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PFV Members 2001 VINTAGE REPORT - Part 1,

    A first report on the Vintage 2001 from PFV members :
  • Marchesi Antinori - Tuscany & Umbria:
    The beginning of spring saw a good amount of rain and slightly higher temperatures than the seasonal average, thus favoring a slight anticipation of the budding phase.The drastic low temperatures in Tuscany in the early hours of April 15, 2001 caused a little damage on the young buds while acting as a natural thinner on future production. Only in certain cases did this cause a substantial product loss, as in the case of the estates in Sovana and Montalcino where a reduction of 10-15% occurred.
    In the following period, average temperatures and rainfall determined an optimal flowering and relative vegetative cycle. Rains at the beginning of summer maintained a good plant growth equilibrium which lasted throughout the month of August. Notwithstanding the high day temperatures, nights were cool and assured the full ripening of all grape varieties. As a result, the ripening of the grapes proceeded optimally, guaranteeing the presumption of an excellent harvest. In the second part of August, the red grape vines were subject, as always, to a light but accurate selection and thinning of excess cluster production. Even during the last few weeks of harvest, the weather (despite some light rainfall in the areas of Chianti Classico and Montalcino which did not hamper harvesting), allowed the grapes yet to be harvested to complete the process of maturation favorably.
    T U S C A N Y
    - The harvest on the estates of the Chianti Classico ended on 15th October, which is the norm in the area. Cabernet and Sangiovese were picked during the last period. Despite some apprehension over the Sangiovese grapes given the last-minute rainfall, these were harvested in optimal sanitary conditions with healthy skins, full of color. By the end of harvest, all wines already have excellent colors, both in intensity and tonality, while the tannins are soft and non-astringent on the palate, optimal for aging.
    - In Montalcino too the harvest concluded well, despite some annoying rainfall towards the end. The 2001 vintage, even if characterized by a reduction in production (estimated at about 15%) given the spring “freeze”, is however to be considered one of the best of the last few years. The wines are rich in structure and color, displaying already a complexity which points to an excellent final aging stage.
    - The harvest at the Montepulciano estate ended the second week of October. The last varieties picked were Syrah and Prugnolo Gentile, harvested in excellent conditions of ripeness. This, along with an attentive and punctual vinification technique, already promise excellent results. In general, all wines produced - Syrah, Merlot, Sangiovese - are rich in color, structured, and soft.
    In Bolgheri the harvest ended with the collection of the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes at the end of September. This year’s harvest will also produce red wines with the characteristics of past great vintages: intense aromas, intense color tones, great structure and complexity. The same applies to the Vermentino, which this year presents itself as an intensely fruity and structured wine. These characteristics come from the variety as well as the result of an attentive vinification technique.
    U M B R I A
    The 2001 harvest at the Castello della Sala was completed with the picking of the grapes destined to the production of Muffato, which manifested the optimal conditions necessary for the production of this wine. As a whole, all other production resulted in line with the qualitative standards of recent vintages, and thus this 2001 vintage can be considered excellent. The Chardonnay and Pinot Noir already show in full their peculiar characteristics of intense aromas and notable structure indicative of wines of significant importance.
  • Joseph Drouhin - Burgundy:
    A Good Beginning for the Millennium
    The year 2000 had ended on a mild note, with some record high temperatures. Mild weather also prevailed at the start of the year 2001. Winter did not come until February when the mercury finally dipped under the freezing point. Towards the end of April, the first signs of budding appeared, but renewed cold temperatures slowed down the normal growth of the vine. Some of the northernmost vineyards such as Chablis suffered from frost in a few places.
    The flowering occurred in June and lasted over a two-week period, similar in this respect to 1994. By mid-June, the flowering was over in Southern Burgundy. At the end of the month, sunshine and heat were finally back, auguring well for the development of the vine. The weather became rather unsettled in July. A heat wave prevailed during most of August but the high temperatures favored an early ripening. At that point, many vignerons kept in check a potentially abundant harvest by applying crop thinning. At the beginning of September a few hailstorms caused some localized damage. Autumn arrived early and temperature dipped below normal.
