CHÂTEAU BEAUSÉJOUR DUFFAU LAGAROSSE

I had this three different times, consistently scoring it the same. The final blend was 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc. This great terroir of over 19 acres consists of pure limestone with some clay – all situated on the southern slopes of St.-Emilion – and has been under fabulous vineyard management and winemaking hands for close to a decade or more. The 2009 and 2010 are legendary if you can still find any. Fifty-seven percent of the total production made it into this wine, which tips the scales at 14.3% natural alcohol, giving you an idea that even in a very tough vintage this terroir can still produce ripe fruit. Yields were – get this – 13 hectoliters per hectare. A huge nose of crushed chalk, licorice, blueberry liqueur, graphite and a hint of truffle and camphor jump from the glass of this opaque ruby/purple-colored wine. Medium-bodied, it doesn’t have the great depth, power and broad swath across the palate that the 2009 and 2010 possessed, but it’s still a beauty. This is elegant and should drink well in 3-4 years. This is one 2013 that may well last and improve beyond 12-15 years. 2017-2032 Rating: 90-92 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Aug 2014)

(88% merlot and 12% cabernet franc): Bright ruby-red. Pure minty blackcurrant, ink and violet on the perfumed nose. Minerally and vibrant on the palate, with steely, fresh blackcurrant and gunflint flavors complicated by aromatic herbs. Finishes long, pure and juicy, with ripe if youthfully chewy tannins that coat the palate at the back. Though this vintage of BDL sports its proverbial elegance and refinement, it strikes me as slightly less successful than its stablemate Pavie-Macquin (both properties are managed by Nicholas Thienpont and his team) due to slightly tougher tannins. Still, this is a potentially outstanding wine. Rating: 89-91 Ian d'Agata - Stephen Tanzer website (May 2014)

(88 Merlot, 12 Cabernet Franc) Rather strident oak and dense black fruit but not the ‘sweetness’ to carry it all. It is just too sinewy when all it needs is more flesh. Rating: 16+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Apr 2014)