Bordeaux Wines

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A dense, traditionally crafted wine for those with patience, the 2000 Calon-Segur rivals the estate’s finest wines of the last two decades, the 1995, 1988, and 1982. But be forewarned, this wine has already closed down, something totally in character with all top vintages from this estate. This blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc exhibits a plum/purple color along with gorgeous aromas of creosote intermixed with spring flowers, black cherries, cassis, licorice, and stony, liquid minerals. A powerful, tannic, full-bodied and opulent wine, it possesses considerable structure that is reasonably well-concealed by considerable glycerin and intensity. Look for it to be at its best between 2012-2040. Patience, patience, patience!Robert Parker | 94 RPThe 2000 Calon-Ségur still appears quite youthful on the rim. The well-defined nose offers brambly red fruit, red currant, crushed strawberry, rose petals and cedar, and some sous-bois just loitering in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with refined tannins. This has mellowed since I tasted it in London five years ago, and touches of tobacco and tart red cherries enliven the finish. I have always loved this millennial Calon-Ségur and now it is à point and drinking beautifully. Aged in 50% new oak and 50% one-year-old for 12 months (less than nowadays.)Vinous Media | 93 VMThis is a solid, huge wine, with rich but very dry tannins. With its dense, almost black color, and its sense of brooding power, it promises long aging. It will never be in the opulent Bordeaux camp, despite its prominent new wood flavors, but will probably outlive all but a handful top wines.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThis shows a noticeable leafy edge, with tobacco, light cedar, bay and worn leather notes holding sway over a core of lightly mulled red currant and plum fruit flavors. Not as dense as the top examples, but everything pulls together nicely through the fine-grained finish.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2020.Wine Spectator | 90 WS(Château Calon-Ségur) The 2000 Calon-Ségur is a very closed, very grumpy wine at the present time, and this is a characteristic that it shares at the present time with a great many wines from this vintage. The blend here included forty-two percent merlot in 2000 and the wine offers up a very deep-pitched and adolescent bouquet of black fruit, inky tones, damp, dark soil, dried eucalyptus, coffee grounds and cigar smoke. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, closed down and quite dense at the core, with a gritty edge to its firm and chewy tannins, little generosity at the present time, but also with impressive grip on the closed, but very, very long finish. The length on the backend here really gives me some hope for the future of this wine, but it is really in a very difficult place for current assessment and I do not have a strong sense of whether or not this wine will always be a bit charmless, or if this is simply a passing phase and it will blossom to deliver some of Calons’ inherent breed with sufficient bottle age. (Drink between 2025-2065)John Gilman | 88-92+ JG

Blended of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2000 Cos d’Estournel is deep garnet in color with a touch of brick and sporting a lot of tertiary evolution on the nose. It leaps from the glass with opulent sandalwood, Chinese five spice, cigar box and leather scents over a core of prunes, baked cherries, dried mulberries and eucalyptus plus a touch of potpourri. Medium-bodied, the palate is laden with fragrant fruitcake and exotic spice layers, framed by wonderfully plush tannins and a refreshing line, finishing with an exhilarating menthol lift.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPFor a Saint-Estèphe this is surprisingly supple at this stage. The density is all in the exotic fruit, while the tannins are more of a background. That suggests this is a wine that will develop relatively fast, but it is going to give great pleasure along the way.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WENo written review provided. | 94 W&SA big, rich St-Estèphe that’s full of pleasure. It’s perhaps a little bit more evolved than I might have expected, displaying gently burnished notes of autumnal fruits. Open and ready to drink, the tannins are still solid but they are certainly caressing. Overall this is very good quality and well structured, displaying graphite and liquorice against the softness of the fruit. Harvest was 22 September to 9 October and 65% was used for grand vin production. Matured in 80% new oak. Drinking Window 2018 - 2030Decanter | 93 DECShows age now with aromas of tobacco, plums and smoked meat. Licorice too. Full-bodied, round and soft with plenty of attractive tertiary character. Needs drinking.James Suckling | 93 JSMature, with alluring tobacco and menthol notes, backed by a note of smoldering charcoal. The currant and blackberry fruit shows a decidedly mulled edge through the finish.—Non-blind Cos-d’Estournel vertical (December 2015). Drink now through 2020. 20,830 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe 2000 Cos d’Estournel, last tasted at the epic vertical, has much the same nose as it did three years ago. Bold and demonstrative, it delivers scents of blackberry, prune, fig, dark chocolate and perhaps a more East Asian tincture; I don’t know why, but there is something that reminds me of South Korean cuisine. Burnt honey? The palate is medium-bodied, and this bottle feels quite feral, offering exotic black fruit that hints at the Mediterranean, and some dry tannins toward the ever so slightly bretty finish. I actually found the previous bottle a little fresher and I wonder if we are beginning to see some variation in evolution.Vinous Media | 91 VM

