St Pierre (St Julien) 01

[rjsussex]

Have watched (well, tasted - well, drunk) this closely over the years and it's now at peak. My impression from notes on the post-05 vintages is that Parker scores have meant this property has not only hugely hiked its prices but gone for heavy modern extraction.

This 01 is an exemplary old-school St Julien - in fact it reminded me of the St Pierre 70 which decades ago was a favourite. Touch feral and earthy on the nose but very true cedary, curranty, flowery St Julien fruit (not a trace of oak); mature, limpid palate, sweet and subtle if on the lighter side of 01s (less succulent than say Branaire), finishes with intriguing secondary hints of farmyard and wild herbs. Not the best showing but the most mature. lovely with food.

I've got the 02 which is rather lean and tight at present. Will compare and report.

Richard

[AlexR]

Richard,

Thanks for your notes.

I'm a big fan of the 2001s, and consider St. Pierre a "sleeper," and a claret lover's claret.

Recent vintages are even better IMHO.

All the best,
Alex

[Blanquito]

Parker has been piling attention on this chateau of late (at least since the 2003 vintage), and the prices alas have predictably gone up sharply. That said, I'm a fan and I hear the 2005 is monumental.

I just had the 2001 GPL last night, a very classy restrained claret. Drinking very well right now, it's nothing flashy just very satisfying.

[rjsussex]

Thanks both - yes, aren't the left-bank 01s lovely. That's what intriguing about the 08 campaign - RP sounds off about them being better than anything apart from 05s while the left-bank proprietors calmly say they're most like the 01s!

R