2001 Cote Rotie Belle Helene
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Tasting notes
The 2001 Côte Rôtie La Belle Hélène has a darker, almost opaque hue as well as a beautifully ripe nose of darker fruits, smoked meats, chocolate, and pepper. It doesn't quite have the complexity of the 2000 but brings more density on the palate, with medium to full-bodied richness and good mid-palate concentration. Unfortunately, as with the 2000, 1999, and 1998, the acidity dominates on the palate and makes the overall balance suspect.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(bottled in March of 2004) Full ruby-red. Youthfully closed nose hints at gibier, woodsmoke and oak, with pungent peppery depth. On the palate, this comes across as a sexier version of a young Chave Hermitage, with notes of dark fruits, chocolate, black olive and pepper, and a great slow-building aftertaste. Extremely deep wine that's best today on the explosive finish. As with the two 2003s, the 2001 Lancement is much easier to taste than this cuvee in the early going. This needs a good eight to ten years of additional bottle aging, and may ultimately surpass the Lancement.
Full ruby-red. Reticent but rich and complex nose offers black cherry, licorice, exotic spices, ripe tomato and pepper. Superconcentrated, sweetly oaky and impressively rich; broad, sweet and very young. Perhaps deeper than the Lancement but less complex today. Finishes with very fine tannins and impressive peppery depth.