The 2000 Château Grand Puy Lacoste is an exceptional wine from Xavier Borie. It has a brilliant nose of blackberry, crushed stone, graphite and cedar. Putting it to one side for ten to 15 minutes reveals subtle mint-like aromas that whisk you straight to Pauillac. The palate is smooth and silky, cloaking the tannic frame of this GPL so that you barely notice it. But that will stand it in good stead for the long-term, the cornerstone of all great wines from this estate. Then there is that hint of spice on the aftertaste—the show ain’t over yet. Served alongside a magnum of Pichon Baron 2000, I would say that at the moment, it does not quite possess the same level of precision. However, it remains a magnificent Pauillac to cherish long-term. Tasted January 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 95 RP-NMThe 2000 Grand Puy-Lacoste is quintessential Pauillac on the nose, showing more secondary development compared to the last bottle tasted five years back. Blackberry, wild hedgerow, black tea and cloves appear first, followed later by subtle minty aromas, all well defined, intense and classic in style. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and a little more ferrous than I recall, offering moderate weight and a saline, structured finish. There is plenty of freshness and good length here. This still-vibrant GPL will appeal to those yearning for old-school claret.Vinous Media | 94 VMA lovely, elegant version, with sweet tobacco and lightly singed cedar notes now taking the lead, while dried currant and warmed blackberry preserve flavors still have their say. The lengthy finish has a gentle, supple edge, with the dried fruit showing a sweet hint. Textbook aged Pauillac.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2020. 15,830 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

A very strong effort for Gruaud Larose, possibly eclipsed by what they have done in 2009, this is a pure, full-bodied Gruaud Larose with plenty of new saddle leather, cedar wood, black currants, cherries, licorice, and Provencal herbs. Spicy, earthy, full-bodied, and rich, it has hit its plateau of full maturity, where it should stay for another 20 or more years.Robert Parker | 94 RPNo written review provided. | 94 W&SThere’s nice richness here, with velvety-textured blackberry, fig and boysenberry confiture flavors rolling through, edged by a graphite note that slowly takes over on the finish. This has serious spine, with tar and ganache echoes hanging in the background, boding well for continued development.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2023. 18,750 cases made. Wine Spectator | 93 WSFully mature (yet I’d say in the early stages of its drink window), the 2000 Château Gruaud Larose offers a ripe, powerful, medium to full-bodied style as well as lots of currant and darker fruits followed by cedarwood, tobacco, iron, and assorted meaty, spicy nuances. It’s a rich, almost chunky effort with a great mid-palate, still present yet ripe tannins, and a great finish. It lacks some of the purity and precision of today’s wines yet is a satisfying, rich, impressively textured Saint-Julien to drink over the coming 15-20 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDThe 2000 Gruaud Larose is a vintage that I have not tasted for some 10 years. It has a somehow sedate bouquet of dark red berry fruit, cola and tobacco scents, ever so slightly smudged with age. The mellow, soy-tinged palate is medium-bodied with soft tannins and fine acidity but maybe just a little sauvage on the ferrous, slightly bretty finish. I feel this had more pep several years ago.Vinous Media | 91 VM

This estate has frequently hit the bull’s eye over recent vintages, and the 2000 Montrose is the finest effort produced since the compelling 1990 and 1989. This gigantically sized, tannic, backward effort boasts a saturated inky purple color followed by a huge nose of acacia flavors, crushed blackberries, creme de cassis, vanilla, hickory smoke, and minerals. Extremely full-bodied, powerful, dense, and multi-layered, this unreal Montrose should last for 30+ years. A blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, this is a special wine that has exceptional purity and length. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040.Robert Parker | 96 RPThe 2000 Montrose is a straight-up gorgeous bottle of wine that while, still young, is offering up tons of pleasure. Classic Saint Estèphe notes of blackcurrants, damp earth, tobacco leaf, cedar, and hints of truffle all emerge from this dense, concentrated, powerful red that has the classic 2000 structure and richness. With sweet tannins, full body, impeccable balance, and a great, great finish, it’s at the early stages of its drink window and has another 3+ decades of longevity ahead of it.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDJust starting to open, it shows beautiful spices and dark fruit on the nose and palate. It’s full-bodied with ultra-fine, integrated tannins and an extremely complex, refined finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JS(Château Montrose, Cabernet Sauvignon, St-Estèphe, Bordeaux, France, Red) Just beginning to soften and open after a stubborn few decades. Tobacco and crushed mint leaf sit against blackberry and bilberry fruits that continue to be held by a firm frame of tannins. A stately Montrose that has a long future ahead, and is packed with the power and finesse that is so signature to this estate. Harvest September 22 to October 7. First year in the new stainless steel vat room. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. (Drink between 2022-2035)Decanter | 95 DECFull red-ruby. Roasted, smoky aromas of blackberry, blueberry and licorice. Plush, dense and large-scaled; expands impressively in the mouth. Chocolatey-ripe but kept fresh by nicely integrated acidity. Offers lovely sweetness without going over the top. Finishes with big, dusty, horizontal tannins and lovely aromatic persistence. Offers extraordinary texture and depth of flavor for a wine with just 12.8% alcohol.Vinous Media | 94 VMThis has a relatively polished feel, with rounded tannins, though they are substantial enough to give the core of tobacco, black currant paste and warmed fig flavors a nice loamy tug through the finish. Rather refined and with noticeably more depth than AOC colleagues in this vintage, with a very alluring hint of fresh bay at the very end.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2023.Wine Spectator | 93 WSNo written review provided. | 92 W&S

