Showing 1-15 out of 15 items
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Chateau de Fieuzal,
Ready, but will improve,
Château de Fieuzal has a reputation for producing sturdy, long-lived savoury Graves, and this is no exception. At its zenith now, the 2001 is very tertiary, with aromas of saddle leather, cigar smoke and wet stone layered over bramble fruit. It's perfect for drinking this Christmas, ideally with a slab of roast beef.
Chateau Latour,
Ready, but will keep,
A brilliant offering, which should be drinkable much earlier than the blockbuster 2000, the 2001 Latour boasts an inky/ruby/purple color to the rim as well as a glorious bouquet of black currants, crushed stones, vanilla, and hints of truffles and oak. A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance primarily Merlot with a touch of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it reveals a sweetness on the palate that is atypical for such a young Latour. The beautiful integration of tannin, acidity, and wood is stunning. The wine flows across the palate with fabulous texture, purity, and presence. This luscious, full-bodied Latour was surprisingly open-knit on the three occasions I tasted it from bottle. However, do not mistake its aging ability as this 2001, despite its precociousness, will last 20-25 years. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 30/06/2004
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 30/06/2004
Chateau Lynch-Bages,
Ready, but will keep,
Since the early 1980s Ch. Lynch Bages, under the charismatic guidance of Jean-Michel Cazes, has consistently performed far above its designated 1855 classification. The 2001 is no exception. Tasting a line up of 2001 Pauillacs at the Union des Grands Crus tasting, Lynch-Bages shone out like a beacon. A very generous, powerful nose of ripe blackcurrants, liquorice, cedar and toasted new oak is complemented by a dense, brooding, muscular palate with ripe black fruits, minerals and a gloriously long finish. This quintessential Pauillac should be a definite for any serious cellar. This is as good as the their magnificent 1996.
Chateau Calon Segur,
Ready, but will keep,
The ever-gracious Madame Gasqueton greeted us warmly at 8.30am as her first tasters of the week. As always, Calon served as an excellent benchmark, and a tough act to follow, for the rest of the 2001s that we went on to taste. This has a fabulous nose of warm, exotic herbs and spices followed by a harmonious palate with a good concentration of minerally fruit, ripe tannins and tobacco and chocolate notes. The blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc combines beautifully to create a Claret-lovers dream.
Chateau Leoville Poyferre,
Ready, but will keep,
This has a ripe, creamy bouquet with a lot of well-subsumed new oak matched by clean, plum- and blackberry-scented fruit interlaced with cedar. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, and there's good structure, with notes of blackberry and cedar.
Christmas Cheer, Country Life, 23 November 2011
Ch Leoville Poyferré, a 2nd Classified Growth property, has been in the Cuvelier family since 1921 and under the recent stewardship of Didier Cuvelier it has scaled new heights, often rivalling the very best in its category and emerging from the shadow of its two illustrious Leoville neighbours, Barton and Las Cases.
The style is pure St Julien, all elegance and breed, with a notable silky texture in recent vintages. The grapes are fermented in 35 separate stainless steel tanks after which the wine is put into barrel where it undergoes malolactic fermentation. It then spends around 18 months in wood, 75% new, before bottling. 2001 is inevitably overshadowed somewhat by the greatness of 2000, but deserves recognition as a fine, classically-styled vintage in its own right.
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc.
Christmas Cheer, Country Life, 23 November 2011
Ch Leoville Poyferré, a 2nd Classified Growth property, has been in the Cuvelier family since 1921 and under the recent stewardship of Didier Cuvelier it has scaled new heights, often rivalling the very best in its category and emerging from the shadow of its two illustrious Leoville neighbours, Barton and Las Cases.
The style is pure St Julien, all elegance and breed, with a notable silky texture in recent vintages. The grapes are fermented in 35 separate stainless steel tanks after which the wine is put into barrel where it undergoes malolactic fermentation. It then spends around 18 months in wood, 75% new, before bottling. 2001 is inevitably overshadowed somewhat by the greatness of 2000, but deserves recognition as a fine, classically-styled vintage in its own right.
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc.
Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste,
Ready, but will keep,
Similar to Lynch Bages, not only in style but also in far outperforming its classification, Grand-Puy-Lacoste has made wines in the last five years that are better than many Second Growths. Located on the Bages plateau the 30 to 60 year old vines to dig deep into the gravely soil and extract the mineral qualities that seem to be the signature of this chteau's wines. Extremely concentrated, with sweet, black cherries, cassis and flinty overtones on the nose. The restrained yet powerful palate displays classic Pauillac `grip' with ripe but firm tannins and attractive herbaceous hints supporting the pure, lush black fruit.
Chateau Pichon Lalande,
Ready, but will keep,
A distinctive bouquet of violets, soy, pepper, blackberries, cassis, and tree bark gives this 2001 a singular style. This dense ruby/purple-colored blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, and a whopping 14% Petit Verdot exhibits plenty of structure, wonderful sweetness, a closed style, but a rich, textured, persistent character. The unusually large percentage of Petit Verdot gives the wine more structure and less initial charm. This beauty needs some time in the cellar.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - Wine Advocate - Issue#153 - Jun 2004
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - Wine Advocate - Issue#153 - Jun 2004
Ready, but will keep,
With a hint of smokiness and leather on the nose, this tautly structured wine has ripe defined fruit and firm tannins, unapolgetically showing off all of Pessac's terroir characteristics. This is a seriously fine wine that will develop as well as any Haut-Bailly anyone can remember. An excellent representation of this underrated area.
Chateau Margaux,
Drink now,
To refer to this and Forts de Latour as `Second Wines' seems almost insulting. If they were to be classified in their own right they would both be tugging on the coat tails of the Second Growths. 50% of Ch. Margaux's crop went into making the 2001 Pavillon Rouge, with 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35 % Merlot and a splash of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. It is a glorious mouth-filling drop of creamy raspberries with intoxicating aromas of soft vanilla and figs. With silky soft tannins and beautifully balanced fresh acidity. Simply delicious, this will rival the 2000. Also look out for the stunning 2001 Pavillon Blanc which is produced in only tiny quantities.
Showing 1-15 out of 15 items