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Bordeaux 2001 Vintage - The Verdict
This year’s annual en primeur tastings for the Bordeaux 2001 vintage were held in several wonderful Chateaux across the region. Again, a wonderful effort from the ‘Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux’ for organising the main thrust of the tastings.
My humble verdict on the 2001 vintage is that it is a quality vintage with some great efforts from many Chateaux. Being the neighbour of the 2000 vintage will not sit comfortably for the 2001 vintage, nor for several producers due to a few reasons.
First, the 2000 vintage was of extraordinary quality across the board and therefore people may be quick to try and draw direct comparison, which will be difficult. Some brave chateau representatives ventured that they thought this vintage [2001] was better than the last, but the reasons offered were limp and unconvincing. Careers in double-glazing sales should be discouraged for these people. Simply put, the good 2001 doesn’t reach the dizzy height of the excellent 2000.
Second, the 2000 vintage was extraordinarily highly priced. So for a vintage that follows a very good and ridiculously priced vintage what can we expect? Well, hopefully a reduction in price (which given that the cost of producing the wine is roughly the same as last year I’d have rather had an average price over the 2 years), but also many firms took up much of the 2000 offered to them and consequently some are still sitting on a pile of the stuff. Therefore the incentive for these firms to take a big position in 2001 will only be if the price is right.
In broad terms, the 2001 season was excellent, with only some vineyards experiencing rain at the time of harvest, but some excellent weather made it by all accounts an easier vintage to succeed in. Here are my notes:
Chateau Bouscaut
White: Lemon & grass without being a monster & too acidic
Red: Solid and blocky – just a little tough. It didn’t help being the first in line after having tasted all the reds. Sorry
Chateau Carbonnieux
White: light & delicate. Not a gobby white, a tad thin but pleasing
Red: I never quite get it with this wine. OK but not spectacular fruit and some pretty stark tannins – didn’t change even 2nd time around just to confirm.
Domaine de Chevalier
White: Feisty & chunky, bit of a brute, good attacking stuff
Red: Not an easy ride – generous tannins, ok length. Nothing startling.
Chateau de Fieuzal
White: difficult shape – wood entry, not displeasing. Light finish.
Red: Better effort, starts with good fruit & gives a
softer finish. We like
Chateau de France
White: Basic no frills
Red: not really. A sour entry that never recovered. Burnt leaves.
Chateau Haut-Bailly
Interesting – some good fruit, medium length similarly tannic but not bad
Chateau Haut Bergey
White: Not the finished article yet –strong / bold and showing promise.
Red: Very impressive softness, maturity and length. Using
100% new barrels and 75% Cabernet 25% Merlot, the chateau waited until the last
possible moment to pick the Cabernets. We like a
lot
Chateau La Louviere
White: nicely crafted, full of pamplemousse, the small amount of semillon shines through.
Red: Nice and tight. Good length and finesse.
Chateau Larrrivet-Haut-Brion
White: Subtle, light & nicely balanced
Red: Gorgeous concentration, floral & smooth. Excellent.
Chateau Latour-Martillac
White: Earthy offering, bits of straw with olives. Quite bold
Red: Quite distinct cherry. Didn’t really have the power but it was very smooth & umblemished
Chateau Les Carmes Haut-Brion
Red: Yes, very smooth, nice & dry almost sour. Good Graves style
Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere
White: Good building flavour. Doesn’t deliver a knockout which is good.
Red: Complex 2 layered entry – watery smooth & higher fruit which lasted well. Well crafted wine (50% merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc). We like
Chateau Olivier
White: First tasting I choked, second time round revealed a nice fat rich wine which finished very lightly. Pretty good
Red: Heart warming, rousing excellent style. Not too deep very accessible
Chateau Pape Clément
White: Interestingly average. God strong grapefruit finish but little else
Red: Well, almost in a different class. Enormously gathered. Great structure – no harshness. Gentle & Large. We like a lot
Chateau Pique Caillou
White: Had some structure, different tones more vegetal but notionally quite good
Red: Usually feel sorry for this wine – sandwiched between ‘Pape’& ‘Smith’. Quire light by comparison but actually very individual – a few firm tannins after a mild start
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte
White: Biting but also fragrant. Very good balance
Red: Nothing wrong whatsoever with this wine. Fairly
powerful, foot on the pedal all the way. Builds from the entry, no holding
back. Top effort.
