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Sauternes 2001
The 2001 vintage saw great success for Sauternes. The following report on a selection of wines from 2001 was put together with wines largely sourced from my own cellar (all save for the Yquem), tasted (and enjoyed) at intervals between March and July 2006. In all cases this was the first taste of these wines for me; tasting wines in their youth, especially from six-packs or full cases, is essential to understand how these wines develop, and so although many of the wines here were still in a very simple, primary stage, they were fascinating to taste.
Interestingly, many of the wines below were part of a joint purchase with a friend who then pulled out of the deal, leaving me with copious quantities and an incredibly large bill. With the benefit of hindsight, I'm very glad the deal swung that way, as these are fabulous wines that I plan to enjoy over the next few decades. At the time, however, ouch! My bank balance really hurt. (21/7/06)
Sauternes 2001 - Tasting Notes
Tasted between March and July 2006. Click
to locate
stockists:
Les Charmilles de La Tour Blanche (Sauternes) 2001: The second wine of
La
Tour Blanche. A very appealing,
rich golden hue. Simply delightful nose, full of depth and showing some ripe
botrytis complexity. Honey and barley sugar, melon and pineapple on the nose,
with a hint of toffee. Midweight palate, but full and seductive, creamy and
having plenty of depth. This has an exotic, ripe mouthfeel, balanced by good
acidity, which gives way to a full finish and superb length. Drink now and over the next five years.
A recent purchase, this is extraordinarily good value; I have purloined a couple more for the cellar. 18/20
Chateau Lamothe-Guignard
(Sauternes) 2001: The first tasting from a mix of halves
and bottles that I purchased, so I guess I'll have plenty of tasting notes for
this over the coming years. Lovely rich golden hue. The nose simply drips with
botrytis at first, before taking on a slightly more ethereal note as the nose
opens out, the melding of barley sugar, caramel and quince cut through by a
mineral freshness. Fine, flavoursome entry, moderate acidity, and a full, creamy
texture. Great presence through to the finish which has a rich, honeyed
character. Delightful. Quite simple at present, although with no lack of
character. Should do very well in the cellar 18+/20
Chateau Sigalas-Rabaud
(Sauternes) 2001: A lovely, pale golden hue. Very
lifted on the nose, a little high toned volatile acidity showing its influence
here, but with appealing crystal clear pear fruit coated with honeyed botrytis.
On the palate the same fresh, crystalline vibrancy comes through. Honey and
buttercream richness meld with fresh fruit with a subtle, smoky, mineral edge,
balanced with gentle, tingling acidity. Wonderful intensity, but with freshness
and fine persistence too. This is deliciously easy to drink; a runaway success. 18.5/20
Chateau Doisy-Daëne (Barsac)
2001: From a half bottle. The only deuxième cru in this
line-up of wines from my cellar. A really pretty colour here, vibrant and
golden. Plenty of green apples and fresh garden mint on the nose here at first,
slowly supplanted by notes of pineapple, deep, smoky, slightly peaty oak and
botrytis too. Lovely palate,. very elegant and very well structured, immediately
showing some earthy, oaky fruit immersed in a fine, creamy-oily texture. This
oaky fruit dominates through to the finish, which in terms of freshness and
persistence shows very good potential for the future. Very good indeed. 17.5+/20
Chateau Guiraud (Sauternes) 2001: From a half bottle. Quite a deep colour here, vibrant gold
tinged with hues of orange. A fine but plainly youthful and primary nose,
displaying macerated orange fruit with honey and barley sugar, together with a
little residual oak. Lovely presence on the palate though - there is intense
richness of flavour, and a considerably weighty, creamy, viscous texture, but
there is fine acidity too, so at no point does it appear unbalanced or blowsy.
Appealing orange-floral notes. Soft, creamy, slowly fading endpalate. A very
fine length too. This remains very primary at present and only time will reveal
the complexity and interest that must lie within. Excellent. 18+/20
Chateau Suduiraut
(Sauternes) 2001:
From a half bottle.
A very appealing burnished gold hue here. The nose is dominated, for the first
few hours at least, by a pungent volatile acidity, which reminds me more of
Beaucastel 1995, tasted back
in 2004, than any other Sauternes I have ever tasted. As this blows off - the
next day in truth - it reveals some appealing botrytis character with mealy,
honeyed aromas. Lovely attack on the palate, very pent up and frustrated at the
moment, with plenty of texture. There is acidity there (something I noted as a
concern last time) but it is simply swamped by texture, fruit and a rather
brutal extract. This is a wine with stunning potential, and once past this
adolescent phase this should be an absolute delight to drink. Very good indeed,
but with excellent potential. 17.5-18+/20
Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey
(Sauternes) 2001: A slightly deeper, richer, orange
tinged hue when compared with some other 2001s. Lovely nose, full of oranges and
barley sugar, honey and floral herbs. The palate has simply fabulous freshness,
with fine acidity carrying along a panoply of flavours, led by sweet orange
fruit with notes of orange blossom, honey and minerals. A delicious creamy
style, backed up by a little grip and that fine acidity for structure, complete
the picture. Overall this is wonderful wine, beautifully balanced, and just
dripping with pent-up potential for the future. 19+/20
Chateau Climens (Barsac) 2001:
From a half bottle.
This wine has a vibrant and golden hue. And a glorious nose, almost ethereal, in
fact. It shows great vivacity, with aromas of honey and orange, and a sprinkling
of botrytis, and yet it has the freshness of morning dew and spring water. As
the nose suggests, the palate has a crystal clear definition, with a vivacious
presence of oil of oranges plumped up by gorgeous extract and a chalky
minerality. This well delineated wine the fades into a fine, lingering finish.
There is fabulous potential here; this has to be one of the better wines of the
vintage. 19+/20
Chateau Rieussec (Sauternes) 2001:
From a half bottle.
Without doubt probably the most talked about wine of this vintage, thanks to an
excess of pointy awards. Prices have rocketed. This has a glistening, honey-gold
hue. The nose is very fine, with a palpable vibrancy, the freshness of oranges
and blossom and freshly scraped vanilla pod, intermingled with chalky, minerally
botrytis. Immediately apparent on the palate is a beautifully plump texture, its
creamy weight infused with honey, mineral and botrytis richness. This has patent
intensity, but also has a divine integration and is very finely poised. And it
is very, very long. This is remarkable, and has amazing potential for the
cellar. I understand completely why this wine has received such accolades, and I
look forward to drinking the rest of my case over the ensuing years. 19.5+/20
Chateau d'Yquem (Sauternes) 2001:
For young Yquem this is a remarkably obvious, open and
expressive wine, showing plenty of character on the nose, with an appreciable
depth of botrytis too. Rather dense
and concentrated on the palate, with great depth, yet this is clearly a tightly
coiled wine that will need a long time to show its true and full potential.
Nevertheless, at present it offers up plenty of barley sugar and floral sweetness
framed by a fine acidity. The palate gradually unfolds with time, fanning out,
with a reserved elegance that belies a wonderfully balanced structure. This has
great finesse, and will undoubtedly age beautifully; its future will be measured
in aeons
of cellar time rather than mere years. Outstanding. 19.5+/20
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