    This meant that picking started 6 to 12 days later than in 2000: September 20 in the Côte de Beaune, beginning of October in Chablis. Quantities were down compared to the previous year but nevertheless remained sizeable. The vinification needed caution but we are happy to report that today the wines give entire satisfaction, although the results vary from region to region.
    - The reds from Côte de Nuits show vivid color and intensity; they have good structure.
    - The Côte de Beaune reds are more uneven due to the climatic variations (there was hail in Volnay for instance). Some appellations will be quite successful though.
    - In the Côte Chalonnaise, the wines are supple, fruity and easy to drink.
    - The whites are harmonious and show good concentration. They have a vivacity that emphasises the underlying fruit.
    It is still difficult to anticipate what the final style of these wines will be as the malolactic fermentations are still following their course. As we say in Burgundy "Le vin doit faire ses Pâques": we must wait until after Easter for a clearer picture!
  • Hugel & Fils – Alsace:
    After a succession of very fine vintages, the general consensus of opinion was not to expect too much of 2001… Yet in Alsace, more than in any other French wine region, a superb Indian Summer enabled us to produce a 2001 vintage of comfortable quantity and with satisfactory levels of maturity for all grape varieties.
    The weather was very uneven throughout the year. After quite a mild winter, late bud-burst, and alternating hot and cool weather during May and June, flowering was late and took longer than usual to complete. Late July and August were hot and sunny, with record temperatures at times, but unsettled weather then set in and lasted right up to the start of the harvest. In Alsace, as elsewhere, there were fears of a difficult vintage, but our morale rose as fast as the harvest progressed. The still wine harvest in Alsace began on 1st October, after a period of cool, cloudy but almost dry weather. Our region took full advantage of the wonderful Indian Summer conditions that lasted throughout the harvest. The average ripeness levels for the grapes we bought from our contract growers, grapes that are always hand picked, were quite satisfactory.
    Harvest began in the HUGEL Estate on 8th October, in order to prevent Pinot Gris from reaching excessive levels of maturity, particularly the grapes destined for our Jubilee wine. We started by harvesting our Pinot Noir at more than 13% of potential alcohol. Once again, we had no reason to regret the green harvest that we carried out in all our vineyards during July and August, and which required 1 300 man-hours of work. During the harvest the weather was glorious, without a drop of rain from start to finish. Considering our apprehension in early September, the final result is vastly better than we expected.
    Overall in Alsace, 2001 will be an abundant vintage with a quality that could never have been imagined before the harvest began. Thanks entirely to the Indian Summer, 2001 has turned out to be a classic Alsace vintage of comfortable volume, satisfactory maturity and excellent acidity levels that should ensure well-balanced wines. In our own Estates, the result has far exceeded our expectations, with very promising Rieslings, and even some late-harvest wines, including a small quantity of SGN, both Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris. Consequently, we can only be delighted with this situation in Alsace.
  • Paul Jaboulet Aîné - Rhône:
    The 2001 harvest, as time goes by…
    After a summer period which will not stand out in the memory of the soft drinks market, the winemakers anticipated a later start to the harvest than for the 2000 crop. No apparent reason to worry, however, as the crops were healthy, as we have all got into the habit of thinning leaves and grapes so as to harvest perfect, well-aired, highly sweet bunches of grapes.
    For Paul Jaboulet Aîné, the harvest started officially on the 20th September 2001 for the white Hermitage and the white Crozes Hermitage "Domaine Raymond Roure". This first harvest was gathered in the weekend sunshine. The next seven days were marked by rain during the weekend, which had no effect on the quality of the grapes, nor any dilution, as we dried the vines after the shower. Over the course of the following week, the harvesting was carried out alternatively in the white varieties and the Syrah, so as to gather only fully-ripe fruit.
