Ch.Beausejour Duffau 2011 ex-ch 750ml

Wine Advocate #212 Apr 2014
Another brilliant wine of great nobility and finesse, the 2011 Beausejour-Duffau reveals a saturated chalky minerality as well as plenty of blue and black fruits, and fabulous precision and purity. It possesses a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel and a distinctive/singular style only possessed by the greatest wines. Give it 4-5 years of cellaring and drink it over the following two decades. It promises to be one of the longest lived wines of the vintage. At 14.7% alcohol, this is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc.

Château Beausejour Duffau is one of the 13 Premier Grand Cru Classes in the appellation of St Emilion. Formerly fully titled Château Beauséjour-Duffau-Lagarrosse, was originally part of a single estate with Château Beau-Séjour-Bécot. In 1869 the vineyards were split up between the owner's two children and they have been owned and run separately ever since. Beauséjour-Duffau, a 1er Grand Cru Classé B property, is located on the Côtes of St-Emilion, on the edge of a limestone plateau.
Beausejour-Duffau's 7 hectares of vineyards are planted with Merlot (70%), Cabernet Franc (20%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%). The grapes are fermented in temperature-controlled, stainless steel and concrete vats and the wine is aged in barriques (50% new) for 18 months. It is bottled unfiltered. Under the brilliant management of Nicolas Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt quality has soared. The estate consistently produces complex St-Emilion wines which are intense, powerful, full-bodied and redolent of black fruits, spices and minerals. It shows at its best with at least 6-7 years of bottle age.

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