Duffau-Lagarrosse Chateau Beausejour 2004
- Vintage
- 2004
- Country
- France
- Region
- Bordeaux,St Emilion
- Size
- 750ml
- Rating
- WS91, WA90
- Grape
- Merlot,Cabernet Franc
Wonderful blackberry and crushed raspberry aromas follow through to a full-bodied palate, with velvety tannins and a long, caressing finish. Balanced and long, with a lot in reserve. I like it as much as the 2000. Best after 2011. - WS91
Performing better out of bottle than it did from cask, this brilliant terroir has produced an elegant, dense ruby-colored, medium-bodied 2004 (2,666 cases) with complex aromatics of raspberries, blueberries, crushed rocks, and spring flowers. Not a powerful, muscular effort, it reveals pure, sweet fruit in its delicate personality. Give it 1-2 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 10-15.- WA90
Although the estate did not figure in the original 1955 classification (its namesake, Château Beauséjour-Fagouet – which became Beau-Séjour Bécot in 1969 – was named a Premier Cru Classé B), it was ranked Premier Cru Classé B in the subsequent, 1969, iteration – a status the château has retained since.
Beauséjour's reputation further grew in the 1990s, when American critic Robert Parker gave the 1990 vintage a perfect 100 points.
In 2009, Nicolas Thienpont from Château Pavie Macquin was hired to modernize Château Beauséjour, along with famous consultants Michel Rolland and Stéphane Derenoncourt. Changes brought on by the trio, including fermentation of whole grapes and punching down in open fermentation tanks, began with the 2009 vintage. The 2009 and 2010 vintages went on to score 100 points each from Parker.
A second wine called Croix de Beauséjour is made in conjunction with the grand vin.
The estate goes by numerous names. In the wine trade, it is often referred to as "Beauséjour Duffau-Lagarrosse" or even simply "Château Beauséjour" (although an estate of this name exists in Montagne-Saint-Emilion, and the title is easily confused with Beau-Séjour Bécot). Latterly, it has also been dubbed "Beauséjour HDL". - Information from Wine Searcher