Château Margaux 2001

Performing well from bottle, Chateau Margaux’s 2001, somewhat reminiscent of both 1985 and 1999, is an elegant, seamlessly crafted wine with a deep ruby/purple color and a beautiful nose of flowers, crème de cassis, blackberries, and cedar. A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, and 4% Cabernet Franc, this forward, opulent beauty can be enjoyed now or cellared for 15–20 years. This is one of the most elegant wines of the vintage.

2001 as a vintage was unfortunately eclipsed by the one preceding it. This superb wine shows restrained, elegant blackcurrant aromas, edged with spice and floral notes, and a hint of pencil lead/graphite. The texture is silky but not lacking in structure or body. The wine is still youthful and the abundant substance suggests a marvellous future in the cellar. 35% of the harvest is used in the grand vin. Atypically, the wine is only 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 7% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc.

Enticing aromas of boysenberry, cedar, espresso and roasted oak. Sweet, lush and broad in the mouth, with sappy berry and espresso flavors. This boasts the pliant texture and near-perfect balance of the vintage's best examples. Finishes with a fine dusting of tannins. Like so many 2001s, this is easy to taste today but may well close down in the coming year or so. "The 2001 is a smiley wine," says Pontallier, "while the 2002, though a bit stiff today, has more power and excellent aging potential. But neither ranks among our greatest vintages."

More closed than the last time I tasted the wine, with coaxing, the silky, refined, fresh, sweet, red fruits made their presence known. Hints of florality, tobacco and kirsch, with wet earth add to the complexities. 90 minutes of air would add a lot to the wine today.

Clearly brightening, luminous ruby-garnet. Right from the start it shows a brilliant fruit bouquet: red cherries, wild raspberries, lingonberries, all wrapped in a bright, finely toasted noble wood note. On the nose already a perfumed delicacy. On the palate, of fine texture, seductive, with a superb, almost dancing balance. This is a Premier for lovers of finesse. Everything is in place. The only thing is that—for a legendary Margaux—it has too little power. That suits me perfectly. You can relax while enjoying it and look forward immensely to a second sip, if available.

02: Barrel sample (18/20): Only 38% of the harvest was selected for the Grand Vin. 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc: dark ruby-purple, dense at the core. A dense bouquet laced with rose tones and red elderberry; the Cabernet shows plenty of tobacco aromas and the small portion of Cabernet Franc adds a floral spice; black peppercorns from the Petit Verdot. Very aromatic overall, but as with the Pavillon, this Margaux lacks a bit of warmth and ripe berry character on the nose. Finely woven body, substantial yet medium in build, inky traces and a noble bitterness in the extract; plum skins, bay leaf and tobacco on the long finish. The barrique élevage now needs to help give this wine more fullness and sweetness. Experience shows that this terroir has the class to deliver good quality and will reveal a potential that is not immediately obvious. The tasting, however, did not hide that this is a rather disappointing Margaux. Perhaps we have been a little too spoiled here lately. In any case, my barrel score is close to the next lower threshold. If it doesn’t leave a more positive impression by bottling, this expensive Premier Cru will end up at a not exactly thrilling 17/20 points. Just before bottling: surprisingly pale color. Delicate, nutty bouquet, Parisette toast notes, caramel, dried fruits—rather subtle and restrained, but beautifully perfumed on the nose. Juicy palate that feels very slender, silky, ultra-fine tannins, red cherries, raspberries, delicate and dancing, with a lovely sweetness again on the finish. It will certainly bring pleasure fairly early, because the tannins are already quite soft and the wine already shows clear primary fruit expression. Yet despite all these joyful words, it does seem a little light. Can it climb back to 18/20? Current rating: 17/20. Blind tasting in Berlin: brightening ruby-garnet. Fine, elegant Bordeaux bouquet, delicate Cabernet sweetness with a slightly red-berried impression, subtle nut and sandalwood tones, red cassis. On the palate, silky texture, very nice balance, a dreamy, delicate sweetness on the finish with a certain Tempranillo–praline affinity. A delicate, elegant wine with a lot of finesse that will soon show its first fruit maturity. (18/20). 09: brightening ruby-purple. Sweet, finely roasted bouquet, a hint of ripe banana and wild strawberries; medium-slim but quite intense on the nose and, thanks to its wax–butter note, rather full. Fine, elegant palate; the tannins are silky and contain a delicate, subtle sweetness within. In style, a riper variant of the 1985 Margaux. (19/20). 15: We opened four magnums for nearly 50 people. It was a celebration! So delicate, fine and sweet with silky tannins. 16: Next to Giscours and Palmer it still seems very closed. It lies more in the red-berried Richebourg realm! (19/20). 16: Clearly brightening, luminous ruby-garnet. Shows right from the start a direct, brilliant fruit bouquet—red cherries, wild raspberries, lingonberries—all wrapped in a light, finely roasted noble wood note. Truly a nasal delicacy, almost perfumed. On the palate, of fine texture, seductive, with superb, almost dancing balance. This is a Premier for lovers of finesse. Everything fits. The only thing is— for a legendary Margaux— it has too little power. For me, that’s absolutely fine. One can practically relax while enjoying it and enthusiastically look forward to a second sip, if available. (19/20). 17: Finely brightening garnet. Open bouquet; compared to older Margaux we have tasted, this one was incredibly accessible. Fine cedar notes and Dominican tobacco, a hint of raisins and light malt. Medium-bodied on the palate, finely supporting acidity, the tannins are rounded and still slightly friable; it has more power here than on the nose. With decanting, it is not far from its first drinking maturity. This bottle—compared to other great vintages. (18/20). 22: Magnum. Still saturated, little-evolved purple. The fairly intense nose delivers a wonderful cocktail of various red berries, appearing gently sweet, with a peppery, straight-lined attack. It keeps gaining with air. On the palate, finely fleshy with still somewhat mealy tannins on the tongue. The precise tannins also clearly show that it still has marked reserves. Nevertheless, it already shows itself as quite communicative and conveys a first drinking maturity. This will likely last well for decades. (19/20).

Elegant, silky, deep, fresh bouquet: tobacco, fine woods, blueberries, roasted notes, mint. Balanced, dense, multi-layered, elegant palate with fine tannins, powerful sweet aromatics, dense structure, very long, fresh finish. Still has room to improve. 18/20 drink - 2035

This 2001 is more refined and elegant than powerful. It is a wine with fine tannins and a delicate texture, but it does not fully reveal itself. After a long decanting, it unveils lovely complex notes of black fruit and fresh mint, finishing on a savory touch. Below the 2000.

Logo on the cork: inverted T (Trescases) Bad bottle Dark, intense, evolved color. Moderately aromatic nose. The fruit is ripe. Smoky touch. The attack is a bit lively, then the wine unfolds with a caressing, fruity, flavorful profile, but it finishes a little firm, as if there were too much oak. That’s never the case in this cru. This is a weaker bottle.

“For me, this vintage is what makes Margaux special,” says Margaux winemaker Paul Pontallier. He is right: With its density, spice, blackcurrant flavours layered with dryness and fresh acidity, this is a huge, impressive wine that never forgets that it is Margaux. It is still young, and the dry, tannic aftertaste that lasts for many minutes shows it.