2001 Château Haut-Brion

Description

97   Jane Anson for Decanter
“As with the 2000, this is still extremely young, barely out of the starting gates, and it needs time to open in the glass. It inches forward, rewarding patience with one of the most aromatically complex wines that you’ll find in Bordeaux. Deep in colour, it has great aromatic balance of spice, swirled cinnamon and liquorice. Mouthwateringly good. A high yield of 52hl/ha, with 50% of the crop going to the grand vin. 75% new oak.” (9/2018)

95   James Molesworth for Wine Spectator
“Intense aromas of violets, berries and spices follow through to a full-bodied palate, with layers of supersilky tannins and a long, long finish. Very classic in style. All in elegance and length. I like it better than the 2000.” *Collectibles* (3/2004)

95   Neal Martin
“Tasted blind at Bordeaux Index’s 10-Year On horizontal. This has a very elegant bouquet with blackberry, briary, potter’s kiln and bacon fat with fine delineation and lift. The palate is medium-bodied with great freshness on the entry, very good acidity with red-berried fruit interlaced with cedar, graphite and leather. Very good depth, very feminine and focused with ample freshness on the finish that seems to have “filled out” in recent years. Excellent.” (March 2011)

94   Robert Parker for Wine Advocate
“Haut-Brion’s 2001, which was bottled late (the end of September, 2003), possesses an unmistakable nobility as well as a burgeoning complexity. Plum/purple to the rim, this blend of 52% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 12% Cabernet Franc is playing it close to the vest, having closed down considerably after bottling. Nevertheless, it reveals pure notes of sweet and sour cherries, black currants, licorice, smoke, and crushed stones. Medium-bodied with excellent purity, firm tannin, and an angular, structured finish, it requires 5-7 years of cellaring.” (6/2004)