2018 Chateau Beausejour – Heretiers Duffau Lagarosse, Premier Grand Cru Classe, St.-Emilion (6 x Bottle)

France Bordeaux St. Emilion

The 10th vintage under the Nicolas Thienpont team, and as it has turned out the penultimate one. Impossible to leave out of my top 50 for laying down because this is easily one of the wines of the vintage, and should form part of any cellar that is looking to reflect the best of 2018. Black cherry and damson fruit roll out layer upon layer, with slate, crushed rocks and baked earth ensuring the progress through the palate is slow and steady, with mouthwatering freshness building up as you go. It's serious and needs time, but it's fantastic, and takes you right inside this discreet corner of the St Emilion limestone plateau. Half the normal yield, down in the mid-20hl/h.

2018 Chateau Beausejour – Heretiers Duffau Lagarosse, Premier Grand Cru Classe, St.-Emilion (6 x Bottle)

The 10th vintage under the Nicolas Thienpont team, and as it has turned out the penultimate one. Impossible to leave out of my top 50 for laying down because this is easily one of the wines of the vintage, and should form part of any cellar that is looking to reflect the best of 2018. Black cherry and damson fruit roll out layer upon layer, with slate, crushed rocks and baked earth ensuring the progress through the palate is slow and steady, with mouthwatering freshness building up as you go. It's serious and needs time, but it's fantastic, and takes you right inside this discreet corner of the St Emilion limestone plateau. Half the normal yield, down in the mid-20hl/h.

France Bordeaux St. Emilion

Free delivery on orders over £125 to mainland UK addresses. More information on delivery and collection options can be found here.

Wines and spirits purchased from Jeroboams can be stored in our temperature-controlled warehouse. To find out more information about cellaring, please visit our Storage page

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Beausejour Heritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse is just a little reduced at this nascent juncture, opening to reveal decadent black plum preserves, blueberry compote and spice cake scents with hints of mincemeat pie, dried roses, star anise and cardamom plus a waft of charcuterie. Full-bodied, rich and densely laden with layers of black fruit and savory nuances, it has a rock-solid structure of firm, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with mineral sparks.

95-97+ Points

By Lisa Perrotti-Brown / April 2019

Vinous

The 2018 Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse is a fascinating wine, as it is quite a departure from recent vintages. In 2018, the Beauséjour is distinctly perfumed and floral, with a dense core of red fruit and a brighter profile than the darker personality that is usually such a signature of this cru. Although quite dense on the palate, the 2018 also has so much richness in its fruit that the typically austere tannins are pretty much buried. Rose petal, mint, blood orange and spice add nuance in a crescendo of aromas, flavors and textures that is dazzling. It is an especially refined Beauséjour. This is a tremendous showing from estate manger Nicolas Thienpont, consulting winemaker Stéphane Derenoncourt and their team. Tasted three times.

94-97 Points

By Antonio Galloni / April 2019

Vinous

The 2018 Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse is a huge wine that is going to need a number of years to come into its own. A wine of unreal concentration and pure power, the 2018 takes over all the senses with its commanding presence. Black cherry, chocolate, licorice, gravel, cured meat and cloves all scream out of the glass. This wild, untamed Saint-Émilion needs cellaring. I imagine it will still be a spectacular wine many decades from now. As was the case from barrel, the typically imposing tannins are nearly buried by the sheer concentration of the fruit.

97 Points / Drinking 2028 - 2058

By Antonio Galloni / March 2021

Vinous

The 2018 Beauséjour Duffau-Lagarrosse was picked from 25 September to 4 October for the Merlot and on 3 and 8 October for the Cabernet Franc, cropped at 27.5hl/ha. This is a Saint-Émilion that exhibits a little sur-maturité on the nose, especially going back and forth nosing between this and its sibling, Pavie-Macquin (both made by Nicolas Thienpont). Likewise the palate has a slightly viscous texture, very opulent and dense with dark plum, blackcurrant and veins of dark chocolate towards the saturated finish. There is quite a difference between this two crus, but on this occasion, despite this having lower alcohol (14.3%), it is the Pavie-Macquin that shows the mineralité and terroir expression that I look for.

91-93 Points / Drinking 2025 - 2042

By Neal Martin / November 2019

Vinous

The 2018 Beauséjour Duffau-Lagarrosse showed what I felt was a soupçon of overripeness on the nose when I tasted it from barrel. Now in bottle, there is still a scintilla of that trait in the plush, high-toned black cherry and crème de cassis scents, very opulent but at least pure. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe, saturated tannins that lend a fleshy, succulent mouthfeel. It is less viscous than I anticipated, though I still feel it needs more complexity toward the finish. As I remarked a few months ago, between Nicolas Thienpont’s Pavie-Macquin and this, I find the former is imbued with more tension and terroir expression, although I still enjoy this Saint-Émilion and appreciate the black pepper note that lingers on the aftertaste.

92 Points / Drinking 2025 - 2042

By Neal Martin / March 2021