Bettane & Desseauve Comment:
Vine’s blood, which is rare in 2012, rooted, taut and carrying the same precision of extraction of the wines of the Derenoncourt-Thienpont tandem. Racy, complete.Rating: 17.5
Peak: 2022 to 2030
Peak: 2022 to 2030
Robert Parker 93-95+ :“The 2012 exhibits a black/purple color along with a striking nose of incense, spring flowers, blueberries, blackberries and hints of mulberries and crushed chalk. The sumptuous aromatics are followed by a full-bodied, super-concentrated, rich, layered wine that builds incrementally across the palate, finishing with an explosion of fruit, spice, tannin, glycerin and minerality. While neither as backward nor impenetrable as the 2009 and 2010, the 2012 should be approachable in 4-5 years and keep for 2-3 decades.
A massive, concentrated effort from this great terroir, the 2012 Beausejour Duffau comes from a 16+-acre vineyard located on the clay and limestone southern slopes of St.-Emilion. It was cropped at 23 hectoliters per hectare, and the final blend was 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc. Only 66% of the production went into the top wine, which boasts 14.3% natural alcohol. Readers can usually count on this cuvée being one of the finest wines of the vintage given the talented team behind it, Nicolas Thienpont, Stéphane Derenoncourt, David Suire and Julien Lavenu.”
