Beausejour Duffau Lagarrosse 2016 (6.0L)

100 JD / 99 VM / 99 WCI / 98 JS / 98 WI / 97 WA / 97 DE / 17+ JR

Cassis, crushed rocks, graphite, and liquid violet notes all emerge from the 2016 Château Beauséjour, one of the magical wines in this great, great vintage. Possessing full-bodied richness, building tannin, world-class purity of fruit, and an incredible finish, it’s one of those “iron fist in a velvet glove” wines that carries awesome richness and depth, yet just glides over the palate with no sensation of weight or heaviness. This legendary Saint-Emilion needs 6-7 years of cellaring and will keep for 3-4 decades. Don’t miss this wine! Jeb Dunnuck

The 2016 Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse has come together beautifully since I last tasted it. Nearly seamless in the glass, the 2016 is rich, unctuous and potent, with all of its elements in the right place. Nothing really sticks out. Instead, I am simply blown away by the wine's intensity, explosive power and overall pedigree. Time in the glass brings out hints of graphite, smoke, cured meats, licorice and dark spices, but it is the wine's balance that is most impressive today. In 2016, Nicolas Thienpont and his team crafted a Beauséjour of mind-boggling intensity and purity. Tasted three times. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

The aromas of mushrooms, tobacco, vine bark, stones and black fruit. It changes so quickly and then comes back. Full-bodied and remarkably balanced, concentrated and structured. Such precision and beauty. Try after 2024. - James Suckling 

Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2016 Beausejour Duffau-Lagarrosse floats out of the glass with ethereal scents of crushed black cherries, blackberry preserves, and rose oil, followed by licorice and dusty soil notes. The full-bodied palate explodes with bright, expressive black fruit layers, framed by plush tannins and fantastic tension, finishing very long.-Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse) slips seductively out of the glass with perfumed scents of candied violets, chocolate-covered cherries, lavender and baked plums with nuances of redcurrants, forest floor, mossy bark and new leather. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has bags of grace and finesse with a super fine-grained frame and lovely freshness lifting the intense, perfumed fruits to a very long, mineral-tinged finished. Gorgeous. -Wine Advocate

I just love this - it's compact, closed and tense, and yet aromatically rich, juicy and powerful. It's totally delicious and easily one of my favourite St-Emilion 2016s. It combines the austerity of limestone with the power and seductive appeal of clay. It will take its time opening, but will amply reward patience. - Jane Anson, Decanter