CHÂTEAU BEAUSÉJOUR DUFFAU LAGAROSSE

The nose is rich with a mix of black and red fruits but the palate is firm quite tight with freshness more red fruit in character. Towards the back there are more black fruits a richer feel but the obvious tannins tend hold back the fruit and close down the finish. 2017-26 Rating: 86-88 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (Dec 2013)

The 2012 is a blend of 87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc, cropped between 13th and 18th October and 20th and 23rd October respectively. That late picked Cabernet tells on the nose that is glossy and ostentatious with touches of raisin and fresh prune informing the red fruit profile. The palate is full-bodied with sumptuous, decadent ripe red fruit. It has a soft, sexy mouthfeel and it glides across the mouth without a murmur. Yet I prefer the tension and delineation exuded by Pavie-Macquin this year. I would have picked a little earlier. Rating: 90-92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2013)

The 2012 exhibits a black/purple color along with a striking nose of incense, spring flowers, blueberries, blackberries and hints of mulberries and crushed chalk. The sumptuous aromatics are followed by a full-bodied, super-concentrated, rich, layered wine that builds incrementally across the palate, finishing with an explosion of fruit, spice, tannin, glycerin and minerality. While neither as backward nor impenetrable as the 2009 and 2010, the 2012 should be approachable in 4-5 years and keep for 2-3 decades. A massive, concentrated effort from this great terroir, the 2012 Beausejour Duffau comes from a 16+-acre vineyard located on the clay and limestone southern slopes of St.-Emilion. It was cropped at 23 hectoliters per hectare, and the final blend was 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc. Only 66% of the production went into the top wine, which boasts 14.3% natural alcohol. Readers can usually count on this cuvee being one of the finest wines of the vintage given the talented team behind it, Nicolas Thienpont, Stephane Derenoncourt, David Suire and Julien Lavenu. 2017 - 2047 Rating: 93 - 95+ Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Apr 2013)