2001 Sauternes/Barsac:
Full offer of BrightWines futures on 2001 Sauternes/Barsac follows these notes
on the vintage copied from the Wine Spectator online vintage report:
"If you appreciate dessert wines you must buy 2001 Sauternes. It's been decades since Bordeaux's regions of Barsac and Sauternes have made such gloriously rich and powerful sweet wines as in 2001. These are whites that will age for decades, yet they are already incredibly impressive from barrel, with electrifying botrytis spice, dried fruits, honey and flowers on the nose and palate. The best wines of the tasting were châteaus Climens, Clos Haut-Peyraguey, Coutet, Doisy-Védrines, Guiraud, Lafaurie-Peyraguey, de Malle, Nairac, Rieussec and Suduiraut. I rated all of these wines in the 95-100 point range, or "classic." Overall, I give the vintage a tentative rating of 95-100 points. "This is truly a great year for our region," said Xavier Planty, manager of Château Guiraud. "I believe that 2001 is a mixture of two of the last great modern vintages, 1989 and 1988. The 2001's have the richness and power of 1989 and the freshness and length of the 1988." Planty and a handful of other super sweet-wine producers celebrated the success of the vintage at Château Suduiraut at a dinner party hosted by director Christian Seely, who oversees all the wine estates owned by French insurance giant AXA. It is definitely the right time for celebration. The thousands of wine trade members and journalists who will soon be tasting these fledgling sweet wines are going to love the 2001s. The region hasn't had a truly successful sweet vintage since 1997, and even that vintage failed to capture the public's attention. But 2001 should be a different story. The producers at the table described what had been an extraordinary harvest. The botrytis began to develop in their vineyards in late September and then quickly affected their Sémillion, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle grapes. The noble rot, triggered by the early morning fogs that are characteristic of the region, reduced the moisture in the grapes, concentrating the sugars to record levels. The clear, warm weather in October assured a perfect harvest. "The harvest conditions were perfect," said Bérénice Lurton, the young owner of Climens. I tasted several barrels of the fabulous new sweet wine in her cellar and one after another was stunning.
"Not only did the harvest go well, the wines were very easy to make," added Planty. "They went through their fermentations very easily and then were clean and fresh. They are some of the best-tasting young wines I have ever seen in my life. They are rich and powerful, but have wonderful harmony." All the sweet wines I tasted will be on sale as futures in a few months. The top wines should sell for between $60 and $80 a bottle, an increase over past years but still a reasonable price for classic wines. Some of the lesser-known Sauternes I tasted may sell for $50 or less. None of the wine producers at the table were exactly sure what to do about prices, but they believe that they must increase with such an outstanding vintage. Their only concern is not to increase too much and ruin their chance to generate interest in the market for their super sweeties. However, the total quantity on offer is small; the combined production of the 25 classified growths in the region is less than 100,000 cases. "A vintage like this doesn't come around very often," said Charles Chevallier, technical director of Rieussec, who also makes stunning reds at first-growth Lafite-Rothschild. "It's the best I have ever seen in my career."


From Robert Parker's April 2002 Wine Advocate:
Note: Parker had very abbreviated notes and is waiting for bottling to fully review the vintage, however he did make a few choice comments. " There is no question that 2001 is a top-flight vintage for Barsac and Sauternes. 2001 is undeniably the finest vintage since the fabulous trilogy of 1988-1990. No vintage since has come close to the potential complexity, richness, and overall balance demonstrated by the 2001's. (F)or those who love them, 2001 is a vintage to purchase."


WINE SPECTATOR RATINGS and BrightWines Prices on available wines:

NOTE: BrightWines has CONFIRMED futures allocations on 40 cases of 2001 Sauternes/Barsac mixed among the following producers, and solid cases and bottles available on nearly all of them. However, all orders are subject to confirmation and all prices are quoted as cash futures, payable on account no later than June 15th. Prices are quoted as solid cases of 750ml. Some wines may be available as 24x375ml (inquire) but there are additional charges for alternate bottling. The single bottle prices quoted are also cash futures prices.
TO ORDER: e-mail dave@brightwines.com


ALL RATINGS FROM THE WINE SPECATOR ONLINE REPORT:
Château Guiraud Sauternes 2001 95-100 points
"You can spread this on toast. Lots of lemon rind, pineapple and honey on the nose. Full-bodied, very oily and spicy, yet backward and not giving much now. Nonetheless, superb potential."
BrightWines PRICE $449 per case ($37.42 each 750ml) or $44.99 per bottle.

Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey Sauternes 2001 95-100 points
"Wow. Unbelievable. Loads of lush spice and honey, with syrupy aromas. Full-bodied and superthick, with masses of fruit and a long, long finish. I have to buy some of this!"
BrightWines PRICE $399 per case ($33.25 each 750ml) or $39.99 per bottle.

Château Lamothe-Guignard Sauternes 2001 92-94 points
"Thick and powerful, with loads of honey, syrup, spice and clove honey character. Full-bodied, very sweet and very long. Glorious."
BrightWines PRICE $199 per case ($16.58 each 750ml) or $19.99 per bottle.

Château de Malle Sauternes 2001 95-100 points
Like crushed dried pineapples and apricots, with honey and spices. Full-bodied and superthick, yet spicy and sweet. Fabulous finish.
BrightWines PRICE $339 per case ($28.25 each 750ml) or $33.99 per bottle.

Château Suduiraut Sauternes 2001 95-100 points
"Pure botrytis, with floral, spice and honey character. Very sweet yet fruity, with honey, dried pineapple and apple. Full-bodied and lively, with a long finish. Powerful. This is the essence of Sauternes."
BrightWines PRICE $449 per case ($37.42 each 750ml) or $44.99 per bottle.

Château Doisy-Védrines Barsac 2001 95-100 points
"Thick and racy, with vanilla, honey and allspice character. Full-bodied and very sweet, with spice and dried pineapple. Full-throttle sticky."
BrightWines PRICE $299 per case ($24.92 each 750ml) or $29.99 per bottle.

Château Nairac Barsac 2001 95-100 points
"Intensely botrytised, with loads of allspice and mineral character, yet lively and exciting. Full-bodied, racy and very long. Fresh sweetness."
BrightWines PRICE $399 per case ($33.25 each 750ml) or $39.99 per bottle.

Château Climens Barsac 2001 95-100 points
"Incredibly racy. Intense! Superaromatic. Honey, dried pineapple, minerals and superlush spice. Medium sweet. Electric to taste. Lasts for minutes."
BrightWines PRICE: INQUIRE.

Château Coutet Barsac 2001 95-100 points
"Subtle, yet powerful. Class in a glass. Superclean and lively, with honey, maple syrup and apricot character. Full-bodied and oily, with medium to full sweetness and a spicy finish. Very, very spicy."
BrightWines PRICE $419 per case ($34.92 each 750ml) or $41.99 per bottle.