Wine Advisor
Chateau Margaux 2001
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The bouquet immediately grabs you by the nostrils, intense and swarthy with exuberant blackberry, wild hedgerow, black olive and a touch white fennel. Very attractive with fine definition and clarity. The palate is medium- to full-bodied but quite understated on the entry, soft at first but revealing its backbone midway through. Very harmonious, lovely pure cedar-infused black fruits with a hint of blueberry, perhaps not showing so much of its Margaux typicite a the moment, but I am sure that will come in the future. It “billows” nicely with aeration, seeming to gain in size and becoming earthier and drier in nature. A superb wine but I would leave this another 5-8 years. Drink 2013-2030. Tasted July 2008.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Just a hint of ageing on the rim. The nose has a certain aloofness, a density with black brambly fruits, hedgerow, a touch of liquorice and black olives with a faint hint of green pepper. The palate is full-bodied, tannic, very good acidity, just lacking the depth of the 2004 but harmonious although there is a slight bitterness pervading the mid-palate. Lovely refined, silky finish with quite a complex finish, earthy like the 2004, hint of black truffle but with a very dry aftertaste. Drink 2012-2030 Tasted March 2008.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Similar to the 1999, this blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, and 4% Cabernet Franc is the result of a draconian selection (only 35% of the crop made it into the grand vin). Sweet cassis, licorice, and subtle wood notes waft easily from this medium-bodied, elegant, charming, seductive Chateau Margaux. It is beautifully balanced and will be delicious young. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2020.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2001 Chateau Margaux continues to evolve in impressive fashion. The nose feels sensual, veering towards red rather than black fruit, with disarming purity and perhaps showing more floral/violet character than the 1999. Both display tremendous precision and delineation. The palate is medium-bodied, edgy and tensile with crisp acidity, so fresh and vital in the mouth. Tasted next to the 1996 Château Margaux, it is clear to see that the 2001 is several steps behind, yet the way it fans out with such confidence and brio on the finish assures that this has a prosperous future. Tasted May 2016.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at Bordeaux Index’s 10-Year On horizontal. This has a classic pencil-lead, Pauillac bouquet with fine delineation and lift, nothing ambitious, no frills but superb focus. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins and mineralite, black fruits intertwined with graphite and a touch of cedar. Conservative but very well crafted and full of breeding. Tasted March 2011.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Performing well from bottle, Chateau Margaux’s 2001, which is somewhat reminiscent of both the 1985 and 1999, is an elegant, seamlessly constructed effort with a deep ruby/purple color, and a beautiful nose of flowers, creme 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 drunk now or cellared for 15-20 years. This is one of the most elegant wines of the vintage.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
July 2002 at the chateau: lucid ruby. Lighter nose than expected: more Cabernet than usual: cassis and blackberry. Very elegant and minerally palate with a slight meaty edge. Lacks some attack at the finish. Again, since 1997 they have made very fine wines but not one that has swept me away. In April 2003: a Cabernet dominated nose: blackberry and tar. A gorgeous palate with tons of cassis and black cherry fruit. Very pure and elegant though still lacking the profundity of other vintages. Blind at the IMW 2001 tasting in November 2005. A relatively light hue compared to the other First Growths. A soft, slightly muffles nose with damp earthy, damson and black olives. The palate displays a lovely balance with beautifully knit new oak, layers of black cherries, plum and black brambly fruits. Very elegant, oodles of finesse. Very fine.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Bordeaux Index Chateau Margaux dinner at The Square. This is a great Chateau Margaux. A little more backward on the nose than at El Bulli three months earlier. But wonderful definition with blackberry leaf, wild hedgerow and those distant scents of Provencal herbs. The palate is very harmonious with black plum, cassis, blueberry and a hint of cassis, leading you to a structured, tobacco-tinged finish. As always, it seems to gain volume with aeration so decanting for 3-4 hours is advisable. Excellent. Drink 2012-2030. Tasted October 2008.