2002 Chateau Joanin Bécot Cotes de Castillon Bordeaux Fance
Suggested retail price $25-$29
Château Joanin Bécot is located in Côtes de Castillon, which is an up and coming, but not widely known region of Bordeaux. Cotes de Castillon was not included in the Bordeaux Classification of 1855. In fact, it was not even a recognized as an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée until 1989. Situated in the Right Bank just southeast of St. Emilion, Côtes de Castillon has become a hot spot for young, talented, entrepreneurial winemakers hoping to start their own labels.
Juliette Bécot was born and raised at Château Beau-Séjour Bécot, the property of her father and grandfather. Later, she purchased a parcel of land in the Côtes de Castillon appellation in order to fulfill her dream of making wine. This solo project, called Joanin Bécot, has turned into one of the best estates in the Côtes de Castillon district. Also produced by the family is the garagiste effort Chateau La Gomerie.
Merlot and Cabernet Franc are the most common varietals grown in Côtes de Castillon because like in Saint-Emilion, they benefit of the same limestone plateau and achieve great result on this type of soil. However, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petite Verdot are grown there as well, but only constitute a small part of the final blend. The wines vary in quality, but the good ones are often great values as they are much less expensive than wines of similar quality from other regions, like Saint-Emilion.
Tasting note: The 2002 Joanin Bécot is a fine example of the value that Cotes de Castillon has to offer, especially in this totally underrated vintage. Quite concentrated for a 2002, this medium bodied wine delivers lots of ripe fruit with notes of plum, blueberry, blackberry and vanilla. A blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc, it possesses a very nice structure with a soft texture and some fairly integrated tannins. The finish is somewhat elegant and inviting. Like a lot of good 2002 Bordeaux, this wine is soft, easy to drink and ready for immediate consumption. It might last for a little while longer and get softer, but it is great now and doesn’t need to age much longer in the bottle. It may not have the generous harmony of a 2000, the fatness of a 2003 or the complexity of a 2005 vintage, however, despite what the press may have said about the 2002s, it remains a very good wine.
Food Pairing: an ideal companion to grilled red meat, spare ribs, oven turkey and roasted leg of lamb. However, it will also nicely complement some cheese like “Tomme de Savoie” or even “Salers” from the Cantal region in France.
In the absence of winery website, these notes were partly taken from the www.Boulderwineblog.com
LeDom
No comments:
Post a Comment