Chateau Beausejour Duffau-Lagarrosse 2018
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Suckling
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Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Nicolas Thienpont has been director here for 10 years now, and the changes that he has brought have had a stunning and important effect, firmly placing this as one of the best estates in the appellation. Everything feels a little deeper and darker than its sibling Pavie Macquin in this vintage: the tannins are a little less pliant and a little more serious. This is clearly going to age well - you can feel the scrape of the limestone, the concentration of the cassis and tight tobacco flavours, the lift of the spices through the finish, and the tannic mass that's undeniable. 2018 saw half the normal yield, down in the mid-20hl/ha, and you can't miss the concentration it lends to the wine. The vines come from the slopes with clay over limestone, and with such natural power allied to these low yields I am sure this will take a full 10 years to become drinkable, but watch it really come into its own in 40 or 50 years!
Barrel Sample: 98-100 -
James Suckling
Aromas of blackcurrant, ripe blackberry, black olive, oyster shell and black tea. Some ash and dried flowers, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, tight-grained tannins. Sleek and compact with a savory, mineral finish. Great length and depth. Wonderful texture. Such precision. Try from 2026.
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Jeb Dunnuck
While the 2018 Château Beauséjour (Duffau-Lagarrosse) doesn't match the 2009 or 2016, it's certainly not far off. I wish every reader could taste this beautiful, age-worthy Saint-Emilion, and they should certainly have bottles in the cellar. Coming from a gorgeous hillside terroir of clay and limestone soils outside of Saint-Emilion and a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, it reveals a dense purple hue as well as classic Saint-Emilion minerality in its cassis and blue fruits as well as notes of damp earth, truffle, tobacco, and spring flowers. With full-bodied richness, a concentrated, backward, structured mouthfeel, lots of tannins, and just a brilliant mix of richness and elegance, it needs a good 5-7 years in the cellar and will have 40-50 years of prime drinking.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Beausejour Heritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse comes prancing out of the glass with the most gorgeous perfume of plum preserves, kirsch, redcurrant jelly and red roses, followed by suggestions of molten licorice, raspberry leaves, oolong tea and iron ore, with a waft of forest floor. The medium to full-bodied palate is laden with black and red berry preserves layers, framed by fantastically plush tannins and a seamless backbone, finishing long and earthy. A wine of impeccable poise and polish, it is delicious now, but allow it 3-4 years in bottle to really fan its feathers and drink it over the next 20 years or more.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a perfumed wine, with delicious spice, tannins and acidity all coming together well. Its black plum flavor is well integrated with the structure of this fine, fruity wine that has a bright future.
Barrel Sample: 94-96 -
Wine Spectator
A head-turner, with velvety-textured cassis, plum sauce and cherry reduction flavors gliding through with a bit of panache thanks to bittersweet cocoa, black tea and dried anise notes. Chalky minerality extends the finish and leaves a mouthwatering echo. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2024 through 2038.
Other Vintages
2022-
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The estate was purchased in 1994 by a group of wine loving investors. During this period, the Germain Vineyards Company was in charge of the management and the marketing of the wines.
Patricia and Pierre Bernault have owned Chateau Beauséjour since December 2004; Pierre himself comes from a family of vine growers, who have been cultivating their own vineyards since 1850.
As soon as Patricia and Pierre Bernault bought Beauséjour, Stéphane Derenoncourt and his team got involved in giving them advice on restoration of the vineyard and the soil, as well as on the rigorous stages of the process of making and maturing wine.