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2001 Margaux is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based offering (the blend was 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, and 4% Cabernet Franc). It is the result of a severe selection (35% of the crop made it into the grand vin). A deep ruby color is followed by aromas of sweet cassis fruit intermixed with licorice and subtle toasty oak. This elegant, medium-weight, and stylish wine is similar to the 1999 with seemingly more concentration and tannin. It is beautifully balanced with low acidity. It will be drinkable young. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2018.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the French Embassy in London. This has a fragrant bouquet on this Margaux with wild strawberry, crushed rose petals, roof tiles, hints of pomegranate developing it eh background and a hint of bay leaf. The palate is beautifully defined on the entry with such finesse and grace. A little saline at first, on the front of the mouth, but mellow and very harmonious towards the back with touches of tobacco and graphite. This just oozes class. This should be drinking perfectly in a 4-5 years. Drink 2014-2030. Tasted November 2010.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2001 Château Margaux, last tasted five years previously, is slightly deeper in color compared with the 2001 Pavillon. Featuring black plum, raspberry and touches of orange peel, rose petal and light bay leaf aromas, the bouquet is not intense, but it is well defined and focused. The palate is fresh on the entry with fine-boned tannins and a taut line of acidity – a strict Château Margaux that doesn’t want to muck about. It’s little short on the finish, yet sophisticated and providing unadulterated buvabilité. Drinking perfectly now, and it will be enjoyable over the next 15–20 years.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
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.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Good medium ruby. Complex aromas of berries, cedar, violet, coffee and sexy oak. Suave and utterly spherical; less taut than the 2002 but more harmonious today. Superb elevage here has really brought out the Margaux terroir Very long and elegant, with substantial but thoroughly buffered tannins.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Medium ruby. Very restrained, perfumed aromas of black fruits, minerals, licorice and violet. Quite closed, even stern, in the mouth, but already offers lovely purity and precision of dark fruit flavor. A wine of austere charm, finishing very subtle and long, with refined tannins. Hard to assess at this early stage, but extremely elegant. The 2001 has a similar concentration of tannins to the '96, notes Pontallier, but this wine is even more tightly wound.
About the Producer
Chateau Margaux is located in the village of Margaux, in the Medoc appellation on the left bank of Bordeaux, and was awarded a First Growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Medoc classification, alongside Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Latour and Château Haut-Brion. It is also known as Chateau Haut-Brion. Château Margaux currently covers a total of 262 hectares, including 99 hectares of vineyards. The red vineyard has an appellation of 87 hectares, of which 82 hectares are planted, while the white vineyard is planted with 12 hectares. The red varieties are mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc; the white varieties are Sauvignon Blanc and the vines are on average 45 years old. Since the end of the 1990s, the estate has refused to use pesticides in the vineyards. In addition, only organic fertilisers are used in the vineyard, and deep fertilisation is carried out at regular intervals to improve the soil structure and rejuvenate the soil. During the harvest season, the winery team selects the right time to harvest the grapes by testing and analysing all the indicators and by tasting the grapes themselves. Once the grapes have reached their ideal state of ripeness, they are harvested by a team of over 200 trained harvesters. Once in the winery, the grapes undergo a rigorous selection process before being de-stemmed. Both oak barrels and stainless steel tanks are used to ferment the red grapes, while the white grapes are fermented entirely in oak barrels. After the alcoholic fermentation, the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation. The red wines are then left to mature in oak barrels for 18-24 months and the whites for 6-8 months. The main wine of the estate, Château Margaux's red wine, is rich and complex, with an elegant and powerful ballet on the tongue, rich and smooth tannins, good balance and a long, fresh finish with excellent ageing potential. It successfully conquered Napoleon Bonaparte, the founder of the First French Empire, and won the hearts of Thomas Jefferson, the founding father of the United States, and Margaret Thatcher, the "Iron Lady" of England. In the world of wine criticism, Château Margaux's red wines have also been recognised, with four perfect scores from Robert Parker and many more from other critics with 95 points or more. In recent years, the quality of Château Margaux's red wines has been steady and has maintained a high level of interest in the market.
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