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Haut Medoc
|
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Château Belgrave 2001
Pretty good for its class with ripe blackcurrant fruit, supple tannin and
mid to good length. Drink 2006 - 2015.
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(88-89)
|
|
Château Cantemerle 2001
There’s a herbal and tobacco note to both nose and palate. It’s mid
weight and the tannins aren’t hard but maybe it’s all a touch green.
Drink 2005 - 2012.
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(85-87)
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Château La Lagune 2001
Modern ripe clean fruit flavours, but maybe a little too soft and simple
for its own good. Drink 2004 - 2010.
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(86-88)
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Château La Tour Carnet 2001
Oak rather dominates the ripe supple fruit at the moment. Mid to good
length. Drink 2005 - 2015.
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(88-89)
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Margaux
|
|
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Château Brane-Cantenac 2001
Classic Margaux with violets and almost sweet blackcurrant fruit. Palate
is ripe and supple. Tastes like a 2000 vintage. Drink 2005 - 2018.
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(90-91)
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|
Château Cantenac-Brown
Nose is mute and tight knit but the palate is more open showing ripe
cherry, prune and liquorice. Ripe tannin adds weight and length. Drink
2010 - 2025.
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(91-92)
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Château d'Issan 2001
Very pure blackcurrant fruit with supple mid weight palate. Pleasant, if a
little one-dimensional. Drink 2005 - 2012.
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(87)
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Château du Tertre 2002
Ripe dark berry fruit plus tobacco on nose all echoed on the palate allied
to ripe tannin and medium to good length. Drink 2007 - 2020.
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(87-99)
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|
Château Giscours 2001
Creamy blackcurrant on the nose modern style pure scented blackcurrant
fruit with a sheen of oak plus some prune and raisin character. Tannins
are ripe but more concentration and length would have been useful. Drink
2006 – 2020.
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(88-89)
|
|
Château Margaux 2001
An elegant perfumed nose with notes of coffee and cedar while the palate
has beautiful elegant berry fruit and ripe tannins but lacks the
concentration of a great year. Drink 2008 - 2025.
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(91-92)
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|
Château Prieuré-Lichine 2001
Ripe inky blackcurrant and
creamy vanilla nose with modern style ripe fruit and oak on the palate
with supple tannin and good length. Drink 2008 - 2025.
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(91-92)
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|
Château Rauzan-Gassies 2001
Oak rather dominates the modern style ripe scented fruit at the moment but
no doubt it will integrate in time. Drink 2008 - 2020.
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(90-91)
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Château Rauzan-Ségla 2001
With its merlot like raisin and plum fruit this seems more right bank than
left. It’s supple and mid weight and lacks a little oomph. Drink 2005 -
2015.
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(87)
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| Pauillac
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Château Clerc Milon 2001
Nose shows ripe dark cherry plus plum and raisin. Palate has berry plus
slightly tart cherry , ripe tannin and mid to good length. Drink
2010 - 2020.
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(88-89)
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|
Château d’Armailhac 2001
Aromas of black cherry and oak dominate the nose while on the palate
similar dark fruit is supplemented by spicy black olive, coffee and nut
and supported by surprisingly soft tannins and mid to good length. Drink
2007 – 2020.
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(88-89)
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|
Château Duhart-Milon-Rothschild
2001
Muscular tannic, moderately ripe wine that lacks charm and may not be ripe
enough to come good. Drink 2010 - 2020.
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(86-87)
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Château Grand-Puy Ducasse 2001
One of the better Pauillacs with ripe blackcurrant, prune and tar like
spice, ripe tannins and mid to good length. Drink 2005 - 2015.
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(88-89)
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Château Grand-Puy Lacoste 2001
Hard to believe this is a 2001 with its slightly lush generous ripe fruit
style – all blackcurrant, cherry and oak combined with supple tannin and
good length.
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(91-92)
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Château Haut Batailley 2001
Ripe fruit and tannin, mid to good length.
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(88)
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|
Château Haut-Bages Libéral
2001
Relatively ripe blackcurrant fruit mingles with tar or soy like spice with
good length and supple tannin. Drink 2008 - 2025.
