Château Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse 2015

This has some sizzle, with roasted mesquite and ebullient red licorice notes out front, as well as steak to match, featuring a core sporting ample crushed cherry, red currant and plum fruit flavors. Light tea and chalk threads skitter through the finish, where the fruit echoes nicely. This has grown a bit since the barrel tasting. Best from 2023 through 2040. 1,500 cases made.

Big, burly black fruit with subtle spice and angular tannins.

This is extraordinary. There has never been a wine like this here since the famous 1990 or underrated 1989. Violets, flowers, stones and limestone. Oyster-shell undertones. Full-bodied, muscular and so structured. A phenomenal wine that reminds me of the great Bordeaux of the 1950s. Try in 2026.

One of the undisputed stars of the vintage, the 2015 Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse is dark, brooding and explosive at its core. The essence of super-ripe dark cherry, plum, graphite, crushed rocks, gravel, smoke and incense infuses a dramatic, sweeping Saint-Émilion endowed with superb power and intensity. Sumptuous, spectacularly rich and also massively structured, the 2015 is going to need at least a decade to come into its own. Those lucky enough to find it are in for a treat, as the 2015 is a total stunner. Nicolas Thienpont and his team hit a number of home runs in 2015, including at Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse, where both wines are simply great. Tasted two times with consistent notes.

Here is a wine that has jumped in score every time I’ve tasted it. And for good reason. Deep in color, the wine bursts with roses, smoke, licorice, herbs, truffle, dark red pit fruits, and wet earth. Concentrated, opulent, and bordering on decadent, it has absolutely exploded since bottling. There are layers of depth, fruit, stone, and tannins that are a joy to explore as the wine hits your palate. Length, purity, complexity, and sensuality make a great combination, and you find that here in spades.

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate bright rim. Ripe cherry fruit, intense black forest fruit nuances in the background, fine plum fruit. Juicy, elegant, cherry on the palate, fine supporting tannins, pronounced fruit finish, very refined structure, mineral salty finish, definite ageing potential, a classic style.

From a bottle purchased here in the United States, the 2015 Beausejour Duffau-Lagarrosse is a wine that should be purchased by the case (which is what I intend to do). This incredible blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc offers sensational purity in its crème de cassis, blueberry, graphite, lead pencil, licorice and forest floor-driven aromas and flavors. This is a big, rich, opulent wine, yet it has awesome purity and focus, with a distinct minerality keeping it fresh, focused and lively on the palate. Possessing ripe, sweet tannin, an inherent elegance and purity, perfect balance, and an awesome finish, this incredible Saint-Emilion is unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage. Do not miss it.

90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. Extremely dark purple with lilac and violet highlights. Intense bouquet that initially comes across slightly alcoholic, candy-like notes, forest berries, a hint of over-ripeness and malty contours. On the palate, the basic flavor is somewhat reminiscent of a Priorat wine, overripe on the outside, still firm at the core. For me, it turned out too strict; otherwise, in great years B-D-L always has something Burgundian about it. Unfortunately, that’s not the case here. Far below my expectations for the vintage. Such a score even pains me…

Nicolas Thienpont and Stéphane Derenoncourt were in charge of the winemaking at Beauséjour back in 2015, producing exceptional bottles, and this is a standout success. Perhaps smokier on the opening than you would find today, generous and fleshy in its delivery of brambled autumnal fruit, with ripe black cherry and luscious damson but with the restraint and slate edging that bring you into the heart of the limestone soils. Love this wine, and it sings in 2015.

Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2015 Beausejour Duffau-Lagarrosse delivers very youthful scents of kirsch, juicy blackberries, and black raspberries, followed by wafts of cedar chest, dried herbs, and wood smoke. The full-bodied palate is still wearing a lot of oak, delivering firm, chewy tannins and plenty of freshness to the long, savory finish.

A vintage built on the breadth of very ripe fruit, dominated by the power of the limestone base. A serious wine with a very long finish.

Lovely, refined nose. The wine is elegant and refined, very classy; the tannins are very fine, a tiny fleeting bitterness, and a racy finish. The core of the wine has an intense structure that will develop sumptuously.

Deep garnet red with purple highlights. An intense, highly expressive bouquet revealing fruity and spicy notes. I detect hints of orange zest, wild berries and smoked bacon. As minutes pass, the nose gains further complexity and reveals aromas of blackberry, blackcurrant and cinnamon. A juicy, compact attack on the palate. The wine has body and character with beautiful aromatic intensity, carried by a firm, mouthwatering structure. The tannins emerge very slowly on the finish. They are powerful, with very fine, precise grain. In line with the structure, they carry the wine toward a certain future. A great success.

Dark, intense, and beautiful color. Fruity, delicate, ripe, subtle, and noble nose. Precise on the attack, flavorful mid-palate, melting and rich; the wine unfolds with depth and length, with brightness on the palate. It’s superb. A great, refined wine.

With its 30% Cabernet Franc, this perfumed wine is full of structured fruit as well as succulent blackberry flavors. It's rich and already delicious. However, this stylish wine needs aging to show at its best. Drink from 2022.