2001 Chateau du Tertre, Margaux, France 750ml

Under the same ownership as Giscours, and benefiting from big investment in recent years, this is an estate at the top of its form. The wine has aromas of sweet, new wood, while the palate is packed with tarry fruits and spicy wood and herbs. Flavors of ripe black currants give a rich, satisfying feel. This is a wine that is well structured, dense and, given another five years, will be delicious.

Cigar wrapper, wet earth and sweet cherries work together to create a medium bodied wine with freshness, and sweet, ripe, spicy fruits. The wine is polished, peppery, elegant and with the complexity of sandy tannins in the finish.

Broad and sexy, with supple tannin, the 2001 offers beguiling notes of toast, black currant liqueur, violets, and licorice in a seductive, opulent, medium to full-bodied, accessible style. It may deserve another point or two for pure pleasure. Proprietor Eric Albada Jelgersma is doing a splendid job rebuilding this estate and producing higher and higher quality wines. The finest Du Tertre in many years was the 2000, and the 2001 is close behind it in quality.