This was a strong performance (better than my original notes suggested) by the 2000 Talbot. Close to full maturity, it exhibits a dense ruby/plum/purple color in addition to a subtle herbaceousness intermixed with smoked meats, black currants, licorice, cedar, and foresty notes. Rich and full-bodied with light tannins, and a slightly richer, more savory, broader, deeper style than I remember, it should drink well for 10-15 years.Robert Parker | 93 RPThis is a beautiful red now with plums, roses and blackberries on the nose and palate. Full body with wonderfully integrated tannins that caress your palate. So beautiful. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JSSoft, blueberry and brambled autumn fruit – a definite hedgerow feel. This has expectedly soft tannins at this stage, moving into tertiary territory. Certainly an excellent wine for early drinking, with cigar smoke notes, even the dried tobacco leaf. It’s currently at its peak Médoc character, although perhaps it softens too much towards the end. This is elegant and effortless, full of classic St-Julien balance. Aged in 50% new oak. A touch of Cabernet Franc makes up the blend. Drinking Window 2018 - 2027Decanter | 92 DECThis is a very new-wood dominated wine, that will appeal to lovers of California Cabernet. Blackcurrant jelly fruits are there as well, very modern, very polished.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WEThis has a solid core of plum cake, blackberry paste and warmed fig fruit flavors that are fully melded together, while sweet cedar and tobacco notes line the finish. Right where it should be now.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2020. 28,333 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Here is a huge ripe and luxurious wine, with great power. The texture is solid, filled with firm tannins, the flavors are black and ripe. Along with the power, though, is much of the elegance and poise that characterizes great Saint-Julien.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEA beautiful wine from Branaire, the 2000 is close to full maturity, and should offer plenty of pleasure over the next 15-20 years. Its deep ruby/purple hue is accompanied by scents of boysenberries, black currants, and spring flowers. This medium to full-bodied, pure St.-Julien hits the palate with authority, displaying silky tannins as well as wonderful richness, depth, and texture.Robert Parker | 94 RPThis sports a tarry-edged core of slightly chunky-textured plum paste and cassis flavors. The lively, brambly finish is a touch chewy but has good enough energy, with an ample dose of cocoa powder and licorice root in the end. A bit squared off overall, but there’s plenty of stuffing here to wait it out a bit longer.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2025. 15,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe 2000 Branaire Ducru was picked September 25 to October 10 at 12.7° alcohol. It has a similar bouquet to my previous bottle, unfolding discreetly in the glass to reveal cedar-infused red fruit, while hints of dried blood/meat juices evolve with aeration. The medium-bodied palate is elegant and old-school, offering frayed tannins, noticeable acidity and tobacco and black pepper on the finish, which lacks grip compared to other bottles. Decanting would certainly benefit this wine.Vinous Media | 90 VM

A typical Palmer showing finesse alongside strength. I love the blackberry, plum, chocolate and cedar character. It’s very long and beautiful. The velvety, textured tannins are impressive.James Suckling | 97 JSThis has turned out to be a prodigious Palmer. The saturated purple color offers up sexy, full-bodied, almost masculine notes of roasted meats, blackberries, and creme de cassis intermixed with notions of toast, smoke, and camphor. Only 50% of the production made it into the 2000, a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon and 47% Merlot. The wine is opulent, rich, and full-bodied, with tannin that has become sweeter with age. Its best showing yet, most importantly, has been from bottle. This is a great Palmer that should rival the best of recent vintages, which have all been stunning, as this estate continues to go from strength to strength. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2030.Robert Parker | 96 RPStill tight, with a core of black currant, blackberry and plum fruit flavors that is quite youthful, while hints of dried anise, tobacco and singed alder are starting to peek through on the finish. There’s a really vibrant iron note cutting through the finish too. Hold off for now.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Best from 2018 through 2028.Wine Spectator | 96 WSNow at 20 years old, and absolutely singing, after a sometimes frustratingly slow start to its life. The tannins are ripe but rich and still broad-shouldered, and it will probably still show at its best with a good plate of food to draw out the mouthwatering acidities. Dense, powerful, complex, with a menthol-laced finish, no signs of going anywhere yet. No Petit Verdot in the blend in this vintage, because the then director Bouteiller didn’t feel it was adding to the overall balance achieved by the already rich and concentrated Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Harvest September 21 to October 7. Drinking Window 2020 - 2043.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2000 Palmer is a very different “beast” than the 2001, and I use that word intentionally. This is much more feral on the nose, and quite ferrous, presenting leather and dried herbs, smudged red berry fruit, and a hint of fig that emerges with time. The brettanomyces sticks out a bit here. The palate is medium-bodied with dry tannins and good density, very earthy in style and certainly more evolved than the succeeding vintage, yet you cannot help falling for its charms. It evolves wonderfully in the glass, actually closing in a little toward the finish, and suggesting that contrary to what the nose suggests, it will repay further cellaring. Excellent.Vinous Media | 94 VMAt this stage, this is very closed, very tight, giving little. But it is possible to discern that this is going to be a beautiful wine. There are flavors of sweet raisins and the fruit has a new world richness, but the structure of dry tannins is always present. It looks as though it has a good, long life.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE

Still youthful and beautifully lush, with dark, velvety tannins that flow underneath, allowing the gorgeous plum sauce, blackberry reduction and anise notes to drape wonderfully before slowly giving way to a cast iron–edged finish.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2023. 14,833 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSA hugely concentrated wine showing chewy, but ripe tannins. Smooth, polished fruit combines with well-balanced wood and suppressed power. This is certainly a wine that will develop well, making it drinkable in five years and mature in 10-15 years.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WEAmong the finest Cantenac-Browns of the last three decades, the saturated purple-colored 2000 is a sleeper of the vintage. Loaded with chocolatey black currants intermixed with sweet earth, cedar, and spice box, it exhibits medium to full body, surprisingly ripe tannin for a wine from this estate, a multi-layered texture as well as mid-palate, and a finish that lasts 25-30 seconds. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2018.Robert Parker | 90 RPNo written review provided. | 90 W&S

