Chateauneuf du Pape 2001

Clos des Papes

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Tasting Notes

This is now in its second drinking window. (See my article two years ago on the ageing pattern of fine white Châteauneuf .) Lime, petrol, mineral aromas with a certain blossomy quality. This eight year-old didn’t actually taste like white Châteauneuf as we know it. ‘If this wine had had oak, it wouldn’t have lasted’, says Avril, suggesting it is drunk with lobster.

Score: 17

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2007-2011 01 October 2009

Paul Avril feels that purchasers of the 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape should “wait ten years” before drinking it. A blend of 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, and 5% Counoise, all aged in large wood foudres prior to being bottled without filtration, was produced from low yields of 27 hectoliters per hectare. A deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by a sweet bouquet of figs, raspberries, new saddle leather, autumnal forest floor, and resiny notes. Full-bodied with beautiful purity as well as a strikingly rich mouthfeel, this seriously endowed Chateauneuf admirably conceals its 14.5% alcohol. A structured finish and impressive extract levels suggest considerable longevity. This firmly tannic, intensely concentrated 2001 boasts great aromatic and palate presence, but it remains young and unevolved. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2020+.

Score: 95

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2009-2020 01 February 2004

The Avrils consider the 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape the finest they have made since 1990. Produced from meager yields of 25 hectoliters per hectare, it tips the scales at 14.5% alcohol. Backward and promising, with a deep ruby/purple color and a sweet nose of black fruits intermixed with plums, saddle leather, minerals, and truffles, this pure, full-bodied, moderately tannic, classic vin de garde will require patience. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2020.

Score: 92 - 95

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2009-2020 01 February 2003