2001 Bordeaux Masterclass with Michael Schuster

Bordeaux Index, London
Tasted Thursday, September 29, 2011 by Papies with 859 views

Introduction

Summary of MS current vintage thoughts
Reds: Thoroughly satisfying, more success on the right bank than left and merlot driven vintage. Well made wines are elegant, medium to longterm clarets with plenty of ripe fruit.
He likes the left bank more as personal tastes go by, as in right bank wines he too often came across too much oak tannin and extract. Many wines still need a lot of time and 2001 was not a weak vintage but there are plenty of coming to drink status and he believes 2001 offers good value.

Sweet White :
A reference vintage and among the best. Intense sweet character, freshness and delicious vital acidity. Very complex, harmony and balance. Exceptional

Flight 1 (7 Notes)

All wines were decanted for approximately 3 Hours

  • 2001 Château Poujeaux 88 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Moulis en Médoc

    Red dark colour, open nose with fruit and oak notes some mocha. primary notes, young, vibrant with med body. Some blackcurrant notes. Just about entering it's drinking window. Drinks nicely, not grand but very good. 88 , drink from now

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  • 2001 Château Troplong Mondot 86 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Dark red, purple in colour, looks very young. Mild, restrained nose. Austere at this stage, dry tannins ( especially on the finish) . Oak not yet integrated. Lots of ripe fruit. Feels very young but we are not sure if this has a great future.New waive of st emilion apparently. 86 at this stage, we suggest one waits 5yrs ... and hopes..

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  • 2001 Clos Fourtet 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Dark red. Primary nose, red fruit, open nose.sweet nose. Fresh and fleshy but with a touch of thin mid palate. Drink from now, good wine 90-91

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  • 2001 Château Smith Haut Lafitte 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Muted nose, primary red fruit. Ripe fruit, integrated tannins but a bit of dry edge to it, maybe the oak. Oak notes. Classic feel to it now and this has a long life ahead of it. Just about entering it's drinking window. 90-91

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  • 2001 Château Pape Clément 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Dark oak driven colour. The ripeness of fruit and the new oak are very evident but ( even for classic bdx friends like us) produce something very nice and enjoyable. Medium mid palate that moves into a powerful and tannic finish and a long long aftertaste. Maybe a touch too much new oak but we liked it. Young and austere at this stage and we suggest a min 3 yrs more. 91-92

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  • 2001 Château Pontet-Canet 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Simply beautiful and one to buy. Dark colour with some slight bricking on the rim.Oak notes, vanilla on the nose blend nicely with the fruit. Round, silky, lush and deep.very well made elegant wine and very very good. 93-94 and a buy.

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  • 2001 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Subtle, elegant ( more feminine) herby, and light floral. Oak is very well integrated. Very elegant and complex. The high merlot really helps here in a manner similar to 96&95 pichon lalande. Young yes but very very good. Another buy in our mind. 94

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Flight 2 (2 Notes)

Comment on the St Juliens: More austere and reserved than st emissions or pessac, most likely a merlot influence. Intense wines but lack finesse

  • 2001 Château Langoa Barton 89 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    Mild, restrained Fruit nose. Woody ( MS suggested this was due to musty old barrels). Just about coming into drinking age b ut has capacity to age. 88-90

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  • 2001 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    Fresh, harmonious,round tannins and easy( and nice) to approach at this stage.mid weight wine, no rough edges. Maybe a touch thin. Definitely one to start drinking. 90+

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Flight 3 - The Sweets (2 Notes)

  • 2001 Château Doisy-Daëne 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac

    Elegant yet restrained and lean nose, especially vs Sauternes of 2001. Balanced, rich , harmonious we would say. Drinks very well now and has this fwd style to it. Drink from now and won't be disappointed at all! 91

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  • 2001 Château La Tour Blanche Sauternes 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    Big wine, starting with a big nose, opulent, layered very classy and complex. Maybe a touch too sweet but for sure a formidable and beautiful Sauternes . 93+

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Closing

Also tried 2001 Gruaud larose (very good now and superb) and GPL ( def a great wine maybe as good as their 90 but very young) .
We really like 2001 and in all verticals we have been it has outshone the 2000s. The sweet wines are superb and even at this age great to enjoy. Suduiraut is amazing and let's see when do we risk opening our Yquems...

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