Huge, deep purple-black color, and aromas of rich, spicy fruit give a sense of great power to this superbly intense wine. Liquorice and rich tannins suggest complexity, while subtle acidity adds refinement.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2000 Domaine de Chevalier has long been one of my favourite wines and now at 16 years of age, it continues to live up to expectations. It has a beautiful nose, so lively and vivacious, with black plum and blackberry, cedar and damp undergrowth scents, an undercurrent of tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied with impressive definition, a fine thread of acidity, though still backward and intimating that there is "much more in the tank." The structure is wonderful here, though it does not quite deliver the length you might expect, which compelled me to dock a couple of points. The bottom line: it’s a great Pessac-Léognan with a 30-40 year lifespan. Tasted January 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 93 RP-NMThis offers a complex nose of sweet tobacco and stones, with red fruits such as plums, as well as a smoky note on the nose. Full and juicy, with a tobacco and berry character that turns almost tea-like on the finish. This has medium tannins, and is just starting to come around. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 93 JS(a blend of 65% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot and 5% cabernet franc; pH 3.78; 12.9% alcohol): Medium-deep ruby-red. Enticing aromas of redcurrant, plum, violet, minerals and graphite complemented by sexy oak spices. Broad, lush and sweet, with a pristine quality to the perfumed flavors of red berries, black cherry and spices. Harmonious acidity gives the wine shape and balance and a very clean, fresh mouthfeel. Finishes impressively broad and horizontal, with smooth, ripe tannins and lingering spicy perfume. This sophisticated, glossy wine is still remarkably young and lively.Vinous Media | 92 VMNo written review provided. | 91 W&STar and clove on the nose here, teasing out to leather notes after a few minutes. Cassis bud fruit character, this remans slightly foursquare and austere even as it approaches its 18th birthday. Some truffle and undergrowth as it opens in the glass, the tannins still have grip but a little less generosity than I might expect for a 2000 vintage. Clearly still plenty of life ahead of it, easily a decade before you need to worry about where this wine is going. Drinking Window 2018 - 2028.Decanter | 90 DEC

This is very dense and rich now with sweet tobacco, dried berry and mahogany character. Full body with velvety tannins and a juicy finish. A long life ahead of it. Improving with age.James Suckling | 93 JSUnder new ownership, Prieuré-Lichine continues its rapid quality improvement. The wine is concentrated, with dark tannins and brooding fruit, dominated by new wood. It is rich, but also structured for a steady development over 10-15 years.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WEA solid young red, with big, velvety tannins and lots of ripe fruit, tobacco and chocolate character. Long, fresh finish. One of the best Prieuré-Lichine in a long, long time. Best after 2007. 18,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSUndeniably the finest Prieure-Lichine in 30-40 years, this textured, rich, medium to full-bodied 2000 boasts a dark ruby/purple color in addition to a knock-out nose of black cherries, cassis, tobacco leaf, cocoa, and toasty oak in the background. The wine is sweet on the attack, full-bodied, and well-textured, with oodles of fruit and glycerin. This is sexy stuff that can be drunk early, but will age gracefully for 15-16 years. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2026.Robert Parker | 90 RP

If any wine could be described as beautiful, then Beychevelle is beautiful. Its flavors of liquorice and blackcurrant are smooth and opulent, well proportioned. The texture is rich, ripe and generous.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEDeep ruby/purple in color, with a sweet nose of black currants, earth, licorice, and mineral, the 2000 is relatively powerful and dense for the normally restrained and elegant Beychevelle. Medium to full-bodied, dense, and chewy, it is showing even better out of bottle than it was from cask. While it appears to be the finest example made at Beychevelle since the 1989 and 1982, patience will be required. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020.Robert Parker | 91 RPLovely warmed plum and black currant confiture flavors are starting to settle into a secondary phase as sweet tobacco, lightly singed alder and a perfumy incense note weave around. Nice focused, fine-grained finish. Textbook.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2020. 2,200 cases made. Wine Spectator | 91 WSThe 2000 Beychevelle has a delightful bouquet of blackberry, briar and light saline scents; a whiff of the old Gironde estuary develops in the glass. A touch of brettanomyces, maybe? The palate is medium-bodied with lithe tannins, and quite open and harmonious, although this not a deep or powerful Saint-Julien. Less austere than it once was, and simply a fine millennial that is drinking perfectly now.Vinous Media | 90 VM

This is big and tannic, with loads of concentration. Full-bodied, chewy and impressive. Leave it for a long time. Super price for a cru classé. Best after 2010. 22,080 cases made. — JSWine Spectator | 90 WS

Perhaps one of the more overlooked vintages in recent years, the Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2001 is one of the finest wines of the vintage. Here, one is immediately taken aback by the precision exuded by the nose: small dark cherries and orange blossom still there, perhaps the mineralité more heightened than ever. The palate displays exquisite balance with nigh on perfect acidity, demonstrating more tension, if not the dimension of the 1990 tasted alongside. This is a serious La Mission for long-term aging. Tasted June 2014.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 96 RP-NMThe 2001 La Mission Haut-Brion is less complex on the nose than the preceding millennial vintage. There is more blue fruit here, and perhaps greater purity compared to the 2000, though it does not quite possess the same amplitude. The saline, medium-bodied palate delivers supple tannins and hints of tangy black olives (kalamata, maybe?), and shows wonderful substance and grip toward the pure finish. Jean-Philippe Delmas commented upon the “surprising depth” of the 2001, which is true. But at the moment, the 2000 has a little more personality. 13.2% alcohol. Tasted at the château with Jean-Philippe Delmas.Vinous Media | 94 VMSometimes it seems as if La Mission is as good as Haut-Brion - that was certainly the case in 2001. But in 2000, La Mission fitted more comfortably into its usual good neighbor slot. That is not to suggest it is not a great wine - the score indicates that. At the moment, it is closed, solid and chunky, but all the right hints are there, and it will develop slowly and in a sustained way over many years.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEVery complex, with blackberries, flowers and minerals. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a fresh, sweet fruit aftertaste. Refined La Mission. Beautiful. Best after 2008. 600 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The 2001 Mouton-Rothschild contains 20% vin de presse and 12.6° alcohol. It has a vibrant, captivating bouquet that explodes from the glass with precocious black cherries, sous-bois, mint and a touch of Seville oranges, displaying precision and class. The medium-bodied palate shows good density and offers sappy black fruit, white pepper and just a touch of tobacco. Quite muscular for a 2001, and perhaps missing the clarity and pixelation that the next winemaker, Philippe Dhalluin, subsequently imparted. This is a thoroughly enjoyable Mouton-Rothschild, even if it is not the same pedigree as recent vintages.Vinous Media | 94 VMVery smoky, with berry, coffee and tobacco aromas. Full-bodied, with polished velvety tannins, plenty of fruit and a cedary aftertaste. Tight and compacted. This is better than the 2000 Mouton. It’s a baby 1986 Mouton. Solid and very, very fine. Persists for a long time on the palate. Best after 2009.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThis complex on the nose with black cherry, black currant and graphite aromas. It’s very fleshy on the palate with chewy tannins and lots of fruit. This is still a reserved and structured Bordeaux, but with power lurking beneath. Still a baby.James Suckling | 94 JSNo written review provided. | 91 W&S

Right now, at 20 years old, this wine is approaching its perfect drinking beginning - by which I mean it is now stepping up onto the plateau that the best wines get to, where you don’t need to worry about opening them immediately, but you can feel confident that you are going to be getting the best of them if you choose to do so. Although we didn’t taste the 2000 in this particular lineup, on recent openings it is a more muscular and closed down than the 2001, and will probably last longer, but this is just blindingly delicious right now. The descriptions that are most often associated with Château Margaux must surely be finessed tannins and floral aromatics, and you have both of them in spades, along with gentle roasted fruits of plum and blackberry, violet, cedar spice, liquorice and tobacco. The tannins are fine and full of pleasure. 4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 100% new oak. Drinking Window 2021 - 2038.Decanter | 97 DEC“For me, this vintage is what makes Margaux special,” says Margaux winemaker Paul Pontallier. He is right: With its denseness, spice, flavors of black currants layered with dryness and fresh acidity, this is a huge and impressive wine that never forgets that it is Margaux. It is still young, and the dry tannic aftertaste, which lasts for many minutes, shows this.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WESuave from the start, with beguiling tea, singed sandalwood and lilac notes backed by alluring, gently steeped red and black currant fruit. The long finish has an alder edge that stays in lockstep with the fruit, ending with a minerally echo.—Blind ’01/’03/’05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Drink now through 2030. 10,833 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThe 2001 Chateau Margaux continues to evolve in impressive fashion. The nose feels sensual, veering towards red rather than black fruit, with disarming purity and perhaps showing more floral/violet character than the 1999. Both display tremendous precision and delineation. The palate is medium-bodied, edgy and tensile with crisp acidity, so fresh and vital in the mouth. Tasted next to the 1996 Château Margaux, it is clear to see that the 2001 is several steps behind, yet the way it fans out with such confidence and brio on the finish assures that this has a prosperous future. Tasted May 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 94 RP-NMThe 2001 Château Margaux, last tasted five years previously, is slightly deeper in color compared with the 2001 Pavillon. Featuring black plum, raspberry and touches of orange peel, rose petal and light bay leaf aromas, the bouquet is not intense, but it is well defined and focused. The palate is fresh on the entry with fine-boned tannins and a taut line of acidity – a strict Château Margaux that doesn’t want to muck about. It’s little short on the finish, yet sophisticated and providing unadulterated buvabilité. Drinking perfectly now, and it will be enjoyable over the next 15–20 years.Vinous Media | 94 VMNo written review provided. | 91 W&S

