Chateau Cantemerle 2001, 5th Growth Haut Medoc
Medium ruby, with a light garnet rim. Dry, ripe, cherries and plums. Other faint fruit. Very smoky and smooth and delicious. Quite some nuances with delicate and subtle animal notes of barnyard, wet/old leather; it gives tones of moist forest floor, soft fruits and classy overall impression — a claret with medium finish. This type of nose and palate are not easy to come by.
The composition is 55% Merlot and 45% cabernet sauvignon; the rest is Petit verdot and cabernet franc.
All tasters have scored and written about this vintage of excellent value, for example:
JS91 James Suckling, Wine Spectator, March 2002 Deep ruby and youthful looking in the glass, this has fine depth and substance with soft tarry red fruits, liquorice and fragrant oak notes that come through on the nose and palate. An attractive, ripe wine that has the characteristic freshness of the vintage supported by fine tannins in the finish. Medium weight, this is sure to drink well for several years.
