| Producer | Chateau Beausejour |
| Country | France |
| Region | Bordeaux |
| Subregion | Right Bank |
| Varietal | Merlot, Cabernet Franc |
| Vintage | 2012 |
| Sku | 20424 |
| Size | 750ml |
There's nothing better than a moderately priced, mature Bordeaux from a historic chateau. Beauséjour has been under new ownership since 2004, but the property dates back to 1851, and some of the vines as far back as 1901! The 2012 vintage is an organic blend of free-run Merlot (70%) and Cabernet Franc handpicked from vines with an average age of 55 years. It exhibits all the classic notes of raspberry, plums, roses, leather, bell pepper, tobacco, violets, and earth with structured tannins. Drink with duck, game, or simply prepared beef and lamb roasts.
Choosing a Bordeaux can be daunting. It's a region with 38 different AOCs but defined by a handful of blue-chip wines that spend more time in auction houses than on dining room tables. Prices, reviews, and famous brands have erroneously given the impression that Bordeaux needs to be very expensive to be good, and that is not true in a region where there is so much affordable yet excellent wine. Determining which grapes are in a particular wine can also be tricky. In the case of Saint-Émilion, Lussac-Saint-Émilion, Montagne-Saint-Émilion, Puisseguin-Saint-Émilion, and Saint-Georges-Saint-Émilion, the primary grape is Merlot, often complemented by Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. To make matters even more confusing, there is more than one Chateau Beausejour. This one is owned by Pierre Bernault, who restored the 37-acre property to its former glory and consulted with legendary winemaker Stéphane Derenoncourt to produce traditional small-production Bordeaux using no pesticides or herbicides.
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