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(89-90)
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Château Latour 2001
There’s a spicy, almost medicinal edge to the nose along with mulberry
and coffee. The palate is rich and more-ish with plum, blackcurrant,
coffee and vanilla and ripe tannins that frame it all and add weight and
length. Drink 2010 - 2035.
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(92-93)
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Château Lynch-Bages 2001
Sadly others have done better than this perennial Irish favourite. The
fruit is fairly ripe with prune and blackcurrant but it lacks the
generosity of a great year like 2000. Tannins are ripe and length is
medium to good. Drink 2010 - 2025.
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(88-89)
|
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Château Lynch-Moussas 2001
As ever in recent years at Lynch Moussas the style of fruit is very pure
and modern ripe blackcurrant and the mid to good length palate has supple
ripe tannin. Drink 2006 – 2020.
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(88-89)
|
|
Château Mouton Rothschild 2001
There’s dark cherry fruit but with layers of spice such as cedar and
something oriental plus mocha on the nose while the palate is fairly rich
with dark berry fruit, liquorice, nuts and toast and very good length.
Drink 2010 - 2030.
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(93-94)
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Château Pichon-Longueville
Baron 2001
Two different samples one of which was better than the other. Both shared
ripe dark fruit and tobacco spice on the nose but one was more vibrant and
richer on the palate to go with the firmish tannins and good length. Drink
2010 - 2030.
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(88-92)
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Château Pontet-Canet 2001
There’s a fair amount of modern ripe, supple fruit and style here if
just a little lacking in concentration. Drink 2006 - 2020.
|
(87–88)
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Les Forts de Latour 2001
Pungent spicy, liquorice and tobacco nose with a powerful yet elegant
palate showing more spicy plum and soy like fruit. Very good.
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(91-92)
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|
Pessac-Léognan
& Graves
|
|
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Château Carbonnieux 2001
Tight knit pruney nose with fairly ripe raisin and plum suggesting merlot
dominates. Reasonable length. Drink 2005 -2020.
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(88)
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Château de Fieuzal
Attractive dark fruits but it’s quite extracted and tannins are a bit
harsh. Seems like they were trying too hard to get enough colour and flavour. Drink 2008- 2020.
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(86-87)
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Château Haut-Bailly 2001
Fairly ripe modern style that needs just a little more concentration.
Drink 2006 – 2015.
|
(88-89)
|
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Château La Mission Haut-Brion
2001
Confusing wine as the nose smells ripe and perfumed but the palate seemed
very firm and astringent even, hence the wider than usual range of score.
Drink 2008 - 2020.
|
(85-88)
|
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Château La Tour Haut-Brion
2001
Glorious texture to this wine that keeps you coming back for more with its
perfumed fruit, fine grained tannins and good length. Drink 2005 - 2020.
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(92-93)
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Château Latour Martillac 2001
Supple modern style with mid weight and concentration. Drink 2006 - 2015.
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(87-89)
|
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Château Malartic-Lagravière
2001
Modern supple style with mid to good concentration and ripe tannin. Drink
2005 - 2020.
|
(89-90)
|
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Château Pape Clément 2001
A very special wine with silky, sexy perfumed fruit, supple tannin and
superb length. Drink 2006 - 2025.
|
(93-95)
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Château Smith Haut Lafitte
2001
Ripe, modern style fruit with supple tannin and mid to good length. Drink
2006 - 2020.
|
(89-90)
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|
Domaine de Chevalier 2001
Redcurrant and prune nose with a ripe palate showing fair concentration
and length. Drink 2008- 2020.
|
(89)
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| Pomerol
|
|
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Château Certan de May 2001
Fragrant, cedar and tobacco on nose and palate, which also shows plum and
ripe tannin. Drink 2005 - 2015.
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(89-90)
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Château Clinet 2001
Pruney raisin and blackberry fruit on nose and palate with ripe tannin and
mid to good length. Drink 2005 - 2020.
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(88-90)
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Château Clos René 20
01
A slightly old fashioned style but attractive with notes of leather, spice
and dried fruit on the nose with quite a rich ripe palate and decent
length. Drink 2006 - 2020.
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(88-89)
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Château de Sales 2001
Moderately ripe plum on nose and palate with tannins a little firm.