    The excellent anticyclone conditions of week 38 (17th to 22nd September) gave rise to a dramatic rise in the potential alcohol of the crop. Furthermore, to get the fine grapes of the 2001 vintage in as quickly as possible, we increased the number of teams of pickers to harvest the Hermitage red and the Crozes Hermitage simultaneously. This decision was crucial, as hardly had we finished the harvest, when a great downpour of rain hit our region, even beyond comparison with the heavy rains of 1993.
  • Robert Mondavi – Napa Valley:
    "The vintage has been ideal in that we have had a long stretch of cooler weather in the latter portion of the growing season," reported Associate Winemaker Steve Leveque, who handles Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Zinfandel. "This is excellent for developing optimum flavor maturity. As the Pinot Noir is ripening, we are seeing great color development, very ripe seed tannins and an abundance of flavor."
    "The Chardonnay crop is not large, but well balanced to the vines. We are getting good flavor development at lower Brix," commented Genevieve. In some years, the sugars rise before flavor development is complete, and we play a waiting game hoping for flavor maturation without having high alcohol levels in the wines."
    Overall, we anticipate yields to be about 10% lower than average, with excellent flavor intensity. A hot spell during the flowering and berry set of Pinot Noir in May, resulted in decreased set in that variety. Oddly, the berry size in Pinot Noir clusters is larger this year; we would expect it to be smaller in a low-rainfall year. However, we are finding the exceptional flavor development is compensating for the larger berry size.
    What were the reasons behind the early growing season? Daniel Bosch, Vineyard Technical Manager, reports that the year's rainfall was low, 25.5" versus an average of 36.3" in Oakville. January had significantly colder nights than average, (often clear and dry, with no cloud cover), though daytime maximum temperatures were near normal. February had normal temperatures but we were still 6" behind in rainfall for the season. March temperatures were above normal, with lots of solar radiation from the cloudless skies. April was slightly cooler than normal, though the amount of sunlight and lack of rain pushed the vines into budbreak - the beginning of the growing cycle -- about two to eleven days ahead of average depending on the vineyard site. (Carneros was later than Oakville.) Some frost damage occurred in parts of Napa Valley, especially in the Carneros District.
    May was warm and sunny, with no rainfall. Except for a few hot days, the weather provided ideal conditions for bloom and berry set. June was quite warm but cooler temperatures prevailed in July and August. The fruit has very dark, rich colors which are often indicative of a cooler July and August," surmised Daniel. "We've had many foggy nights this summer - what Napa Valley is known for - which means beautifully balanced fruit with tremendous potential."
  • Château Mouton Rothschild – Bordeaux:
    Climatic conditions, harvest:
    The first quarter of 2001 was warmer and wetter than average, causing budbreak six to eight days earlier than the average for the last thirty years. May and June were very hot and dry, with a record temperature for May of 35°C and a succession of fine days with temperatures in excess of 30°C in June, reaching 36.2°C on 25 June. These conditions slowed the early pace of the vegetation cycle and mid-flowering took place on 6 and 7 June, in line with the average in recent years. The first half of July was slightly cooler and more humid, followed by pleasant weather in August with only isolated storms. Mid-veraison was observed between 12 and 16 August, very slightly later than the average for the Merlot. Fine but rather cool weather in September held back the maturing process a little so that the harvest date was four or five days later than the average. Very fine, hot, sunny weather and low rainfall in early October, just before picking, enabled a very healthy crop to mature under excellent conditions.
    Harvest date: from 27 September to 10 October
    Varietal mix: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot & 2% Cabernet Franc.
    Tasting notes:
    The wine has a dense, opaque, almost black colour with vivid, brilliant highlights. The nose displays complex fruit, rich in ripe berry fruit aromas (bilberry and blackcurrant) with some pleasant, smoky notes. From a well-structured attack supported by well-rounded tannins, satisfyingly dense flavours emerge on the palate, full of fruit. The finish, long and elegant with plenty of substance, reveals excellent potential.


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