A great success for the vintage, this wine is firmly structured and expressive, bringing out a dark structure, ripe tannins and swathes of black fruits. Further generosity will develop as the wine matures. Drink from 2018.

The 2011 Beau-Séjour Bécot was picked between 19 September and 3 October. It has an earthy bouquet with notes of dark chocolate and mulberry mixed with a slight mulch-like scent. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, nicely balanced with a fine line of acidity. I like the spicy vein interwoven into this Saint-Émilion and it is endowed with fine tension on the finish. Maybe it is a little conservative compared to other recent vintages, but there is a freshness, a brightness that is very appealing. Tasted at the château.

Captures the briary feel of the vintage, delivering a solid core of plum, bitter cherry and black currant mixed with notes of tobacco leaf and pain d'épices. A prominent charcoal spine takes over on the finish. Best from 2016 through 2026.

A masculine, slightly rustic style of St.-Emilion, this dense ruby/purple-hued, medium-bodied 2011 exhibits notes of mulberries, black cherries, earth, graphite and a touch of background oak. It possesses elevated tannins, but a good attack and impressive purity as well as depth. Give it 2-3 years of cellaring and drink it over the next 15+ years.