Château Beauséjour Duffau Lagarrosse, Grand Cru Classé St Emilion,

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.

The 2021 Beausejour Duffau-Lagarrosse is a blend of 73% Merlot and 27% Cabernet Franc, with only 58% new oak this vintage. Deep purple-black colored, it slowly emerges from the glass with profound notes of licorice, eucalyptus, violets, and sandalwood with a core of ripe juicy plums, cherry pie, and raspberry coulis. The medium-bodied palate is graceful and tightly knit with a refreshing backbone and fine-grained tannins, finishing long and mineral-tinged.

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.