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Wine Description
The Story
Each year, Château Beauséjour hDL takes into consideration the quality of the harvest and adapts its vinification accordingly. A subtle balance between the frequency and intensity of the "pumping-over" process must respect the wine's maceration, which varies in duration, in order to extract the best tannins.
For over thirty years, the Michel Rolland Laboratory has accompanied Château Beauséjour hDL during the vinification of each vintage. The wine is afterwards refined for 16 to 18 months in oak "shook" barrels, then aged in bottles at a constant temperature in limestone quarries.
A portion of the vineyard is rooted in argilo-calcareous soil with an asteriated subsoil, while the remaining vines are rooted in the limestone that, here and there, rises to the surface at the top of the hill.
Today, the vineyard's varietals are made up of 81% Merlot, which particularly appreciates the coolness and humidity of the clayey soil and contributes fruitiness and fullness to the château's wines, and 19% Cabernet (16% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon), which provides powerful aroma and structure. On average, the vines are between 35 and 40 years old.
Vintage 1900
The legendary 1900 ! The century began with an extraordinary harvest both in terms of quantity and quality. 1900 is firstly a record volume of wine, which was equalled only in 1982 ! There had been several bumper years previously, in 1896 and 1893. 1900 though, was legendary for its quality ! Despite the huge volume, this wine was of a power and concentration that have rarely been matched. This vintage aroused immediate excitement and eclipsed the fantastic 1899 by Château Margaux:
Weather
A wonderful year, which benefited from a very hot summer as well as very fine weather during the harvest. (Picking began 24th September)