| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
This Saint Emilion property is managed by Nicolas Thienpont, assisted by consultant Stephane Derenoncourt. The 6.8 hectares of vines are planted with 76% Merlot and 24% Cabernet Franc. 2000 to 2500 cases are produced annually. The 2018 vintage was picked quite late - from 25th September to 8th October - and is 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc.
The 2019 Beauséjour (Duffau Lagarrosse) has turned out beautifully in bottle. Wafting from the glass with aromas of wild blueberries, raspberries, violets, rose petals and forest floor, framed by a deft application of creamy new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, seamless and layered, with a lively core of fruit, bright acids and fine, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, precise, saline finish. It displays all the structural refinement and vibrancy of flavor that this sector of Saint-Émilion's limestone plateau is capable of.
The 2019 Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse, matured in 60% new oak, has maintained wonderful purity on the nose of ebullient red cherries and crushed strawberry fruit, very elegant and poised and perhaps delivering less of the blue fruit element than I noticed from barrel. The cohesive palate conveys exquisite balance, fine, slightly granular tannins and a very subtle ferrous note toward the finish. This is an understated wine that is endowed with ample freshness, and I can see it aging beautifully for 30 or more years. Drink 2025-2055.
Blackberries and black chocolate with licorice and berry highlights. Flowers and crushed stones, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, creamy tannins and a flavorful finish. Plenty going on here. Very subtle and refined for this estate. Needs two or three years to come together. Try after 2024.
The 2019 Beausejour Duffau-Lagarrosse is made from 86% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it comes barreling out with bold notes of stewed black plums, blackberry pie, and fruitcake, plus wafts of tar, Indian spices, and licorice. The medium to full-bodied palate is rich and densely packed with expressive black fruits, framed by firm, rounded tannins, finishing long and spicy.
From one of my favorite châteaux on the Right Bank, the 2019 Château Beauséjour (Duffau-Lagarrosse) is 86% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc brought up in a mix of new and used barrels. It's a tighter, more closed 2019, yet it offers beautiful purity and focus in its cassis and black raspberry fruits as well as notes of tobacco leaf, graphite, chocolate, and chalky minerality. Rich, medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and again, with this remarkable purity and precision, it has enough tannins to warrant 4-6 years in the cellar and will be incredibly long-lived. It's a beautiful Saint-Emilion. It’s worth pointing out that the 2019 is the vintage bottled by Nicolas Thienpont and starting in 2021, the estate is in the hands of Josephine Duffau-Lagarrosse.
A smooth red, showing richness and strength. Blackberries, blueberries, hazelnuts and morel mushrooms. Full body and fine tannins. Solid length.
While I don't think the 2019 Château Beausejour (Duffau-Lagarrosse) is going to hit the heights of the 2016 (or maybe the 2018), it's still a brilliant wine from what's clearly a terrific vintage for the Right Bank. A big, rich, and full-bodied 2019 with a dense purple color, it offers a complex, brooding bouquet of black fruits, chocolate, crushed rock, and toasted spice, building tannins, and a big, fleshy, mouthfilling profile that's going to need 3-5 years of bottle age. It reminds me a little bit of the 2012.
