2001 Margaux, Margaux

“This marathon runner is currently in the no-man's land between youthful vitality and mellow maturity. There's a very serious tannin structure here, but it needs a lot longer to fully resolve. Very tight and closed. A perfect wine usually. But not today.” (03/2019)

“Right now, at 20 years old, this wine is approaching its perfect drinking beginning - by which I mean it is now stepping up onto the plateau that the best wines get to, where you don't need to worry about opening them immediately, but you can feel confident that you are going to be getting the best of them if you choose to do so. Although we didn't taste the 2000 in this particular lineup, on recent openings it is a more muscular and closed down than the 2001, and will probably last longer, but this is just blindingly delicious right now. The descriptions that are most often associated with Château Margaux must surely be finessed tannins and floral aromatics, and you have both of them in spades, along with gentle roasted fruits of plum and blackberry, violet, cedar spice, liquorice and tobacco. The tannins are fine and full of pleasure. 4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 100% new oak. (for Decanter)” (06/2021)

“'For me, this vintage is what makes Margaux special,' says Margaux winemaker Paul Pontallier. He is right: With its denseness, spice, flavors of black currants layered with dryness and fresh acidity, this is a huge and impressive wine that never forgets that it is Margaux. It is still young, and the dry tannic aftertaste, which lasts for many minutes, shows this. (RV)” (06/2005)

“2001 as a vintage was unfortunately eclipsed by the one preceding it. This superb wine shows restrained, elegant blackcurrant fruit aromas, edged with spice and floral notes, and a hint of lead pencil graphite. The texture is silky but not lacking in structure or body. The wine is still youthful and the abundant substance suggests a marvelous future in the cellar. 35% of the harvest is used in the grand vin. Atypically, the wine is only 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 7% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc. (CC)” (07/2023)

“Suave from the start, with beguiling tea, singed sandalwood and lilac notes backed by alluring, gently steeped red and black currant fruit. The long finish has an alder edge that stays in lockstep with the fruit, ending with a minerally echo. (JM)” (02/2018)

“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. (NM)” (10/2016)

“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. (NM)” (06/2021)

“Great depth and richness and complexity – and yet this manages to be racy and delicate too. Real lift and freshness - thoroughbred stuff. The hedonistic fruit cunningly disguises what is still a heavy charge of tannin. Great persistence. A haunting wine. 18.5/20 points (JR)” (03/2012)