St. Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe Chateau Beausejour 2011

It takes some effort to get the wine to open. From there you find a medium/full-bodied, firm wine with sweet, dark cherries, smoke, flowers, licorice, chalky tannins and a blast of cherries in the finish. Give this perhaps 7-9 years before pulling a cork. Truffle, licorice, coffee, boysenberry and fresh cherries couple with soft, polished tannins and minerality. The plush wine ends with a silky, blackberry and licorice note. Give this a few years to soften and add more complexity. This is one of the top wines from a very difficult year. Tasted May 20, 2014 94 Points —-From an assemblage of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, the fruit was harvested between September 26 and October 4, and the wine reached 14.5% alcohol. Inky in color with licorice, sweet black plum, espresso, smoke, caramel and ripe cherries, this is lush, concentrated, silky and polished, as well as very deep for the vintage. 95-97 Points