Chateau de Chantegrive
White: No opacity and a good, easy to understand vanilla. Good momentum. Nice try
Red: Flattering entry, nice & gentle. Even & mild. Extremely good. (55%Cabernet Sauvingnon, 45% Merlot with 1/3 new barrels)We like
Chateau Ferrande
White: Crystal clear – the finished article. Obviously can wait but already a good firm drop.
Red: Almost minty entry, no rough edges. The fruit is even and apparent
Chateau Rahoul
White: Almost a roasted quality. Plain deep & pretty good
Red: Nothing to write home about yet. An ok effort, again not harsh
Chateau Angélus
Deep & dark, totally committed monster. Finish not too long.
Chateau Balestard La Tonelle
Easy entry & then the old menthol trick. Thoroughly pleasant.
Chateau Beau-Séjour Bécot
Dark, but less concentrated than expected. Still some excellent new fruit, very fresh and finely balanced. We like
Chateau Canon
Interesting, couldn’t get a handle on this really. OK balance, nothing really stood out. No corners though – nice long and subtle.
Chateau Canon-la-Gaffeliere
Gobsmacking wine. A very dark offering. Unobvious but very distinct nose. Then from the start enormous fruit and huge length. Unbeatable? We like a lot.
Chateau Cap de Mourlin
Feisty & a little less approachable. Fairly concentrated, but a little tough & inflexible
Chateau Dassault
Succulent little number, not unattractive, just even tempered fruit shows
Chateau Figeac
Violet colour, pure sweet and nicely balanced, a good effort and the structure is there
Chateau Fonplégade
Early ripe fruit in the mouth, it doesn’t hold on too much but is none the worse for it. Edgy finish with no real structure but it’s a good light St-Emilion
Clos Fourtet
Starts innocently and promises much but gets spiky half way through and falls away disappointingly
Chateau Franc-Mayne
Nice and juicy, no rough edges. Nice fruit extraction – very good chunky wine. Particularly dark, yet no distinguishable nose.
Chateau Grand Mayne
Dark. Harmonious menthol mixed with some great fruit. This is a little different – lots of character.
Chateau La Couspaude
Even-tempered & very gentle entry. Turns into a very stable good effort.
Chateau La Dominique
A very well textured wine. Plenty of fruit, plenty of depth. Not typical St Emilion – more Pomerol in style (which is unsurprising give its proximity & soil type). We like
Chateau La Gaffeliere
To be honest I didn’t get a total grip on this one, but it ended up being of the fruit / menthol combo. Gentle in all respects, a hint of wood shows – earthy effort.
Chateau La Tour Figeac
No real character here. This may be because it resembles some of the other ‘medium’ wines. It doesn’t change anything for me. Not bad none the less.
Chateau Larcis Ducasse
Here is a stylenot insistant on the menthol / cherry formula. Light fruit early doors fills out into a decent mouthful.
Chateau Larmande
Started off promisingly. Gave a hint of big ripe fruit, however it fell away dramatically…The wine promised more, ended up wanting more.
Chateau Troplong Mondot
Probably one of the biggest structures on show from the St-Emilions. Great for a Troplong Mondot (which traditionally I have a difficult time with), ok fruit early when the big structure becomes noticeable. Don’t know whether the fruit will stand up to the structure – will be interesting.
Chateau Beauregard
Structure, length, fruit, balance, poise etc. Tasted twice on this occasion and the wine was excellent 2nd time, and had a clever finish of roasted meaty flavours. Excellent. We like.
Chateau Clinet
Quite a butch wine – chunky & blocky, some very good
strong fruit. Excellent.
Chateau Gazin
This wine seems very alcoholic – a smooth effort, it lacks the total depth but it’s early days.
Chateau La Cabanne
Quite laid back, nothing jumps out and grabs you but a solid effort with no harshness.
