Wine Advisor
Le Bon Pasteur 2001
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A very rich opulent nose with baked cherries, prune, blueberry and iodine. Lacks a little definition. The palate is full-bodied with good extraction and thick, chewy tannins. Firm grip, very masculine and brawny with a grippy, cherry infused finish. Bold and assertive, needing time but will definitely be worth the wait. Tasted October 2007.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Syndicat de Pomerol. The Le Bon Pasteur ’01 has a very rich, opulent, glycerine-fuelled bouquet that is unashamedly ostentatious, with touches of eucalyptus coming through. The palate is ripe and full-bodied, quite dense with a lot of extract. Underpinned by its bold, firm tannins, there are touches of cooked meat towards the sinewy finish. An ambitious 2001 from Michel Rolland...and he pulls it off with style. Tasted December 2010.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
An impressive effort that has put on weight during the last year, proprietors Dany and Michel Rolland clearly seem to be elevating their game. The 2001 has a dense, saturated ruby/purple color as well as an enticing bouquet of mocha, espresso, black cherry liqueur, plums, and caramel, low acidity, and powerful, concentrated, dense, full-bodied flavors with a certain thickness/unctuosity. Noteworthy tannin in the finish suggests it will be accessible young but hit its stride in several years. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2016.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A rounded sweet cherry and raspberry nose. Not deep but quite stylish. The palate has high extraction, good acidity though slightly coarse. A masculine wine but not brutish. Very fine. Tasted April 2003.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Bon Pasteur's 2001 is nearly as fine as the sensational 2000. An opaque ruby/purple color accompanies subtle notes of charcoal, mocha, and black cherry liqueur intermixed with plums and blackberries. This ripe, impressively textured, low acid, vibrant, well-defined Pomerol displays more uplift and freshness than the 2000, but less weight, mass, and power. It is a beautiful, elegant effort from this well-known overachiever. It will be at its finest between 2005-2016.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the chateau with Dany Rolland as part of a vertical. This has a very flamboyant, ebullient, joyful nose that just soars from the glass: black cherries, plum, a touch of honey, almost Tropical fruits. The 2001 flirts with exoticism. It displays great definition and much more generous than the millennial Bon Pasteur. The palate is very well balanced with svelte tannins, wonderful acidity, superb focus and tension. More similar to the 1998 than the 2000, purring towards the seductive, nuanced plumy finish. Wonderful. There is a linearity that I think will “bend” with a little more bottle age. Tasted September 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A terrific success from the well-known estate of Bordeaux’s famed oenologists Dany and Michel Rolland, the 2001 Bon Pasteur is a super effort for the vintage. Deep plum/purple to the rim, with a sumptuous nose of barbecue spices, smoke, black cherries, mocha, and spice box, this opulent, medium to full-bodied, rich red reveals amazing extract and intensity for a wine from this vintage. Its structure and size suggests 2-3 years of cellaring is warranted. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2017. Bravo!
About the Producer
Château Le Bon Pasteur is a Pomerol estate, known for both the lush, supple quality of its wine and its history as the family property of the renowned wine consultant Michel Rolland. The seven-hectare (16-acre) vineyard is located on the boundary with Saint-Émilion and has a wide range of soil types. It is planted predominantly to Merlot, with 15-20 percent Cabernet Franc – exact proportions are hard to measure as some plots are mixed. Some of the vines were planted in the 1950s. The grapes are harvested by hand, and are fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. The wines are then aged in predominantly new French oak for around 18 months and bottled without fining or filtration. World-renowned winemaking consultant Michel Rolland took over the running of Le Bon Pasteur in 1978, although the estate had been in the family since 1920. It was sold to a Chinese investor in 2013, although Rolland remains as winemaker and estate manager.
