, moderately tannic.

Fruity, deep, spicy, rustic bouquet; blue berries, Amarena cherries, chocolate, tobacco. Classic, firm, powerful, spicy palate with plenty of tannins, generous fruit, well-boned structure, intense aromatics, very long, firm finish. 18/20 2020 - 2038

In the opulent style of superripe Merlot, this is a rich wine that delivers generous black currant fruits with tannins that are dense but not overwhelming. It is finely structured, proud of its elegance, stylish fruit and tannin balance. The wine is set for long-term aging, but will certainly be drinkable in 5–10 years.