Chateau La Conseillante
A simpler Conseillante than usual. Light fruit, very elegant and harmonious. The blockbusting rush isn’t there, but that’s fine.
Chateau La Croix de Gay
This wine has some balls. It’s not all smoothness and light but at least it’s interesting.
Chateau La Pointe
A rude Chateau representative was totally uninspired by their wine or the desire to show them off to the world. Shame. The wine on the other hand was stunning. Big full and lasting well, the wine edges forward in flavour at the finish. We like
Chateau L’Evangile
This was slightly firmer than many. Holds all the way through, no flabby bits, a real pleasure.
Chateau Petit Village
Hugely dark in colour, expecting massive fruit which came in early. It ended up with a bit of a temper though. The wine was a little cold which can’t have helped matters.
Chateau Chasse Spleen
Lovely succulent wine – light juicy / grassy fruit. Medium length and good vitality. We like
Chateau Maucaillou
A more violetty menthol version. Nearly neat & tidy – a little light but not at all bad
Chateau Poujeaux
Again a classic from Poujeaux. Slowly building fruit which is very pleasing and rewarding. Fine delicate structure – soft & sophisticated. We like
Chateau Clarke
A short nobbly affair. It didn’t really elevate as per Poujeaux but it is simple
Chateau Fonréaud
Luscious red colour. I was having trouble breathing which is not the most desirable status for tasting wine ..! Anyway, the wine is short & sharp. Nothing like as flexible as the 2000, it’s more austere & stalky.
Chateau Fourcas-Dupré
Agile wine, not too tough in the given company, but short & sweet.
Chateau Fourcas-Hosten
Smelt of hay with fertilizer, tasted of nice hay. What can I say? Very agricultural.
Crus de Haut-Médoc
Chateau Beaumont
Very nice light fruit peeping through early on. Doesn’t dry out at all. Very good effort.
Chateau Belgrave
Extremely dark & concentrated. May have been slightly prickly, but it’s strong stuff. Did it have enough fruit.
Chateau Camensac
This had bags of attacking tannins – too many? A little untidy
Chateau Cantemerle
A very good long Cantemerle: Eases into some soft fruit, then goes mentally strong. Nealry loses the plot but this is a very interesting ride / wine. We like
Chateau Citran
Great. Two good things here: immediate fruit falling away to
mildness, then it all starts again. Superb, well done.
Chateau Coufran
Wine actually helped by being served fresh. Not quite the ‘bags of fruit’ rousing finale, but ok. Standard stuff, if a little plain.
Chateau de Lamarque
Scratchy from the outset, just a little clumsy. Mild fruit and medium tannins.
Chateau La Lagune
A gentle wine that has great length medium fruit and almost the liquorice thing.
Nice length.
Chateau La Tour Carnet
Very good, nicely balanced, but has it overstretched itself?
I think there is a very good balance between reticent fruit and present tannins
& it works well. Good effort.
Chateau Malescasse
Distinct nose, very…blackcurrants & spice (what an original tasting note!). Eventually unfolds into a very tidy effort. Marries up with the tannin well. Liked it.
Chateau Greysac
Interesting, the fruit (or anything) was very slow to develop. Reticence slowly faded & it nearly got to a crescendo. Charming wine.
Chateau La Tour de By
As smoky as they come – a very herby roasted effort. Very obvious and not bad at all. We like.
Chateau Brane-Cantenac
Quite a meaty effort that gently builds. No huge flavours but steady & rich.
Chateau Cantenac Brown
Manages to combine some rich fruit with some stony minerals. Also quite rich
Chateau d’Angludet
Fairly limp. OK fruit but didn’t grab me. Finished with some leather and stalk. Shame.
Chateau Dauzac
Quite lively and spicy. Disappointing finish but started off full promise. It will soften. OK
Chateau du Tertre
Early fruit then settles down to a steady gentle wine. Medium coarse but good early
Chateau Dufort Vivens
Difficult to label. Some interesting soggy fruit to start then finishes with a crash. Blackberry soup pie with burnt crust
Chateau Ferriere
Didn’t scale any heights. Left me with a wooded / stark leather feel. Not the best
Chateau Giscours
Quite warm and rounded. Good fruit, gentle concentration. Good effort but lacking complexity
Chateau Kirwan
This will probably grow into something quite good. A sharp pointed precise wine. Good fruit but again fairly low on complexity.
