2001 Meursault Le Limozin

Jean-Pierre Latour noted that 2001 is "relatively dense but with lower acidity even though it has a lower pH. Sugars came in from a low of 12.7 to a high of 13.25%. The big challenge in 2001 was to preserve the freshness and that is why we have staggered our bottling regimen, with some going into bottle in January and the rest will be bottled in March. The 2001s do not have the purity and balance though of the 2000s, which was an exceptional vintage at Latour-Giraud. I believe the wines will open relatively quickly and in this regard, they remind me of 1994 but with perhaps better balance and certainly better density." Note to U.S. readers: most of the Latour-Giraud wines that are seen in the United States are Patrick Lesec Selections and they tend to be more aggressively oaked than the non-Lesec versions of the same wines. The reviews below are not Lesec Selections so please be advised. Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; The Stacole Company, Boca Raton, FL).

It's harder to find exceptional 2001s than 2000s; the wines can be harmonious but they're smaller-scaled, and for earlier drinking than the 2000s," said Jean-Pierre Latour in early June. The 2001s required a lot of work to retain the fruit and the freshness," he added. We needed to keep the CO2 to maintain the freshness of the wines. They have good stuffing but less complexity and acidity than the 2000s, which are purer and more aromatically expressive. At some domains, a lot of the 2001s are developing too quickly." Latour's young 2002s were quite promising at the end of May, showing quintessential Meursault aromatics, excellent precision of flavor thanks to sound acids, and considerable backbone for aging. The malos had mostly ended shortly before my visit, and Latour had stopped stirring the lees about a month earlier, deeming the wines sufficiently rich. (A Patrick Lesec selection; importers include Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; Monsieur Touton, New York, NY; The Stacole Co., Boca Raton, FL; Fine Vines, Chicago, IL; Wine Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA)