People do not want to admit that there is wine outside Margaux, St-Julien, Pauillac and St-Estèphe, even good wine. Even with the status of Cru Bourgeois, one can at best make a name for oneself in the pleasure sector, but not in the upper league. La Becade is a Cru Bourgeois made from the grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon (approx. 60%) and Merlot (40%), which is classic for the Médoc. Parker mentioned it once in 1994 (with 74-76 points), Gabriel does not take note of it and Hachette only mentions "Haut de la Bécade", which is already in the Pauillac appellation.
Do you want me to take up the cudgels for it? No, surely not, the wine is not good enough for that. It is - at least this vintage - a perfectly acceptable "little Bordeaux" that has many of the characteristics of a good Bordeaux; fruity notes, well-integrated tannins, soft structure, some pressure on the palate and an acceptable length. But the wine is not exciting. Above all, I miss the personality. It tends to be interchangeable, a nice accompaniment to food.
It appears from time to time in discount stores, the Chinese have already discovered it and it is often served in restaurants. A gastronomic wine? Absolutely, even a little more. A serious Cru Bourgeois, which (unfortunately) sometimes gets too "thin". This '96 proves, however, that it can also be aged (probably in good vintages). But hardly anyone talks about this wine, which is precisely why I'm telling you about it.