Château Beauséjour Duffau Lagarrosse, Grand Cru Classé St Emilion, 2021

Name: Château Beauséjour Duffau Lagarrosse, Grand Cru Classé St Emilion
Brand: Château Beauséjour
Price: 669.53 GBP

Available Vintages

all 1994 2009 2011 2013 2014 2015 2019 2021

justerini & brooks tasting note

It would seem a given that Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse would hold the keys to Beauséjour Duffau Lagarosse, an estate that has been in her family since 1847. However, it was only a last-minute bid by herself and the Courtin (Clarins) family that secured ownership in 2021. Josephine is a well-travelled and thoughtful winemaker who has already had a positive effect. Produced from one 6.8 Ha block next to Canon, the 2021 is produced from 73% Merlot and 27% Cabernet Franc from yields of 28 hl/ha. Perfumed and composed. We like the energy and clarity here. Transparency of flavour matched to density of tannins. You feel the limestone on the finish. Persistence and dynamism, beautiful red fruits, lots of fine mineral chalkiness, poised and tense but with plenty of flesh. There's an easy harmony here, with a plump middle and a salty finish. A very successful wine!

critic reviews

96/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

The 2021 Beausejour Duffau-Lagarrosse has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It reveals evocative notes of black raspberries, kirsch, and juicy blackberries, leading to nuances of violets and aniseed. The medium-bodied palate is wonderfully perfumed and lively, with plush tannins and a long mineral-laced finish. Seriously impressive!

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2045

date of review 04/2024

94/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

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.

DRINKING WINDOW 2026 - 2040

date of review 03/2024

93/100Neal Martin,Vinous

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.

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2048

date of review 02/2024

93/100William Kelley,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2021 Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse) is the first vintage made by Josephine Duffau Lagarrosse since she took back control of the family estate (arriving on April 12, 2021), and both the vintage and her vision for the property aligned to favor a blend of 73% Merlot and 27% Cabernet Francthe highest percentage of Cabernet since the early 2000s (when some Cabernet Sauvignon was included in the blend too). The wine has turned out very well in bottle, offering up aromas of raspberries and cherries mingled with rose petals and spices, framed by a touch of creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, pure and layered, it exhibits excellent depth at the core, built around lively acids and polished tannins, and concludes with a long, mineral and gently vanillin-inflected finish that's discreetly structured by its elevage. This wonderful clay-limestone terroir really shines through, as does the Cabernet Franc; and with some 68% new oak, foremost from Cadus and Taransaud, it's already less overtly creamy than this estate's wines were a decade ago, even if oak integration could be further refined.

DRINKING WINDOW 2026 - 2031

date of review 02/2024