2001 Bordeaux Masterclass with Michael Schuster
Bordeaux Index, London
Tasted September 29, 2011 by Papies with 862 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
Red
2001 Château Poujeaux
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
Red
2001 Château Troplong Mondot
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..
Red
2001 Clos Fourtet
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
Red
2001 Château Smith Haut Lafitte
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
Red
2001 Château Pape Clément
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
Red
2001 Château Pontet-Canet
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.
Red
2001 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
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
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
Red
2001 Château Langoa Barton
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
Red
2001 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
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+
Flight 3 - The Sweets (2 notes)
White - Sweet/Dessert
2001 Château Doisy-Daëne
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
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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