1982 CHÂTEAU BEAUSEJOUR DUFFAU-LAGAROSSE 1982

Amazingly dark ruby in color, with a slightly red edge. Complex aromas of berry, dried cherry, mineral and spice. Full-bodied and tannic, yet well integrated and very youthful.

The 1982 Beausejour Duffau surprised me with its youthfulness and tannic ferocity. There is excellent, possibly outstanding concentration behind the wine's tough veneer. Still possessing a healthy dark rubypurple color with only a hint of garnet and lightening at the edge, the wine's nose offers provocative aromas of over-ripe black fruits, minerals, and leather. Full-bodied and rich, but tannic and atypically austere for a 1982, this is a difficult wine to fully grasp. Will the fruit continue to hold with the tannin softening, thus meriting an even higher rating, or will the wine remain forbiddingly tannic and backward without ever fully developing? I would gamble on it becoming at least excellent, perhaps outstanding - it is just a question of patience. Tasted 3 times after bottling with consistent tasting notes.

Healthy crimson. Fragrant. Thick, deep and lively. Dry finish. Bit simple. Good acidity but not especially fine.