A curl of woodsmoke and cedar aromatics, peony and crushed roses, fleshy black fruits, rose petals, love the switch between the texture of opulent silk and pumice stone tannic grip, this is exceptionally good. Josephine Duffau Lagrosse's first vintage from beginning to end. A low 3.4ph, reflecting the limestone soils, bottling two months later than usual because of new cellar construction, so 18 months in barrel, 70% new oak, rest in one year old oak. Axel Marchal and Julien Viaud consultants. A potential 100 points during En Primeur, living up to billing.

A heady nose of sun-kissed fruit, tobacco, dried herbs and floral notes. Bright acidity gives energy and excitement, lifting the fruit profile. Tension and persistence come through with liquorice, aniseed and graphite, while ripe strawberries and cherries add charm. Salty, chalky tannins shape the finish. Clean, precise and already enjoyable, yet built for ageing. A flawless wine that has maintained its promise from the en primeur tastings, effortlessly showcasing ripeness and sophistication.

What a stunningly complex St.-Emilion from Beausejour, with spot-on aromas of warm bread and roasted spices from the wood. The nose also shows orange rind, hazelnuts, minerals and touches of cocoa powder, hibiscus, mussel shells, graphite and black licorice. Concentrated and compact in flavor, but juicy and effortless. Really fine-grained and focused, with chalky tannins slowly developing and growing on the full-bodied palate before a lengthy finish that lasts for a minute. An incredible wine. Drink from 2028, and this will age well over the next 20 years. - Zekun Shuai

(98+ points) Violets, ripe black cherries, spring flowers, cassis, and a riveting sense of chalky minerality all shine in the 2022 Château Beauséjour (Duffau-Lagarrosse), another heavenly 2022 that has gorgeous tannins, a seamless, layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. It's not massive or incredibly concentrated, yet it has flawless balance and remarkable length. The pH is 3.45, with an alcohol of 14.5%. It's a more elegant, pure, seamless example of the 2020 vintage and has everything in the right place. Give bottles just 4-6 years if you can and it’s clearly going to have 20-30 years of overall prime drinking, as well as a gradual decline thereafter.

The striking perfume, with its blast of flowers, dark cherries, plums, black raspberries, espresso, and sea salt demands your attention. The palate seeks recognition for its non-stop waves of ripe, sweet, sensuously textured, dark, red pit fruits. The elegant finish, with its accents of spice, licorice, black cherry liqueur, mint, and oyster shells, crosses the 50-second mark with ease. The wine blends 69% Merlot with 31% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2028-2060. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2022&wine=Chateau%20Beausejour%20(Duffau%20Lagarrosse)

The 2022 Beauséjour is fabulous. I find it better from bottle than it was in barrel. Explosive aromatics from the Franc make a strong first impression. Bright acids drive through a core of dark red fruit, blood orange, spice, new leather and espresso. All the elements meld together seamlessly. What a vivid and gorgeous wine this is. I especially admire the long, saline finish. This is a superb effort from the team led by Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse. -- Antonio Galloni

The blend is 31% Cabernet Franc and 69% Merlot, which is the highest ever percentage of Cabernet Franc here. This exudes class on the nose, a mélange of lightly desiccated black cherry, currant, powdered chalk and violets with a touch of slate and graphite. The palate is similarly convincing, beginning in a polished, seamless, elegant style, with a core of blackcurrant, raspberry and red cherry fruits, wrapped in a tense limestone frame, with bright calcareous acidity giving it a great freshness. This has precision, elegance and energy in abundance, supported by a rich and tightly stretched frame of ripe tannins. It finishes firm and bright, and has great length too, filled out with those powdery tannins. This is a great result in this vintage, which is the first year Joséphine worked the whole vintage from pruning onwards, having arrived in April 2021. Tasted twice. The alcohol on the label is 14.5%. - Chris Kissack

(96+ points) The 2022 Beauséjour (Duffau Lagarrosse) saw a slightly longer élevage than usual, due to construction at the new winery, but that seems to have suited this broad-shouldered, powerful vintage very well. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of blackberries, blood orange, espresso roast, bay leaf and vanilla pod, it's full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with lively acids, chalky tannins and a long, creamy finish. This blend of 69% Merlot and 31% Cabernet Franc is the second vintage made by Joséphine Duffau Lagarrosse since she took control of the family estate in April 2021. - William Kelley

This poised version captures the showy mulberry, linzer torte and cassis fruit of the vintage but keeps it restrained in feel while gilding it with rose petal, hibiscus and rooibos tea notes. The long, filigreed finish lets a pretty chalk detail echo amid the fruit. Lovely. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2028 through 2042. — J.M.