Notes:

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Jan/Feb 04 Good full red. Complex, vibrant nose melds raspberry, blood orange, duck confit, tree bark and toasted hazelnut. Dense, sappy and penetrating, with superb inner-mouth energy. Very spicy, sharply delineated wine with an almost Burgundian texture. Finishes with building, sweet flavors of raspberry, cherry and strawberry, a saline suggestion of extract, and terrific persistence. This wine clearly benefitted from the high quality of mourvedre in 2001. 93 points

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+. Parker 95