Moderate in every sense. Drink 2006 - 2015.
|
(85-87)
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Château Gazin 2001
Fragrant spicy tobacco nose is interesting but the palate has a firm or
astringent and slightly green edge to it, which doesn’t auger well for
development. Drink 2007 - 2017.
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(86-87)
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Château La Conseillante 2001
A classic Pomerol nose of cherry and plum with chocolate overtones. As so
often Conseillante has a lush, ripe modern style palate showing similar
fruit plus a sheen of new oak and silky tannins. Drink 2005 - 2020.
|
(91-93)
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Château Hosanna 2001
Lots of plum and prune on nose and palate with the later also enjoying chocolate, vanilla and cherry and quite
good length. Drink 2006 – 2020).
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(88-89)
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Château Le Pin 2001
Several barrels tasted so naturally all slightly different but shared a
common core of ripe plum and cherry fruit with notes of coffee and oak,
ripe tannin and good length. Drink 2006 - 2020.
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(91-93)
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Château Le Bon Pasteur 2001
A modern style wine but not as lush and intense as in some years. It shows
prune on the nose and cherry, plum, redcurrant, mint perhaps and also
vanilla. Mid to good length. Drink 2005 - 2015.
|
(89)
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|
Château Petrus 2001
Instantly appealing perfumed nose with violet and cherry and a background
of lightly spicy oak is matched by a beautiful palate with classic fine
Pomerol style palate of chocolate, dark cherry, ripe tannin, sensual
texture and great length. A triumph in a difficult year. Drink 2006 –
2025.
|
(95-96)
|
|
Château Trontanoy 2001
A subdued nose showing raisin, blackberry and blackcurrant gives no lead
to the chunky, vibrant palate with more raisins but also chocolate,
cherry, spice and powerful mouth feel with good length. Kind of Rhône
meets Bordeaux. Drink 2006 – 2025.
|
(88-89)
|
|
Château Vieux Maillet 2001
Ripe cherry plus oak on nose plus a modern style ripe palate showing
cherry, plum oak and whiff of coffee. Drink 2006 - 2020.
|
(90-91)
|
|
Vieux Château Certan 2001
Lovely wine with intense fruit of creamy blackcurrant plus plum and
cherry, spicy notes from oak and good length , all neatly framed by ripe
tannins that add length. Drink 2006 - 2025.
|
(91-93)
|
|
Saint-Emilion
|
|
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Château Canon 2001
Slightly old fashioned spicy, dried fruits on nose and palate with ripe
tannin and mid to good length. Drink 2006 - 2015.
|
(88-89)
|
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Château Canon La Gaffelière
2001
Ripe modern style but oak too dominant at present. Drink 2006 - 2015.
|
(88-89)
|
|
Château Fauconnèrie, Cuvée
Speciale 2001, Montagne Saint-Emilion
An intense yet elegant wine with very pure fruit – cassis and black
cherry, chocolate and perfumed spice and great length. An extraordinary
find. This property is surely destined to become famous and much more
expensive, so buy now. Drink 2004 – 2020. (Irl: Wine Buff) (UK: u/n)
|
(93-95)
|
|
Château Figeac 2001
The best Figeac I’ve tried in while. It has bags of ripe fruit including
blackberry, cherry, chocolate and even a hint of mint allied to good
length. Drink 2006 - 2025.
|
(90-92)
|
|
Château La Gaffelière 2001
Very spicy with tar or liquorice and prune with very firm tannins on the
palate that you have to worry about mellowing. Drink 2010 - 2020.
|
(86-87)
|
|
Château Laforge 2001
Nose shows concentrated dark fruit and oak while the palate too has
concentrated ripe dark fruit such as blackberry, raspberry and a dash of
bitter chocolate. Good length. Drink 2006 – 2020.
|
(92-93)
|
|
Château Larmande 2001
Notes of plum, cherry and chocolate plus cedar oak and good length.
