2020 Château Beauséjour Duffau-Lagarrosse, St Emilion, Bordeaux

The 2020 Château Beauséjour Duffau-Lagarrosse), made mostly by the team of Nicolas Thienpont Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse put together the final blend), 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.

Drink 2028 - 2063

Subtle, discreet aroma of dark and red fruit. Fresh and well-balanced on the palate with compact fruit and an impressive tannic frame. Tannins are firmly present with a grainy edge but long and refreshing. It is clearly built for the long haul.

Drink 2028 - 2045

The 2020 Beauséjour Duffau Lagarrosse) is showing well in bottle, offering up aromas of dark berries, plums, liquorice, 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.

Drink 2028 - 2055

Deep garnet-purple in colour, the 2020 Beausejour Duffau Lagarrosse) wafts out of the glass with a glamorous perfume of red roses, kirsch, garrigue and black raspberries, giving way to a core of ripe blackberries and juicy black plums, plus earthy hints of truffles and tar. The medium to full-bodied palate is densely laden with loads of very finely packed and fragrant red and black fruit layers, framed by multilayered grainy and satiny tannin textures and amazing freshness, finishing fantastically long and mineral-laced.

Drink 2027 - 2047

Dark and sultry, this is heady with ripe, perfumed fruits that dominate the palate, giving vertical layers of freshness, acidity and fruit concentration. It has style to it, a sleekness to the texture, and classy with a lovely core of juiciness. It's still a little constricted, with lots of liquorice and graphite on show and a touch of saltiness towards the finish.

Really well worked, mouthfilling, weighty, intense, forward and energetic. It's bigger and broader in terms of frame and flavour than the 2019 – with floral, blood orange, blueberry and bramble fruit nuances, but carries the weight well, remaining focused. I love the expression; it's dark, cool, sleek and textured. Just a gorgeous, delicious wine!

Drink 2027 - 2056

The 2020 Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse is racy, sophisticated and wonderfully polished. Crushed red berry fruit, lavender, rose petal, cinnamon and blood orange all race through the 2020. This is the first vintage overseen by consulting winemaker Julien Viaud, who seems to be going for a less extracted style than that favoured by Nicolas Thienpont. There is plenty of size and vertical explosive energy, but the 2020 is also wonderfully finessed, especially in its tannins. It's a striking wine by any measure.

Drink 2026 - 2050

It takes time to show itself fully - perhaps more than ever this year, as there is so much noise surrounding an estate that was overseen during the growing season and vinification by the team under Nicolas Thienpont, but given its final blend by new owner Josephine Duffau-Lagarosse, who will also take care of ageing from this point. Things kick off with a raspberry and damson softness that is quickly overtaken by iris, peony, and white rose aromatics, giving a push-and-pull between flowers and fruit on the attack. Blueberry and raspberry fruits dominate as the palate opens out, as do fennel and almond notes, giving a spicy kick before a saline-drenched mouthwatering finish.

As ever with Beauséjour Duffau-Lagarrosse, the wine combines delicacy with laser-like focus and a build-up of tannins you barely notice until they kick back against the fruit. It takes a good few minutes before the softness that I found on the opening returns as the mid-palate widens out, and the richly textured Merlot becomes dominant after a clear Cabernet Franc hit on the attack. It will be fascinating to see what happens at this estate over the next decade, but the quality and potential of this terroir are unmistakable.

Drink 2029 - 2045

Blackberries, lavender, cedar, sandalwood, and flowers—very subtle aromas. It’s medium—to full-bodied with a very tight palate of fine, structured tannins that run the length of the wine. Closed at the end, it shows excellent precision and ageing potential.

Try after 2028