1997 Château Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse)

Château Beausejour (Duffau-Lagarrosse) is a Premier Grand Cru Classe B in the the St.-Emilion classification of Bordeaux. The 17-acre estate, on the Right Bank of the Gironde River, has been a vineyard since the Middle Ages. It was acquired by French winemaking families during the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1869 the vineyard was divided between the owner’s son and daughter as their inheritances. The daughter married a physician named Duffau-Lagarrosse, and her part of the estate became Château Beasejour-Duffau-Lagarrosse. Her brother’s half is what is today called Château Beau-Sejour Becot. Château Beausejour is still owned by the Duffau-Lagarrosse family. About 30,000 bottles are produced annually. The blend is generally 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Robert M. Parker has written that the estate’s wines “remain some of the most complex, ethereal St.-Emilions, generally dense and powerful but also reserved and austere, with mineral character.”

Saint-Émilion is on the east side of the Dordogne River. At 13,400 acres it is one of Bordeaux’s largest appellations, and perhaps its most picturesque. It is also home to what has been called “the garagiste” movement of upstart, tradition-defying winemakers who produce artisanal wines in styles that are unconventional for the appellation. The village of Saint-Émilion dates from the middle ages and it sits on low hills, surrounded by ancient walls. Like its neighbor Pomerol, Saint-Émilion was not included in the famous Bordeaux classification system of 1855. But a century later a ranking system was put in place, and unlike the classification system for the Medoc, the Saint-Émilion system is reviewed every ten years, meaning that estates can be upgraded or downgraded. There are three rankings: Grand Cru Classé, Premier Grand Cru Classé B and Premier Grand Cru Classé A, with the final ranking being the best. Such legendary Saint-Émilion estates as Châteaux Ausone and Cheval-Blanc are Premier Grand Cru Classé A, along with Châteaux Pavie and Angélus, both added to the classification in 2012. Wines in this appellation are primarily Merlot, mixed with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.