Château Beauséjour Duffau 2020

Nestled on both the plateau and the hillside, with a South/South-West facing exposure, in one of the most remarkable sites of the appellation, the 6.80-hectare vineyard of Beauséjour takes on the air of a garden set upon the limestone bedrock. Belonging to the Duffau-Lagarrosse family since 1847, Beauséjour changed hands in April 2021, marking the fortuitous meeting of two families. Prisca Courtin, the granddaughter of Jacques Courtin, creator of Clarins cosmetics, and Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse, the ninth generation, now helm the estate. They have assembled a new, dynamic, and talented team, including Axel Marchal and Julien Viaud, to enhance the exceptional terroir.

Château Beauséjour Duffau Lagarrosse has entered an exciting new era under the ownership of Joséphine Duffau Lagarrosse and Prisca Courtin. Since assuming control in 2021, they have implemented transformative changes that have rejuvenated the estate and redefined its winemaking philosophy.

With a fresh perspective and unwavering commitment to quality, Joséphine Duffau Lagarrosse and Prisca Courtin have assembled a talented team and established collaborations with rising oenologists. Their collective expertise and shared vision aim to unlock the most authentic and vibrant expression of the property's exceptional terroir.

Reflecting their innovative spirit, the dynamic duo decided to simplify the estate's name to Beauséjour while proudly including "J. Duffau-Lagarrosse" on the label as a nod to its esteemed co-owner and lasting legacy. This harmonious blend of tradition and modernity exemplifies the estate's evolution and commitment to upholding values.

Embracing this fresh chapter in its history, Beauséjour unveils its new visual identity, a testament to its enduring legacy and contemporary outlook. The revitalized design celebrates the estate's rich heritage while embracing the present. The visual elements that define Beauséjour remain intact, representing its recognizable DNA while embodying the team's forward-thinking vision for the estate's future.

This exciting transformation sets the stage for the release of Beauséjour's 2022 vintage, showcasing the dedication of the team and the estate's ongoing pursuit of excellence. Each bottle now offers a harmonious blend of tradition, innovation, and a bright future as Beauséjour continues to captivate palates and leave an indelible mark in the world of wine.

"The 2020 Château Beauséjour (Duffau-Lagarrosse), made mostly by the team of Nicolas Thienpont (the final blend was put together by Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse), is another tour de force from this incredible terroir, and undeniably one of the wines of the vintage. Based on 81% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Franc brought up in 70% new French oak, it offers a sensationally pure bouquet of black raspberries, blueberries, scorched earth, graphite, and a dense, smoky, floral character that emerges with time in the glass. With a voluptuous, layered mouthfeel, gorgeous mid-palate depth, building tannins, and a liqueur of mineral-like character on the finish, it shows the density, purity, precision, and vibrancy of this vintage perfectly and displays that rare mix of richness, intensity, elegance, and length that are the hallmarks of a truly great wine. This is unquestionably in the ranks of the 2009, 2010, and 2016 and will evolve for 40 years or more." Jeb Dunnuck, 2020 Bordeaux from Bottle, Rating: 100 Drink: 2028-2063

"Intense but delicate, really an exciting wine to taste where you feel the energy build through the palate. Unmistakable limestone influence with the floral aromatics, a jumble of peony, roses and violets, opening up to brambled raspberry and loganberry fruits, with fennel, oyster shell and slate. Huge ageing potential. Cabernet Sauvignon rather than Cabernet Franc in this blend, just one of the many ways in which it stands out from its peers even on the limestone plateau of St Emilion, its delicacy suggesting it is one of the most Burgundian of Bordeaux wines. This vintage was overseen during the growing season and vinification by the team under Nicolas Thienpont, but given its final blend and ageing by new co-owner Josephine Duffau-Lagarosse, along with Prisca Courtin-Clarins."Jane Anson, Best Pomerol 2020 Wines Tasted En Primeur (12/01/2022) Rating: 98 Drink: 2028-2046

"The 2020 Beauséjour (Duffau Lagarrosse) is showing well in bottle, offering up aromas of dark berries, plums, licorice, rose petals and spices framed by creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, layered and fleshy, with a rich core of fruit, lively acids and chalky structure, it was vinified by Nicolas Thienpont and his team, but Joséphine Duffau modified the final blend, which includes 19% Cabernet Franc and the balance Merlot. Tasted next to the 2018 and 2019, the 2020 is somewhat more restrained, but it is the end of a stylistic chapter rather than the beginning of a new one."William Kelley, June 2021 Week 1 (4/06/2023), Ratings: 94 Drink:2028-2055