Appellations

Beausejour (Duffau) 2021

St Emilion, Premier Grand Cru Classé B

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Tasting Notes

Captures the spirit of the vintage, in its austerity and savoury quality, and stands way above it, with finesse and pummice stone texture that gives grip and slows progression through the palate. Lemongrass, peony, rose petals, graphite, gunsmoke, raspberry and redcurrant. Harvest September 30 to October 10, 28hl/h yield, 58% new oak. Camille Devillenaut co-technical director with Josephine Duffau-Lagarrosse, coming over from Château Villemaurine. First year with Axel Marchal as consultant, working alongside Julien Viaud, replacing the Nicolas Thienpont team. Tasted twice, this is a clear standout in the vintage.

Score: 94 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2026-2040 Date: 26 March 2024

The 2021 Beauséjour-Duffau (formerly Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse) is a gorgeous, refined wine. Silky, aromatic and wonderfully pure, the 2021 is super-impressive right out of the gate. All the elements are so well balanced. Dark cherry, pomegranate, spice and rose petal take shape in the glass, but more than anything, the 2021 is a wine of total finesse.

Score: 94 Antonio Galloni, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2028-2051 Date: 27 February 2024

The 2021 Beauséjour-Duffau, which was previously Duffau-Lagarrosse, has developed a lovely bouquet that builds on the promise I found from barrel. The Cabernet Franc (27%) lends this complexity, adding dark berry fruit, licorice and a touch of black truffle that becomes more accentuated with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and fine depth, showing a touch of dark chocolate on the entry, white pepper and clove. It tapers ever so slightly toward the saline finish, likely because of the growing season more than anything else. This will require three or four years in bottle, but it should cruise nicely for 20 years.

Score: 93 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2048 Date: 22 February 2024

A complete wine for the vintage, with blackberry, stone, black-licorice and light walnut character. Medium-to full-bodied and linear, with very fine tannins running the length of the wine.

Score: 95 - 96 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Date: 01 May 2022

The 2021 Beauséjour (Duffau Lagarrosse) shows considerable promise. Bursting with aromas of inky berry fruit and plums mingled with notions of violets, rose petals and burning embers, the wine is medium to full-bodied, layered and sensual, with a rich core of fruit, lively acids and beautifully refined tannins, concluding with a long, mineral finish. The first vintage made by Joséphine Duffau Lagarrosse since she took back control of the family estate, the 2021 is a blend of 73% Merlot and 27% Cabernet Franc—the highest percentage of Cabernet since the early 2000s (when some Cabernet Sauvignon was included in the blend too)

Score: 93 - 95 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Date: 29 April 2022

A blend of 73% Merlot and 27% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Château Beauséjour (Duffau-Lagarrosse) is slightly shifted toward Cabernet Franc, and you have to go back quite some time to find a blend with this much Cabernet. It saw a softer maceration than usual and is aging in 56% new French oak. Gorgeous cassis, graphite, chalky minerality, and a Pomerol-like damp earth note all emerge from this wine, and it's medium to full-bodied, has a rounded, supple texture, ripe, present tannins, and a gorgeous finish. It's an undeniable success in the vintage and will drink well right out of the gate yet also evolve for 20 years if well stored. This estate is now managed by Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse, who took over the reins of this brilliant estate from Nicholas Thienpont starting in 2020. Located between Canon and Beauséjour Bécot, the soils here are more on the south-facing slopes and include slightly more clay, so the wines always have slightly more density and power compared to its neighbors.

Score: 93 - 95 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Date: 06 February 2022