CHÂTEAU BEAUSÉJOUR DUFFAU LAGAROSSE
2022 1er Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion
Just so good, so much uplift, direction and power, with vivid violet reflections to the ruby coloured fruit. Intense and concentrated on the opening, then a soaring limestone juice comes in through the mid palate, with the whole thing showing precision and character. A jumbled, joyful mix of blueberry, cassis, peony, roses, pummice stone and slate limestone, cocoa bean and coffee, showing real depth and seduction. This is always one of the wines that for me most leans in to the character of limestone, and you really feel the full impact in this hot year. Old vines 45 years average. Stopped all punch down during fermentation, now only soft pumpovers and infusion. Axel Marchal and Julien Viaud consultants. Highest Cabernet Franc percentage in the estate's history, and a full 40hl/h yield, 3.5ph. Potential 100. Drinking range: 2032 - 2050 Rating: 98-100 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2023)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
The 2022 Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse was picked on 6-9 September for the Merlot and 23 for the Cabernet Franc, representing the highest percentage to date. It was cropped at 42hL/ha with 14.9% alcohol and a pH of 3.5. Aged in 68% new oak, it has a delicate nose that completely disguises that summer's warmth. Precise redcurrant and raspberry fruit aromas are laced with minerals. The limestone soils percolate and evince the estate's style under Joséphine Duffau Lagarrosse. It seems to deepen, to "stretch out" with aeration, manifesting more darker fruit. The palate is medium-bodied, mineral-driven and almost pastille-like in terms of purity with its mélange of red and blue fruit and granular texture. Background notes of tobacco and black truffle begin to surface with time. There's just a trace of white pepper on the finish. Precise, focused and with plenty of substance, this is a characterful and intellectually satisfying Duffau. Most importantly, not only will it be flippin' delicious, but you get the sense that Joséphine is only just getting started. Drinking range: 2030 - 2065 Rating: 95-97 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2023)
69 Merlot, 31 Cabernet Franc 42 hl/ha Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse could not hide her excitement when she presented this wine to me, and I could immediately see why. Unlike hosts of properties on both sides of the river, there was no hydric stress whatsoever in Joséphine’s dramatically positioned, limestone-soaked vineyards. The resulting wine has the most significant Cabernet Franc percentage ever at Beauséjour. With a heavenly nose and a thrilling palate, this wine prompts complete and utter elation almost immediately, and the finish is so long, keen-edged and gripping it sets this dramatic wine aside from all others. The floral overture starts with violet and peony delicacy, and this builds incrementally through the luscious, wild, berry and saline-soaked palate and onto the insanely refreshing finish. The image that came to mind when I tasted this wine was of a tightrope walker. Not a slackline walker with a pole – this would be too easy. Joséphine has managed to navigate a high-tensile steel line with no assistance whatsoever – the most difficult of all balancing acts. In 2022, she and her wine made it to the other side without missing a beat. Returning to the wine, the perfume is one of the most delicate and profound on the Right Bank. The flavour continues unabated with no diminuendo, staying with you, complete and flawless until you take another sip. Invigorating, intellectually pleasing, absurdly accurate and hear-achingly delicious, this is a near-perfect and timeless creation, and it could only ever come from this historic property perched high on Saint-Emilion’s limestone plateau. Rating: 19.5+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2023)
One is instantly charmed by the expressive nature of the fruit. On airing the wine, lovely nuances of flowers and fresh leaves emerge. This wine gives an impression of stability and fullness, together with a lovely chalky sensation. It has power in an earthy style, and all this bodes for good ageing capacity. Rating: 95-97 La Revue du Vin de France (May 2023)
The blend is 31% Cabernet Franc and 69% Merlot, the highest percentage of Cabernet Franc in the estate’s history, and the yield is 42 hl/ha. Picking began with the Merlots on September 6th, continuing until the 9th, then the Cabernets were picked on the 23rd. It takes about two-thirds of the crop, the rest goes into the second wine. The aromatics here are divine, sweet peony-perfumed berries, dark chocolate, with touches of soot, tobacco and toasted almond. There is a limestone mineral freshness to it as well. The palate speaks of purity and precision, with a finely honed core of perfumed fruits, more violets from the Cabernet Franc here, as well as fine dark chocolate, dried berries, currant and violets, with a slowly emerging wrapping of tannins, sinewy and tightly knit, giving a taut limestone bit to the middle of the palate. This has beautifully precise structure and grip, with great potential, leading to a flourish of tannin and mineral in the finish, with a little currant fruit behind. Great finesse here, in what is a very fine Beauséjour. The alcohol is 14.5%. Rating: 96-98 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (May 2023)
A beautiful and enticing red with blackberry, hazelnut, dried flower, spice and berry character. It’s full yet poised with finesse and richness while also being bright and energetic. Precise. Rating: 97-98 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2023)
The 2022 Beauséjour (Duffau Lagarrosse) promises to be the finest wine that this superb limestone terroir has produced in at least several decades. In recent years, the quality of the site always shone through, but it was sometimes obscured by an impactful vinification and élevage (plenty of creamy new oak and malolactic fermentation in barrel). Much of the estate's Cabernet Franc was frequently eliminated from the blend. Joséphine Duffau Lagarrosse has changed that, incorporating fully 31% Cabernet Franc in the blend to deliver a complex and compelling wine evocative of wild berries, plums, rose petals and violets. Medium to full-bodied, pure and vibrant, it's supple and layered, with beautifully refined tannins, terrific depth at the core and a long, chalky finish. Rating: 95-97 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2023)
Château Beauséjour Duffau Lagarosse
Chateau Beausejour Duffau Lagarosse was built in 1851 by the Laporte family. The Laporte family owned several vineyard estates in the Bordeaux region and were also prosperous wine merchants. In those days, the large chai was used to store and age the most prestigious wines of the Saint Émilion and Pomerol regions (Cheval Blanc, Petrus, Beau-Sejour, Nénin, La Conseillante, ... and Château Beausejour!) The estate was purchased in 1994 by a group of wine loving investors. During this period, the Germain Vineyards Company was in charge of the management and the marketing of the wines. Patricia and Pierre Bernault have owned Château Beauséjour Duffau Lagarosse since December 2004; Pierre himself comes from a family of vine growers, who have been cultivating their own vineyards since 1850. As soon as Patricia and Pierre Bernault bought Beauséjour, Stéphane Derenoncourt and his team got involved in giving them advice on restoration of the vineyard and the soil, as well as on the rigorous stages of the process of making and maturing wine.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2024 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2026. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.