2001 Belle Vue (Haut Medoc)
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Tasting notes
A sleeper of the vintage, the opaque purple-colored 2001 (a blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, and 20% Petit Verdot) reveals terrific notes of plums, black currants, smoke, licorice, and camphor. The wine is medium-bodied, with sweet tannin, and a long, concentrated finish. This is an estate that needs to be taken seriously. An intriguing aspect to Belle-Vue is the high percentage of Petit Verdot used in the final blend, 20% in 2001 and 12% in 2000. The wine is aged on the lees and bottled unfiltered. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2012.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Full ruby-red. Black- and redcurrant, minerals, chocolate and pungent oak scents on the nose. Oaky, fat and chocolatey, with a strong torrefaction character. Rather unforthcoming and closed today, with a somewhat tough tannic finish, perhaps due to the fact that this is aging in a very cool cellar. But today I don't find as much finesse or definition as I saw a year ago.