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Reviews

2020 Beau-Séjour Bécot, St-Emilion

Review Date: 11-11-2026

Beau-Séjour Bécot has become one of the most exciting estates to watch in Saint-Émilion. Under the direction of Juliette Bécot and Julien Barthe, the château has made some impressive strides in recent years, with a greater focus on showcasing its exceptional limestone terroir. Since bringing on consultant Thomas Duclos in 2018, the team has moved toward gentler extraction and a more restrained approach to oak, allowing the estate's signature balance of rich fruit, polished tannins, and limestone-driven freshness to really shine through. The 2020 vintage brought a hot, dry summer, making the estate's clay-limestone soils particularly valuable in retaining moisture and helping the vines navigate the drought. Merlot was a standout in 2020, benefiting from favorable harvest conditions that allowed for excellent ripeness while maintaining freshness. Making up 85% of the blend, it's easy to see why Beau-Séjour Bécot was so well positioned for success in this vintage. Between the strength of 2020 vintage and the continued improvements at the estate, there's a lot to be excited about here!

Price: $79.99

2016 Montrose, St-Estèphe

Review Date: 11-10-2026

When I last visited Montrose in April 2026, I was reminded of the phrase often used to describe their wines: “an iron fist in a velvet glove.” I can't think of a better way to capture the character of the 2016. What makes Montrose so special is its location on two distinct gravel terraces, known as Terraces 3 and 4, overlooking the Gironde estuary. Terrace 4's gravel over clay subsoils contributes power and structure to the Cabernet Sauvignon, while the deeper, well-drained gravels of Terrace 3 bring freshness and finesse. That underlying clay also helps retain precious moisture during dry growing seasons, something that proved particularly valuable in 2016 when the Medoc experienced an unusually long, dry summer. The result is one of the great modern Bordeaux vintages, combining incredible concentration and ripe tannins with the balance and structure for decades of aging. For me, this distinctive balance between power and velvety elegance is what I love about Montrose, and I can't wait to see how it evolves over the coming decades.

Price: $269.99