Winemaker Notes
Blend: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2022 Joanin-Bécot is one of the best vintages I can remember tasting. Heady and explosive in the glass, the 2022 offers up copious red/purplish berry fruit, blood orange, spice, menthol and licorice all saturate the finish. This could be a Sleeper.
Barrel Sample: 91-93 -
Decanter
Full and fruity nose, expressive and ripe, nicely perfumed and expressive. Clean and clear, extremely mineral, graphite, pencil lead and flint stone notes on the palate alongside clear blue fruits, blueberries, blackcurrants and some red summer berries. Super smooth in terms of texture but also quite lean in terms of fruit flavour, this has bite and tang, a touch austere but also really quite juicy and floral too. Needs a bit of time, but feels precise and focussed with grip and intensity. I like the fruitiness, really quite upfront but keeping the liveness and energy. Succulent and nicely sweet touches with juicy acidity. Easy enjoyment, plush, mineral, all in balance.
Barrel Sample: 92 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One of my favorites this year and surely a wine that punches above its weight, the 2022 Joanin Bécot reveals a perfumed, vibrant bouquet of iris, lilac, dark berries, licorice and violet. Medium to full-bodied, supple and satiny, it's lively and juicy with a fresh core of fruit, bright acids and fleshy texture, concluding with a fresh, ethereal and mouthwatering finish. This blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc is a real success and worth hunting down. Rating:-92+
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Jeb Dunnuck
the 2022 Château Joanin Bécot, a juicy, lively, nicely balanced Castillon that has perfumed red fruits as well as the classic mineral and floral nuances of the region. It's medium-bodied, has integrated acidity, and a great 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.