Earlier this week, the team in London were treated to a tasting with Josephine Duffau-Lagarrosse of St Emilion’s Chateau Beausejour Duffau Lagarrosse. She wanted to show us the now in-bottle 2021 vintage, the first made under a new winemaking regime, and – to give an insight into the direction in which she is taking the property – compared it to a favourite back-vintage. She chose the 2001, great news for us as we love this vintage and it showed brilliantly. I am, therefore, delighted to have some ex-chateau cases to offer.

Beausejour Duffau – One Of Bordeaux’s Greatest Terroirs:

Located close to Angelus and Canon, this small estate is widely noted as being one of Bordeaux’s finest vineyards. In 2011, Robert Parker said it is “one of the great hillside terroirs of Bordeaux and St.-Emilion” while, more recently, Jane Anson wrote that it “comes close to the perfect expression of limestone”. This limestone profile means elegance, charm and precision, all of which fit the style of the 2001 vintage perfectly.

The Sublime 2001 Bordeaux vintage:

We love the 2001 Bordeaux vintage. Perhaps overshadowed by the blockbusters 2000s on release, recent tastings have shown them to be magnificent. Elegant, pointed and sophisticated, they are maturing superbly. They are now driving wonderfully well, and the Beausejour Duffau is an excellent example, it’s not surprising that Josephine chose this vintage to show us.

Production is small here, meaning there is little of the 2001 left to buy. So we were thrilled to find this tiny parcel to offer, which only left the cellars of the Chateau in St Emilion in 2019 and has never left professional storage in Bordeaux. A lovely wine, great value, and armed with excellent provenance, this is a highly recommended gem.