A classic in development, a wine that will last for decades. It is certainly powerful, but already the shape is finalized, with its plums and berries settling down with perfumes, acidity, just enough tannins and a warm, welcoming richness. A great argument for the superiority of 2001 over 2000.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2001 Léoville Las Cases is simply stunning. I was fully prepared to decant it given that Las Cases is almost always a brute in its youth. And make no mistake about it, a twenty year-old Las Cases is still a youngster. Quite frankly, I am not at all prepared for the sheer intensity and richness that emanates from the glass. No decanting needed. The 2001 is simply magnificent upon opening. A rush of generous inky blackberry jam, spice, graphite and leather conveys superb textural intensity. Time in the glass helps the aromatics come alive. Shockingly rich and voluptuous, the 2001 is also wonderfully open today. Uncharacteristically so for Las Cases, in fact. But who’s complaining? Certainly not me.Even so, the 2001 is ultimately a mid-weight Las Cases, with plenty of opulent fruit, but not quite the tannic heft that is such a signature of this reference-point St. Julien. Readers lucky enough to own the 2001 are in for a real treat. This is an especially fine bottle, perhaps the finest I have come across. Aside from all the technical analyses and descriptors, what really matters most is that the 2001 is a wine that delivers immense drinking pleasure. I absolutely loved it.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGPencil lead, leather, smoked cedar and reserved but carefully sculpted cassis and bilberry fruit - this is Léoville-Las Cases showing its classicism in a vintage that is the home of balanced, nuanced and elegant wines. It continues to open and gather depth over 15 minutes in the glass, suggesting there is plenty of potential ahead, but the tannins have now softened and integrated into the overall structure. Grip and freshness runs right through the palate, and a Cabernet-dominated savouriness makes you salivate through the finish. Plenty of power at 21 years old. Beautiful dark fruits, a successful reflection of a vintage that still has plenty to offer. Drinking Window 2021 - 2044.Decanter | 95 DECA very typical Las Cases with a Pauillac note, even though it’s St.-Julien. Lead pencil, dried herb, currant and black olive. Medium-to full-bodied, firm and creamy with a long finish. It’s very persistent. Pretty austerity. Be sure to decant this a couple of hours in advance. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2001 Léoville Las Cases is a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc. Medium to deep garnet colored with a touch of brick, it charges out of the glass sporting energetic notes of kirsch, blackberry preserves and blackcurrant pastilles with underlying scents of star anise, cumin seed, potpourri, oolong tea and tobacco leaf plus a waft of incense. The medium-bodied, exquisitely elegant palate explodes with a myriad of exotic spice, floral and dried berries notes, framed by soft tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and with impeccable poise and sophistication.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPA long, refined beam of gently mulled black currant and plum fruit is inlaid liberally with a smoldering charcoal note, while tobacco, ganache and warm paving stone accents form the background. A touch reticent through the finish, with the charcoal edge winning out. Shows lovely cut and length.—Blind ’01/’03/’05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Best from 2020 through 2035. 11,667 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSComing from an underrated vintage in Bordeaux, the 2001 Château Léoville Las Cases is 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, and 12% Cabernet Franc that hit 13% natural alcohol with a pH of 3.7 and an IPT of 70. This was a milder, cooler year, and the 2001 offers a more complex, mature bouquet of cedary herbs, menthol, tobacco, lead pencils, and dried flowers, with a wonderful core of sweet red and black fruits. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has a wonderful mid-palate, sweet tannins, and a great finish. It’s drinking at point today yet certainly has another 10-15 years of prime drinking.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDNo written review provided. | 93 W&S

A wonderfully firm, concentrated wine that walks a fine, balanced line between richness and poised structure. It is classic in the best sense, showing all the shape of a fine Bordeaux, while adding the extra dimension of the freshest of black fruits, complexity from a few hints of wood, and a dark, brooding, long-lasting aftertaste.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2001 Léoville Barton is still a few years from full maturity. Unwinding in the decanter and glass with aromas of blackcurrant, licorice, loamy soil, cigar wrapper and vanilla pod, it’s medium to full-bodied, rich and muscular, with a deep, concentrated core of fruit, lively acids and ripe but firm tannins that still assert themselves on the finish. If Léoville Poyferré is in its prime today, this Léoville Barton still ideally deserves a few more years’ patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPGorgeous aromas of crushed blackberries and flowers. Medium- to full-bodied, with well-knit tannins and a silky, caressing palate. Long. This is a wonderful wine. Lots of finesse. Best after 2008. 22,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe 2001 Léoville-Barton presents plenty of brambly red fruit on the nose, along with singed leather and mushroom; it’s just a little more animally than I expected. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh and sappy, offering supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity, and lightly spiced with white pepper and clove. Quite persistent in the mouth. Not sophisticated, perhaps, but classic in style, fresh and toothsome.Vinous Media | 91 VM

This is a marvelously complete wine, with its impressive ripe fruit, shining through the open structure. It is firm, but not too much. Stone black fruits are just perfectly ripe. There is just a core of dryness to compliment the rest of the wine. ROGER VOSS Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2001 Branaire Ducru was picked October 1–14 and is slightly higher in alcohol than the 2000. It appears just a touch deeper in color than the previous vintage. The well-defined, cohesive bouquet of blackberry, raspberry, tea leaf and clove is less evolved than the 2000. The palate is medium-bodied with a firmer backbone and solid tannins that frame the lightly spiced, tobacco-tinged red fruit, which has ebbed a little since I last tasted it. This is well balanced and fresh, a little more persistent than the 2000, and it may benefit from another 2–3 years in bottle.Vinous Media | 92 VMThis is a deep red/purple-colored, stylish, sexy concoction of raspberries, graphite, smoke, minerals, and flowers. The complex aromatics are followed by a medium to full-bodied, seamless St.-Julien displaying velvety tannin, medium body, and sweet, concentrated fruit in a stylish, well-constructed, elegant style. The tannin is unobtrusive and well-integrated. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2015.Robert Parker | 91 RPThis is wonderfully perfumed, with blackberry, plum and light cherry character. Full-bodied, with well-integrated tannins and a medium finish. Outstanding. Close to the 2000 in quality. Best after 2007. 16,665 cases made. —Wine Spectator | 90 WS

