2001 Saffredi
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Tasting notes
The Fattoria le Pupille 2001 Saffredi shows faded and oxidative notes with baked plum, dark fruit, dusty earth and rusty nail. On second nose, you get oak-driven aromas of exotic spice and redwood, but the wine’s complexity is moderate at best. The vintage saw frost in mid-April, and yields were much lower in 2001 as a result. Thankfully, Maremma’s proximity to the mitigating influence of the Tyrrhenian Sea means that weather patterns are never too extreme in this stretch of docile countryside and rolling hills.
Critic scores
Average Score
Daniel Thomases, Wine Advocate
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 10% Alicante. The winter between 2000 and 2001 was mild. The only moment of suspense was in mid April when a frost brought panic in many vineyards in Maremma. Flowering began in mid May for the Merlot and ended in the last week of the month for the Cabernet Sauvignon. Summer was regular through to late autumn. Harvest between 16 September and 12 October. 23,000 bottles produced. This year, Fattoria Le Pupille moved to new headquarters. All the Italian wine guides awarded Saffredi 2001 their highest score, making Saffredi one of only nine Italian wines to achieve this. Dark ruby. Some evolution on the nose. Sweetly fruity on the palate. Not one of the most complex with rather dry tannins on the end. This may need a little while to bring the fruit fully into line with the tannins. (JR)
The 2001 is vibrant, rich and expansive, with gorgeous layers of dark cherries in liqueur, menthol, tobacco, leather and licorice. The wine flows with great intensity all the way through to the enveloping, sensual finish. The 2001 appears to be at the early part of its drinking window. Both bottles I tasted showed elements of rusticity, particularly in the bouquet, that worsened with air.
55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 10% Alicante The winter between 2000 and 2001 was characterised by mild temperatures. The only moment of suspense was in mid-April when a frost brought panic to the vineyards. The flowering began in mid-May for the Merlot and ended in the last week of May for the Cabernet Sauvignon. Summer was regular through to the late autumn. The harvest was carried out between 16 September and 12 October. 23,000 bottles produced All the Italian wine guides gave Fattoria Le Pupille, Saffredi 2001 the highest points making it become one of the very few wines (9 in all) about which all are agreed. Shiny crimson right out to the rim. Muted nose – still embryonic? The flavour of this wine seems to be struggling to escape its tannic corset. It may eventually become a swan but at the moment it is a surprisingly surly duckling. Tannins and alcohol are there but it’s difficult to discern much else. It doesn’t have the eloquence of so many other Tuscan 2001s. Perhaps, since such praise has apparently been heaped on this vintage of this wine, this was a duff bottle? (JR)