Beausejour Duffau Lagarrosse 2014 (750ML)

97 VM / 95 DE / 94 JD / 94 WS / 94 JS / 94 WCI / 94 FS / 93 JA / 17 JR

An utterly spellbinding wine, the 2014 Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse is also one of the unqualified successes of the vintage. Beams of tannin give the 2014 its ample, broad feel. Inky red cherry, blueberry, smoke, leather and tobacco fill out the wine's big frame effortlessly. Layers of intense fruit meld into a huge spine of tannin in a vertical, massively structured Saint-Émilion. So many 2014s are charming and accessible, but this is not one of them. Readers will have to be patient. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

This is one of the best examples of this wine that I have tasted, reaching the same heights as some of the biggest names in this vintage, and barely a step down from 2016 - great stuff from these guys this year. It's firm, bright, intense and deep, with salinity, grip and a lovely seam of freshness. It has a really excellent, juicy character and good persistency, with notes of liquorice and dark chocolate. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter

While I wasn’t able to taste the 2015, the 2014 Château Beausejour Duffau-Lagarrosse is fabulous stuff and well worth seeking out. Made from close to 100% Merlot (there’s a splash of Cabernet Franc) and offering classic notes of damp earth, tobacco leaf, blackcurrants, and beautiful minerality, this beauty hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a terrific core of fruit, and more texture and opulence than most in the vintage. It will keep for 20-25 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

This is full of muscular graphite and tobacco notes, holding sway over a core of slightly exotic mulled fig and warm black currant sauce. A ganache edge lines the finish, but a pure fruit detail echoes longest. This will be exceptional when the elements meld fully. Best from 2022 through 2035. 1,335 cases made. - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

So layered with a lovely richness of chocolate, wet earth and spices, not to mention plum character. Full-bodied, tight and focused. Needs five to six years to open, but it’s a structured and beautiful wine already. - James Suckling

The silky tannins pull you in, and at 10 years old this continues to deliver a punch of blueberry and raspberry fruit. The touches of saffran and cigar box show it is softening up, with everything beginning to melt together as it gets ready to move into its full drinking window, rounded off with orange peel, the slate lift of limestone, and the fingerprint of smoky oak. Good stuff, and will continue to age with plenty of elegance from here on in. Nicolas Thienpont and Stéphane Derenoncourt consultant winemakers, 39hl/h yield. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

Tasted blind. Lively, well-balanced and well-behaved nose. Thick and confident. Lots of length but a bit Oxford marmalade-like. Overall satisfying though. Youthful. - Jancis Robinson