What a perfumed, elegant, structured wine, with all the elements of fruit, wood, tannins just in the right place. It shows great tannins, powerful black and red berry fruits, denseness, and a classic, fresh aftertaste.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEA dense and decadent wine with chocolate, currant and licorice aromas and flavors. Medium to full body, firm tannins and a fresh finish. A beautiful wine now. It shows the finesse and class of an aged Bordeaux.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2001 Gruaud Larose has a much more vivacious bouquet than the millennial Gruaud, featuring vibrant black cherry and raspberry fruit, pressed iris, light peaty scents and a touch of tobacco that emerges with time. There is more delineation here compared to the 2000. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins and touches of soy borrowed from the previous vintage, yet there is more depth and delineation toward the finish.Vinous Media | 92 VMThis shows a rich and dense nose of blackberry, coffee and smoke. Full-bodied, with soft and round tannins and a long, smoky finish. Very fresh and velvety. GL is really doing excellent things these days, even in less-than-easy vintages. Best after 2008. 2,455 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSSurprisingly accessible as well as supple, this 2001 St.-Julien reveals a deep plum/purple color along with a rich bouquet of smoke, roasted vegetables, black currants, plums, licorice, and Asian spices. Velvety-textured and medium-bodied, with loads of fruit, and a plump, expansive, plush texture, this is an atypically forward Gruaud Larose to drink now and over the next 12-14 years.Robert Parker | 90 RP

Although in the shadow of the millennial vintage, 2001s can be just as good (and on the right bank arguably better). This has a very deep, unevolved colour. The nose has sweet, charming, berry fruit with mint, vanilla and a hint of tobacco. It’s rich and svelte on the palate, concentrated and juicy with fine underlying tannins. There’s an intense sucrosity but with no trace of jamminess. The very long aftertaste is silky with fine, lifted acidity. This is a stylish wine that’s now beginning to show maturity. Drinking Window 2018 - 2030.Decanter | 95 DECA very successful effort for this vintage in the Medoc, this deep ruby/purple-colored Pauillac exhibits class/nobility/breed along with black currant liqueur, licorice, and incense notes. Sweet, expansive, fleshy, and medium to full-bodied, with good structure, ripe tannin, and a long, 30-35 second finish, it can be drunk now, but will be even better in 2-3 years; it will last for 12-15 years. I had this wine three separate times out of bottle, and it is performing significantly better than it did from cask.Robert Parker | 93 RPThe 2001 Pichon Baron has less fruit intensity on the nose compared to the 2000, and more red fruit, laced with smoke and blood orange – traits that I have noted on previous bottles. Hints of dried blood emerge with time. The focused palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, fresh and quite minty. Graphite and a sprinkling of white pepper appear toward the finish. This is one occasion on the Left Bank where I find that the 2000 has more authority, although the 2001 has plenty of charm.Vinous Media | 93 VMThe 2001 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron is now fully mature yet in the mid to early stages of its drinking plateau. Based on 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc that checked in at healthy yields of 40 hectoliters per hectare, its ruby hue is followed by a beautiful perfume of blackcurrants, cedarwood, spice box, lead pencil shavings, and forest floor. This is quintessential Pauillac on the nose and classic, medium-bodied, and elegant on the palate, with terrific balance, a beautiful sense of elegance, silky tannins, and a great finish. It’s drinking at point for my palate and I don’t see any upside, yet it will certainly evolve gracefully for another two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDThis is complex and beautiful now with liquorice and currant, with delicate sweet tobacco character on the nose and palate. Medium-to-full body with subtle, entrancing flavors and textures. So right now. Almost a soya undertone to the subtle fruit. A gorgeous claret at its peak.James Suckling | 92 JSDark-colored, with floral and lanolin aromas with hints of fruit. Full-bodied, with chunky tannins and a long finish. A bit short and austere. Needs bottle age to show its full potential. Best after 2007.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Gorgeous, a clear step up from the 2000 vintage as it approaches its second decade. This is not quite ready to drink, although a few hours in a decanter could open it up sufficiently. It’s full of intense, tight and spirited black fruits, replete with this château’s signature richness of structure, which seems to ooze naturally through the tannins. There’s a real sense of energy and zest, with liquorice, slate, spice, cassis and black cherry. The second half of August was hotter in 2001 than 2000 in St-Estèphe, and the grapes were left to reach a long, slow maturity. Harvesting did not begin until 1 October when the nights were getting cooler –this will have helped the wine keep its remarkable freshness. Matured in 80% new oak. Drinking Window 2018 - 2040Decanter | 95 DECThe 2001 Cos d’Estournel is blended of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot—a very high percentage of Merlot in this vintage and a very late harvest, which started on October 1st. Deep garnet in color, the nose is singing with savory notes of smoked meats, tapenade, bay leaves and beef drippings with a core of plum preserves, redcurrant jelly, dried cherries and baked blackcurrants with wafts of peppermint tea and dried roses. Medium-bodied, the palate practically tingles with vibrant dried herbs, red fruit preserves and minty notes, structured with firm, finely grained tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing very long and minerally.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2001 Cos d’Estournel has a fresher nose than the 2000, showing more focus and vigor and delivering black cherries mixed with fig, blood orange and light cigar box aromas. Side by side, this is certainly more youthful. The palate is well balanced with supple tannins, a fine bead of acidity, and fine grip and freshness. This is still quite tight at 20 years old and would certainly benefit from decanting. Blood orange and a light sprinkling of white pepper appear toward the finish. In this face-off, I have a preference for the 2001 over the 2000.Vinous Media | 93 VMVelvety textured with soft and silky tannins and a chocolate, meat and berry character. Full and round. Slightly forgotten and delicious. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JSSuave, with a cool, minty hint weaving around the core of mulled red currant, blackberry and plum fruit. Lovely spice, black tea and singed juniper notes are perfectly inlaid throughout, showing a tug of charcoal at the very end.—Blind ’01/’03/’05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Drink now through 2025. 17,705 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSNo written review provided. | 91 W&S

