From monastic vine to family legend: 1847 to today
The wine country around Saint-Émilion was already being cultivated by the monks of the Saint-Martin church in the Middle Ages. What became of it has borne the name Duffau-Lagarrosse since 1847. In that year, the family acquired the estate, which at the time still formed a joint property with today's Château Beau-Séjour Bécot. In 1869, Pierre-Paulin Ducarpe divided the 14-hectare vineyard heritage between his two children. The smaller part fell to his daughter Madeleine, who took the name Duffau-Lagarrosse after her marriage — and thus laid the foundation for one of the most enduring family wineries in the appellation. Since the first official classification of Saint-Émilion in 1955, the Château has been continuously in the top category of Premier Grands Crus Classés, without ever losing this position.
In April 2021, the estate was up for sale after the approximately 30 family members who were involved as shareholders could not reach an agreement. After a short, intense bidding war, the name Duffau-Lagarrosse remained on the label: Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse, the ninth generation of the founding family, secured the legacy for the future together with Prisca Courtin, great-granddaughter of the Clarins founder. In 2023, the name was officially shortened to Château Beauséjour — a sign of a new beginning, not a break.
Precision in the vineyard, architecture in the cellar
The nearly 6.8 hectares of vines lie on the upper, southwest-exposed slope of Saint-Émilion, surrounded by other Premiers Grands Crus. The soil changes over an elevation difference of about 30 meters: at the top, a limestone plateau with star-shaped fossils and clay; halfway down the slope, molasse and calcareous marl soils; at the foot of the slope, old colluvium. Merlot dominates with about 81 percent, Cabernet Franc complements with about 16 percent. Cabernet Sauvignon is being gradually replaced by more Cabernet Franc — a decision aimed at more freshness and tension in the wine.
In the vineyard, the estate works according to ecological principles without being certified, in order to maintain flexibility. It is, however, HVE-certified. The vineyard team led by Christophe and Izilda Chanloup has been with the Château for almost 30 years. The grapes are harvested by hand, completely destemmed, and moved into the tanks by gravity — without pumps that could damage the grape skins. A cold maceration before fermentation prepares the extraction. Fermentation takes place parcel by parcel: ten parcels result in separate cuvées that are only blended later. In 2024, the cellar was fundamentally modernized — 14 cement tanks of different sizes, whose walls show a 360-degree fresco of the entire estate, replace the old vats. The aging takes place in oak barrels over 16 to 18 months. Axel Marchal and Julien Viaud, two of the most sought-after consultants of the new Bordeaux generation, are responsible for the oenological advice.
Mineral, fresh, long-lived — the style of Beauséjour
The wines reflect the location: the limestone provides tension and mineral pull, the clay gives the Merlot flesh without heaviness. The result is red wines with a dense but never massive structure, fine tannin melt, and a salty freshness in the finish that carries through even after decades in the cellar. The 1990, 2009, and 2010 vintages in particular are considered reference points of the appellation. Under the leadership of Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse, the style is developing towards greater elegance and cool fruit — her declared goal is to make wines as her grandparents made them: without exaggeration, with a clear reference to origin. In addition to the Grand Vin, the Croix de Beauséjour is released as a second wine, offering earlier access to the same terroir.
