Château La Mission Haut-Brion(2001)

About 2001 Bordeaux:

The weather conditions this year were very similar to the ones in 2000. The really hot weather in July (7 days were above 30 degrees) and in August (12 days were above 30 degrees), was very noteworthy. Other than two days of heavy rain, it did not rain very much between July 20th and September 20th. As a result the grapes matured slowly but perfectly. We harvested the white grapes from September 3rd to 10th. Then for the red grapes, we harvested the Merlots from September 17th to 26th and the Cabernets from October 1st to 8th. During the picking the weather was extremely read more...mild and generally hot and dry with the exception of two days of heavy rain on September 22nd and October 3rd. We did not harvest during those two days. The white and red grapes were in a perfect sanitary state. The degrees attained for the white as for the red were really high. In fact they are among the highest of the recent years.


Chateau tasting notes

This wine has a very rich purple hue, deep and dense. The first whiff emphasizes the scent of the already assimilated woody element. One notes a touch of the bitter sweetness of licorice combined with blackberries, blackcurrants and mulberries. In the mouth one finds an evident harmony which is divulging its structure bit by bit. There is softness with firmness. The vanilla extract slowly oozes from its bean as the succession of flavors meld and contribute to the complexity of the ripe tannin. Finally the aroma of truffle emerges alongside the nuances of licorice and tobacco so typical in this wine. Such complexity along with this sort of tannin is characteristic of great wines of La Mission.    (hide)