Description

JA97 Hints of bricking around the edges of the wine, still firm ruby in the core. Sandalwood, cedar, liquorice and fennel aromatics, followed by gentle autumnal fruit, this has complexity and effortless charm. So much pleasure here, and you feel it’s just at the very beginning of its drinking crescendo. A masterclass in limestone, just begging to be paired with food. Far less focused and concentrated than you would find this wine today, and at this point it was four years away from Nicolas Thienpont arriving as director, but the power of the terroir shines through. June 2022

LP96 A blend of 76% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2005 Beausejour Duffau-Lagarrosse has a deep garnet-brick color. It needs a lot of shaking and swirling to awaken subtle scents of cigar box, underbrush, and dusty soil, giving way to a core of dried mulberries and preserved cherries, plus a waft of cumin. The full-bodied palate has a racy backbone invigorating the densely laden, muscular black fruit and earthy layers, supported by grainy tannins, finishing long and minerally. A gorgeous wine with a long life ahead of it! April 2024