2001

Rating: 10/10 - keep
The fourth consecutive excellent vintage in the Rhône. With only 1999 being a better year of the four in the Northern Rhône, its 2001 wines are deeply-coloured, ripe and wonderfully balanced with smooth tannins and silky, luscious black fruit. 2001 was even more successful in the Southern Rhône, particularly for the Châteauneuf-du-Papes which are outstanding. Across the board the best producers have made astonishingly good wines with immense structure and power; the finest are capable of lasting for two decades.