2001 Chateauneuf du Pape

Full red. Red berry liqueur, tobacco and menthol on the nose. Juicy and concentrated but a bit clenched in the middle palate. Somewhat medicinal flavors of redcurrant, dusty cherry, menthol and tobacco. Offers good intensity but finishes a bit dry.

Proprietor Bravay has fashioned a classic, dark plum-colored Chateauneuf du Pape offering a big, sweet nose of Asian spices, roasted herbs, ground pepper, meat, as well as sweet and sour cherries. The complex aromatics are followed by a still somewhat disjointed 2001 revealing rugged tannin, medium to full body, good purity, and plenty of plum, cherry, and incense-like notes that give the wine a distinctive, singular character. It may not be as successful as this estate’s 2000 or 1998, but it is an intensely fragrant, fine effort. Robert Parker, Wine Advocate # 151 Feb 2004

Medium ruby. Smoky aromas of black raspberry, espresso and dark chocolate. Intensely flavored and quite primary; a bit youthfully hard in the middle today owing to its firm acidity and substantial CO2 Solidly mineral wine. Finishes with firm but ripe tannins and excellent length.