Classy. Drink 2005 – 2020.
|
(91-92)
|
|
Château L'Arrosée 2001
Prune, raisin and tar on nose. Palate similar with supple tannins. Drink
2004 - 2015.
|
(88-89)
|
|
Château Pavie-Macquin 2001
Unctuous ripe
cassis like blackcurrant on nose is matched on the ripe palate with,
cherry, plum, chocolate and oak plus ripe tannins that add focus and
length. Drink 2006 - 2025.
|
(91-93)
|
|
Château Soutard 2001
Pleasant cherry-ish fruit but a little on the light side. Drink 2004 -
2010.
|
(86-87)
|
|
Château Teyssier 2001
A mix of plum, mulberry and dark cherry on nose and palate with a layer f
oak that will integrate in time. Ripe tannin with mid to good length.
Drink 2005 – 2015.
|
(88-89)
|
|
Château Troplong Mondot 2001
Once again a superb effort from a chateau that rarely puts a foot wrong.
The inky colour is matched by serious nose of concentrated blackcurrant
and cherry. For now the oak stands out a little on the palate, but what a
palate, with masses of ripe fruit with firm but never harsh tannins that
add weight and length. Drink 2010 - 2030.
|
(93-95)
|
|
Clos Fourtet 2001
Creamy vanilla and cherry plus berry fruit on nose and palate that is very
modern and has plenty of ripe dark fruit plus liquorice or soy spice and
good length. Drink 2006 - 2025.
|
(90-92)
|
|
Le Dôme 2001
A remarkable wine, given the ungenerous vintage. It has seductive perfumed
dark cherry and toasty, vanilla oak on the nose and a beautifully
textured, silky palate with cherry, cedar and more besides and terrific
length. (Drink 2006 – 2020)
|
(93-94)
|
| St
Estèphe
|
|
|
Château Calon-Ségur 2001
A modern style wine with clean cherry and blackcurrant fruit and a whiff
of spicy oak and liquorice allied to firm ripe tannin. Drink 2010 - 2025.
|
(90-91)
|
|
Château Lafon-Rochet 2001
Very appealing wine with vibrant ripe cherry and blackcurrant fruit and a
surprisingly supple, given the commune’s reputation for toughness, but
long palate. Drink 2005 - 2020.
|
(90-91)
|
|
Château Montrose 2001
A majestic wine that has you searching for old-fashioned descriptions like
breeding. This wine’s class puts it in the front rank with a heady mix
of fruit and spice wrapped up in a powerful palate, which has ripe firm
tannin that adds weight and enormous length. Drink 2012 - 2040.
|
(93-95)
|
|
St Julien
|
|
|
Château Beychevelle 2001
Intense cassis like fruit with creamy oak on nose and palate with good
concentration on palate and supple ripe tannin giving length and dry
finish. Drink 2005 - 2020.
|
(91-92)
|
|
Château Branaire-Ducru 2001
A surprisingly powerful wine with dense, chewy dark liquorice scented
fruit. Tannins are ripe though and give good length. Drink 2010 - 2030.
|
(91-92)
|
|
Château Gruaud Larose 2001
Seems fairly developed already even as a barrel sample with its mix of
leathery aromas prune and raisin. Tannins are supple and length is mid to
good. A big step down from the monumental 2000. Drink 2005 - 2015.
|
(88-89)
|
|
Château Lagrange 2001
There’s a spicy edge on the nose to the cherry and blackcurrant fruit.
Tannins are just ripe if on the firm side. mid to good length. Drink 2010
- 2020.
|
(88-89)
|
|
Château Léoville Barton
The standout wine of the tasting with more-ish nose of cedar, berry fruit
and vanilla. Palate seems unfeasibly ripe and generous with its delicious
perfumed almost sweet fruit, spice and velvety tannins, which give great
length. Drink 2005 - 2025.
|
(94-95)
|
|
Château Léoville Poyferré
Attractive ripe modern style with rich fruit given the year. Drink 2006 -
2015.
|
(90-91)
|
|
Château Saint-Pierre 2001
A classic St. Julien claret nose of tobacco and mellow fruits. Palate has
supple fruit, coffee and tar like spice and mid to good length. Drink 2004
- 2015.
|
(88-89)
|
|
Château Talbot 2001
Very modern pure dark cherry and blackcurrant fruit. Palate is similar and
supple with quite good length. A bit more concentration would have taken
it to a higher level. Drink 2005 - 2020.
|
(88-90)
|
