Immediately, you know you are before a great Brunello with bright fruit aromas backed by forest floor, balsam notes, bramble, blue flowers, red apple and mint. The presence of wood is all but invisible and the wine sings...

The new reference point estate in the Cotes de Castillon Clos Les Lunelles was acquired in 2001 by Gerard and Chantal Perse. It is comprised of nearly 24 acres of vines (averaging 38 years) planted on clay and limestone...

Nearly 20-years-old now, but still remarkably darkly coloured. It has an incredible smoky, spicy nose, firework smoke and smoked duck - a gathering of every imaginable wood smoke! Medium-bodied, very soft and silky with...

Medium ruby. A nicely elegant, moderately earthy, fresh and quite aromatically complex nose that is decidedly riper than any of the preceding wines leads to denser, richer, fuller and more muscular flavors and a sweet and...

Vibrant and finessed, a real reminder that the best Bordeaux ages slowly and keeps delivering. Understated, with a creamy texture that suggests beautifully ripe fruits and well defined tannins, delivers grip and length...

The Château l'Eglise-Clinet 2001, which was served from magnum, is a worthy follow-up to the millennial release and might be unfairly overshadowed by it. The 2001 has a slightly lighter and more feminine bouquet, but it...

...cropped at a meager 30 hectoliters per hectare. After a five week maceration the wine was aged 18 months in 100% new oak and bottled unfined and unfiltered (as are all the Perse wines). An inky/ruby/purple color is...

The 2001 Troplong Mondot is deep garnet-brick in color. It springs from the glass with scents of Morello cherries, dried mulberries, and fragrant soil, followed by suggestions of rose oil, spearmint, and tobacco leaf...

The finest Alion I have tasted from this project owned by the proprietors of Vega Sicilia the 2001 is a sensational effort. Moreover while it's not inexpensive 25000 cases are produced. A deep ruby/purple color is...

I've found a number of 2000s finally overtaking the 2001s this year, after a long time when the 2001 vintage was clearly showing better. But there are still moments when 2001 reigns, and this Vieux Château Certan is a...