Exceptional southern French red, with a touch of Pomerol class! Faugères is one of the finest and best-loved appellations of the Languedoc, as you'll taste in this authentic, herbal-scented 2016, made by a former 100pt Pomerol winemaker.
In 1969, Michel Bécot acquired the château and brought the area under vine up to 18.50 hectares thanks to the purchase of neighbouring vineyard plots with the same terroir. He also turned seven hectares of former underground limestone quarries into a storage cellar where tens of thousands of bottles age under ideal conditions. His work in improving and embellishing the estate went on until his retirement in 1985. His two sons, Gérard and Dominique, have followed in their father’s footsteps while introducing numerous technical innovations to both the cellars and the vineyard. Only the ripest, healthiest grapes are now harvested, and then sorted one by one. Gérard’s daughter, Juliette, started working at the château in 2001 in order to market wines from the family estate.95-97 points Wine Advocate Displaying a deep purple-black color, the 2020 Beau-Sejour Becot prances out of the glass with showy scents of preserved plums, chocolate-covered cherries, wild blueberries and raspberry preserves, plus suggestions of rose oil, ground cloves and licorice. The elegantly crafted, medium-bodied palate shimmers with energy, offering a fantastic intensity of crunchy red and black fruits, supported by fine-grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and perfumed. Simply stunning. (5/2021)
94-96 points Jeb Dunnuck The vivid purple-hued 2020 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot is another ethereal, incredibly perfumed, mineral-laced Saint-Emilion, which is common from wines from the upper, limestone plateau. Gorgeous cassis and black cherry fruits as well as floral notes, violets, and chalky minerality all define the nose, and it’s medium-bodied, has wonderfulness and purity, and reveals a liqueur of rocks-like minerality on the finish. It’s another thrillingly complete wine from this team that shines for its purity, elegance, and complexity. (5/2021)
J. Suckling : 96-97/100
Anthocyanes / Y.Castaing : 98-100/100
Terre de Vins : 98-98/100
Decanter : 95/100
Jeb Dunnuck : 94-96/100
Wine Advocate : 95-97/100
Vinous – N.Martin : 92-94/100
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Scattered on the high-altitude slopes of the Cévennes foothills, lie the vineyards of Terrasses de Larzac. The top wine from there fetches £100 a bottle. Nearby are the other Languedoc crus - Montpeyroux, Pézenas and Pic Saint Loup. Tucked away among them and in the shadow of the great Mont Baudile lies a forgotten IGP, named after this towering mountain.
Cave Fonjoya boasts 90% production of this tiny area and the very finest grapes are reserved for this wine. A classic blend of Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Mourvèdre, it's a sumptuous, smooth red, with polished tannins and deep black fruit with herbal nuances. Pure charm and a great partner to grilled meats, ideal at a barbecue, or with a rich, garlicky, herby casserole, veggie or not!
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The Independent named Rocksand Shiraz among its ‘12 Best Portuguese Wines’, giving it the title of ‘best for a meat feast’! The secret to its luscious weight and fruit-packed splendour is the sandy soils, which hold little rain for the vines, plus the unrelenting hot sun of the Setúbal Península. The result is a very modest yield of small berries crammed with juicy flavour and spice.
No wonder, then, award-winning winemaker Jaime Quendera is now forging a worldwide reputation for Setúbal’s rich, bold reds, all at affordable prices, too. A few months' ageing in French oak barrels has lent a gorgeous, spicy, vanilla lift to its wealth of ripe black fruits. A fine treat to serve with spicy chorizo sausages, a hearty stew or the Sunday roast.
Lying close to Margaux's Châteaux Giscours and du Tertre, Château Cazauviel remains surprisingly under the radar. It was inherited by Régis Bernaleau from his father in 1978 and today remains in family hands. It is situated on the prized gravel soils of the Arsac plateau, which lends both an intensity and a finesse to the wine. This pretty claret is from a vintage struck by early April frosts – the most devastating for many years.
It reduced yields, but as Decanter wrote, "there are some excellent wines." Most, like Cazauviel 2017, are not long keepers, but makes delightful drinking now. Ideally open a couple of hours before serving and decant. It'll make a delicious glass with roast chicken with morels or a mushroom croustade.