Chateau Labégorce
Almost sour fruit in entry, then closes up to a fairly tight / strong and austere. There is complexity without the sweet flavours – a very good try but not to my particular taste.
Chateau Lascombes
Relatively stony on exit, fairly mild going. Did it dry out too much at the end?
Chateau Malescot Saint-Exupery
Quite soft, fat & flexible. Actually a very pleasant texture, the fruit not overly pushy but that’s not a problem. Better than most….
Chateau Marquis d’Alesme Becker
Yes, fairly gentle all the way through. No corners, no bumps – gentle fruit.
Chateau Marquis de Terme
Not as flexible as the 2000. This was fairly average and needs to have another tast in 6 months. Couldn’t find much fault or much style
Chateau Monbrison
OK, this is really neat. Some great flavours, nice complexity and above all well constructed and gentle. We like
Chateau Prieuré-Lichine
Spicy maybe, but lost much of that with a wavery structure. Couldn’t quite get into it.
Chateau Beychevelle
Rounded and quite gentle. Toasted nose, softer that imagined
Leaves very pleasantly. A St-J defined. We like
Chateau Branaire
Slightly austere, some stalky tannins, but when the wine is fading / receding it turns into a mild affair.
Chateau Gruaud Larose
On the nose – sweet & plumy but it didn’t quite live up to it. Not a usual dark monster but more gentle. Looked for bags. Looked for bags of fruit, didn’t get it. Still not bad.
Chateau Lagrange
Colour is vibrant pink - light red fruits predominate. A more fleshy nose with the fruit released ˝ way through after a medium start. A very nice St-Julien.
Chateau Langoa Barton
Almost indifferent in style here. Nothing harsh, marginally ‘aquatic’, no real length quite light but no corners.
Chateau Léoville Barton
This has got fruit – not bucket loads but it’s subtle and it does have a big tannic structure. This should do very well
Chateau Léoville Poyferre
Started off very promisingly, and nearly held on but had some big structural tannins masking fruit development. Mild on the nose. Pretty good.
Chateau Talbot
This Talbot is a wonderful, stable, light & supple wine. Good fruit and great length. There is more merlot in the 2001 than the previous year. We like
Chateau Croizet Bages
Very good concentration which could be a winner. Good medium fruit, not too dark. Good effort
Chateau Grand-Puy Ducasse
Light, bouncy and very friendly. A quite aggressive tannic finish which didn’t hurt the enjoyment. This could last well
Chateau Haut-Bages Libéral
Excellent fullish start – flat and stable middle. Enough mild fruit to make it interesting. Very good. We like.
Chateau Lynch Bages
Quite a long bruising wine. No big surprises, no huge fruit but an even tempered effort.
Chateau Lynch-Moussas
Well presented and measured effort. It didn’t go the extra mile to deliver huge fruit, but this wine never really does this but here is one example of how this makes the wine all the more harmonious. Good effort
Chateau Pichon-Longueville (Baron)
Yes, not mindblowing fruit but it starts off very solidly,
holds superbly and gives a nice dry finish. This is good Pichon.
Chateau Pontet-Canet
Quite a firm, closely knit wine. It didn’t suffer from being slow and inactive. Quite short and blocky. Not bad atall.
Chateau Cos Labory
A very stark wine that didn’t really wake up or deliver anything till its dying breath. A strong wine.
Chateau Lafon Rochet
Quite difficult to judge as it was mild through most of the introduction, almost flabby, but held on for a good finish. Possibly great, but the watery intro confused me.
Chateau Les Ormes de Pez
Fairly even with no fireworks. Good structure, ok fruit.
Chateau Phélan Ségur
Too big? Considering that at the Chateau they’re trying to calm this wine down, I found it very big in structure, nearly missing any fruit. It’s difficult to imagine what may happen with this wine. Interesting..