The 2011 Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse) Bordeaux Blend from Saint Emilion is a wine that has garnered a range of high scores and commendations from various professional reviewers. This red wine, composed of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, comes from a 6.5-hectare estate on the northwest side of the St. Emilion plateau. The average vine age is 35-40 years, rooted in clay topsoil with classic Saint Emilion limestone underneath, contributing to its distinctive character.
Wine Spectator awarded this wine a score of 93, describing it as "a hedonist's delight" with a wide range of enticing flavors such as plum, raspberry, blueberry, and boysenberry. The review notes its fresh and driven nature, with well-embedded acidity and a dense yet polished structure. The finish is marked by seductive spice and black tea edges. Wine Spectator suggests it will be best enjoyed between 2017 and 2027.
James Suckling rated the wine a 92, noting its current firmness and hard edges but acknowledging its serious nature. He described it as having a full body with firm tannins and a flavorful, intense finish. Suckling recommended waiting until 2019 for the wine to soften, indicating its potential for aging.
Devon Magee of JJ Buckley gave the highest score of 97, highlighting the vineyard's terroir and the wine's fresh, perfectly ripe red fruit notes such as raspberry, strawberry, and plum. Magee emphasized the wine's balance and texture, describing it as "perfectly poised and all silk." He also noted that the wine would need five years to unwind and would plateau between 2025 and 2030.
Wine Enthusiast also provided a high rating of 96, calling the wine "big and powerful," supported by dense tannins and a brooding black-currant character. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate awarded it a 94, praising its great nobility and finesse, noting its saturated chalky minerality and blue and black fruits. Parker's review highlighted its medium to full-bodied mouthfeel and distinctive style, recommending a 4-5 year cellaring period and predicting it would be one of the longest-lived wines of the vintage.
Jeff Leve from TheWineCellarInsider.com gave it a 93, acknowledging that it takes some effort to open up but rewards with a medium to full-bodied profile featuring sweet dark cherries, smoke, flowers, licorice, and chalky tannins.
Overall, the 2011 Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse) is a highly commended Bordeaux Blend, praised for its complexity, structure, and aging potential.