Château Beauséjour Duffau Lagarrosse, Grand Cru Classé St Emilion, 2003
Good blueberry fruit flavour, well structured with superbly balanced and well integrated tannins. A classic Beauséjour, and one of the most profound 2001s.
critic reviews
A blend of 72% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc, and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2003 Beausejour Duffau Lagarrosse has a deep garnet-brick color. It strides confidently out of the glass with notes of stewed black cherries, boysenberry preserves, dried roses, and licorice, leading to underlying wafts of Indian spices, tree bark, and incense. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers a great mid-palate of spicy black fruit preserves, with pleasantly chewy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing on a lingering earthy note.
Spicy, nuanced, raspberry and red cherry fruits laced with sage, cloves, turmeric, incense and baked herbs. The first of the extreme 'new climate' vintages in Bordeaux, and this gives a perfect example of why limestone soils are so well placed to cope with excessive heat. Stephane Derenoncourt and Nicolas Thienpont consultant winemakers. Served blind during the Connoisseur Week.
The elegant, medium-bodied 2003 Beausejour-Duffau reveals notes of crushed rocks, raspberries, licorice, forest floor and underbrush. The tannins are fully resolved, and the wine remains well-delineated and fresh. It should drink well for another decade.
Good healthy dark color. Sexy aromas of currant, blueberry jam, chocolate and smoky oak, with complicating hints of leather and minerals. Silky and lively in the mouth, with ripe acids framing the currant and maraschino cherry flavors. In a flight of premiers grands crus classes, this one stood out for its freshness, even coolness, in the context of the vintage. Finishes with substantial oak and notes of mint and menthol.