2015 Château Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse)

The 2015 Beauséjour Duffau Lagarrosse was tasted twice. The bottle tasted blind at Farr's did not show well, but this one was better. It has a ripe and forward bouquet cut from a similar cloth to the Pavie-Macquin (both made by Nicolas Thienpont), though this has more delineation and freshness. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, a crisp line of acidity, gentle grip and tension. Perhaps the bottle that I drank in 2019 had a little more complexity on the finish. It seems to have lost some character since then, but this remains a commendable wine from a previous era of the château.

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.