Winemaker Notes
Blend: 75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Juliette Bécot (also of Château Beau-Séjour Bécot in Saint-Émilion) has done great work in this vintage! The 2019 Joanin Bécot reveals an abundance of cassis, blueberry, flower and violet aromas overlaid with a nuance of graphite. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is perfectly balanced and framed by fine, controlled tannins and power. This wine made a significant impression on me.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Mulberries, ripe cherries, tobacco leaf, and chalky mineral notes all emerge from the 2019 Château Joanin Bécot, another pure, incredibly elegant, balanced beauty from this family. Readers who love vibrant, elegant, yet still concentrated and impeccably made Bordeaux will love this medium-bodied, seamless 2019 that can be drunk any time over the coming 10-15.
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James Suckling
A perfumed nose of cherries, currants, plums, violets, clay and baking spices. Medium-bodied with fine tannins. Fruity and balanced with a fresh, supple finish.
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Wine Spectator
Juicy and direct, featuring a mix of black cherry and red currant fruit that stretches out nicely, with singed alder and tobacco notes and a subtle chalky thread that guides the flavors through the finish.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Though the region is larger than many of its Right Bank neighbors, it is one that consistently produces high quality, well-valued red wines. In fact, Cotes de Castillon can almost be considered a geographical eastern extension of St. Emilion, producing similarly-fashioned reds based on Merlot.
Vineyards in the region’s clay, limestone and sandstone soils produce sturdy red wines. On alluvial terraces, in vineyards closer to the Dordogne River, wines tend to be more supple and fruity. In either case, a great Cotes de Castillon red will be bursting with raspberry, plum and blueberry, have an enticing bouquet of dried flowers and a finish that is plush and opulent.