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| Wine & Spirits |
Burgundy 2001: A Year Overlooked
Paul Wasserman
02/02/2004
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The 2001 vintage for red Burgundy offers many wines that combine all the elements necessary for future classics. But sometimes a vintage’s fate is linked more to the perception of the vintages that surround it than to its own inherent quality.
 Sandwiched between the much heralded 1999 and the highly anticipated 2002 vintages, and weighed down by a weakening dollar, the 2001 vintage faced long odds. Despite the praises of influential reviewers such as Allen Meadows, Clive Coates and Stephen Tanzer, the vintage was dealt a severe blow when the Wine Advocate, the most influential wine publication, disavowed it. Although the Wine Advocate’s influence is waning among Burgundy collectors, it can still make the difference between a cult hit and a household name. The Wine Advocate—like many in the wine trade—is betting on 2002, just the kind of dark colored, fruit-forward, ripe and showy vintage that is likely to receive mass acclaim.
Even so, the best 2001s will not disappoint, at least not among those who love precise, pure, very detailed wines of great elegance and complexity. Knowing this, savvy Burgundy buyers, predicting a mad rush on 2002s, salivated at the prospect of the 2001 closeout sales by cash poor importers and retailers. Everything seemed to align in favor of the vintage’s proving more than simply a sound investment: It looked as though it was going to be a steal. Unfortunately, that was wishful thinking; as it turns out, 2002 is not everyone’s enfant cheri, and so attention may turn to 2001.
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