A blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2001 Beausejour Duffau-Lagarrosse has a medium garnet-brick color. It swans out of the glass with a flamboyant perfume of dried roses, fruitcake, and plum pudding, followed by suggestions of star anise, new leather, unsmoked cigars, and game. The delicately styled, light to medium-bodied palate is soft-spoken and refreshing, with silt-like tannins and whispers of exotic spices on the finish. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

An incredibly classy, elegant, textbook expression of this terroir, the 2001 Château Beauséjour (Duffau-Lagarrosse) is mature yet I'd wager firmly in the middle of its prime drinking window. Ripe red and black fruits, beautiful minerality, some spice, truffly earth, and saddle leather, resolved tannins, and a good spine of freshness give this a vibrant, light-on-its-feet, complex style that’s absolutely impossible to resist. Drink this brilliant Saint-Emilion over the coming decade or so. It's not going to get better, but it certainly has ample life ahead of it.

The 2001 Beauséjour Duffau-Lagarrosse is a little cleaner and more defined on the nose compared to the 2000, offering brambly red fruit, ferrous notes and hints of wild mushroom, quite perfumed though not complex. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly more density and grip compared to the 2000. Soothing and earthy toward the finish, which tapers a little. -- Neal Martin

A wine of considerable nobility and breed, the 2001 Beausejour Duffau possesses a classic perfume of crushed stones and blueberries. This delicate, elegant offering is clearly a wine of terroir. Its subtle nature, pure, stylish flavors, and striking aromatics make it easy to dismiss in a blind peer group tasting, but do not make that mistake. There is a lot going on here, and the wine’s personality as well as complexity are stunning. It should hit its prime in 1-3 years, and drink well for 12-15. - Robert M. Parker, Jr.