| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse
The 2012 exhibits a black/purple color along with a striking nose of incense, spring flowers, blueberries, blackberries and hints of mulberries and crushed chalk. The sumptuous aromatics are followed by a full-bodied, super-concentrated, rich, layered wine that builds incrementally across the palate, finishing with an explosion of fruit, spice, tannin, glycerin and minerality. While neither as backward nor impenetrable as the 2009 and 2010, the 2012 should be approachable in 4-5 years and keep for 2-3 decades.
A massive, concentrated effort from this great terroir, the 2012 Beausejour Duffau comes from a 16+-acre vineyard located on the clay and limestone southern slopes of St.-Emilion. It was cropped at 23 hectoliters per hectare, and the final blend was 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc. Only 66% of the production went into the top wine, which boasts 14.3% natural alcohol. Readers can usually count on this cuvee being one of the finest wines of the vintage given the talented team behind it, Nicolas Thienpont, Stephane Derenoncourt, David Suire and Julien Lavenu.
Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux tasting. The 2012 Beausejour Duffau Lagarosse has a dense, slightly broody but well-defined bouquet with scents of blackberry, cedar and tobacco, lending it a Left Bank-like personality. In fact, I found this reminiscent of (modern) Château Figeac! The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, well-judged acidity, structured and a little masculine, but don't worry, there is sufficient fruit here to please any Saint Emilion lover. The finish is harmonious and refined. A bright future lies ahead. Tasted January 2016.
This is really sexy and polished with ultra-fine tannins, dark fruit, dark mushrooms, berries and dried strawberries. Wonderful. Better in 2019.
The 2012 Beausejour Duffau-Lagarrosse is medium to deep garnet colored. It needs a fair bit of swirling to uncover notes of prunes, blackberry preserves, and fruitcake, plus suggestions of unsmoked cigars and sandalwood. The medium to full-bodied palate remains laden with youthful fruit and ripe, rounded tannins with seamless freshness and a long, savory finish. It should age well for a further 18 years+.
The ripest of the Nicolas Thienpont line-up so far. Ripe sweet cherry. Merlot energy and generosity. Rich but held in check by the finesse of the tannins and the freshness. Lovely and long too. All well judged. But has the firmness and freshness for a good long life. (JH)
Quite ripe, with unctuous plum sauce and warm fig fruit. A solid
graphite spine gives this definition and drive, while smoldering
tobacco and anise notes fill in the finish. The gorgeous echo of
boysenberry at the very end bodes well for the cellar. Best from
2017 through 2030.
The 2012 is a blend of 87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc, cropped between 13th and 18th October and 20th and 23rd October respectively. That late picked Cabernet tells on the nose that is glossy and ostentatious with touches of raisin and fresh prune informing the red fruit profile. The palate is full-bodied with sumptuous, decadent ripe red fruit. It has a soft, sexy mouthfeel and it glides across the mouth without a murmur. Yet I prefer the tension and delineation exuded by Pavie-Macquin this year. I would have picked a little earlier. Tasted April 2013.