A harmonious balanced wine, showing fine, fresh acidity. The tannins have closed in somewhat, but you can taste the chocolate, and the sweet character of the ripe fruit. At the end, the acidity gives a fine lift.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThe 2001 Beychevelle has been an inconsistent performer in the past. Now at 20 years, the aromatics seem to have cohered, displaying slightly more delineation than the 2000 and offering black fruit, loam, mint and a touch of pine cone. The lightly spiced palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, lithe and focused. A dash of white pepper and blood orange appears toward the finish. This might well be the best bottle that I have encountered.Vinous Media | 92 VM

The 2001 Calon-Ségur has a delightful bouquet, very pure and a little more vivacious than the preceding vintage, featuring lovely brambly red fruit, rose petals, autumn leaves and a touch of cigar box, all well defined and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a little more cohesive than the 2000, and slightly granular in texture, with a graceful, elegant and quite persistent finish. This is one of the few châteaux where it’s difficult to choose between the 2001 and 2000. Drinking perfectly now.Vinous Media | 94 VM(Château Calon-Ségur) The 2001 Calon-Ségur was comprised of fully forty-seven percent merlot, which is too bad, as it might have been even finer with a higher percentage of cabernet sauvignon in the blend. That said, this is a very strong bottle from this era and I have little doubt that it will ultimately surpass the more highly-touted, but currently far more closed 2000 vintage at this property. The bouquet offers up a very promising blend of red and black cherries, cigar smoke, dried eucalyptus, gravel, cigar ash and cedary wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nascently complex, with a classic claret profile, firm, ripe tannins, excellent focus and balance and a very long, youthful and potentially superb finish. This should prove to be one of the strongest vintages produced in the more merlot-centric style at Calon-Ségur during the stretch from 1975 to 2005. (Drink between 2022-2050).John Gilman | 92 JGShowing beautifully, the 2001 Calon-Segur is now fully mature, yet should hold at this stage for another decade or two. Beautiful currants and assort dark fruits, notes of lead pencil, tobacco, and forest floor, medium to full body, and integrated, silky tannins all define this elegant 2001 that’s a joy to drink today. It’s not going to get any better, but it’s a beautifully regal Claret that offers loads of pleasure.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JDI suspect this 2001 will shut down (as most young Calon-Segurs do), although it appears more forward and evolved than the huge, backward, but totally dormant 2000. The plum/ruby-colored 2001 reveals aromas of damp earth, cranberries, cherries, herbs, and forest floor. While lighter than its older sibling, it is medium-bodied, elegant, and should emerge from its post-bottling sleep in 4-5 years, and drink well for 14-15. Think of it as a lighter-weight 1988 (one of the stars of the vintage).Robert Parker | 90 RPElegant and spicy, with blackberry and earth character. Medium- to full-bodied, with silky tannins and a medium to long finish. Not quite up to par with the barrel sample, but outstanding. Best after 2006.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Sweet damson fruit with a touch of butterscotch, tobacco leaf and cigar box coming through as it opens. Archetypal St Julien, with finesse and elegance, fine tannins, just a storming wine that you will want to share. A vintage that is proving hugely successful in St Julien right now, as I found with a recent tasting of Gruaud Larose, really suggesting that these 2001s are in a sweet spot - although no great rush to drink up. Jacques and Eric Boissenot consultants. Just 29 bottles left at the estate.Jane Anson | 94 JAThe 2001 vintage of Château Lagrange is an outstanding wine that is just about reached its plateau of optimum drinkability. The bouquet is deep, pure and quite expressive, wafting from the glass in a mix of black cherries, cassis, cigar ash, a lovely base of dark soil tones and a nice hint of new oak remaining in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep. full-bodied, pure and quite suave on the attack, with a fine core, lovely soil signature, refined, melting tannins and lovely length and grip on a complex and very well-balanced finish. The 2001 Château Lagrange is a wine that is just hitting its stride and will continue to drink with plenty of style for several more decades. (Drink between 2022 - 2040)John Gilman | 93 JGThe 2001 Lagrange is outclassed by its millennial counterpart, which is the opposite of their showings at the vertical two years earlier. Blackberry and cigar smoke feature on the nose, while the floral element is not quite as expressive here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, supple and cohesive, displaying just the right amount of salinity on the finish. A very fine Lagrange, albeit pipped by the millennial on this occasion.Vinous Media | 91 VMA deep ruby/purple color is followed by classic notes of black currants, cedar, tobacco leaf, and spice box. Displaying better integration of new oak as well as more elegance and finesse than usual (Lagrange tends to be blatantly oaky in many vintages), it possesses sweet fruit, pretty flavors, and a clean, supple-textured finish. Enjoy it over the next 12-14 years.Robert Parker | 90 RPLots of floral, berry and raspberry character on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied, with well-integrated tannins and a fresh finish. Lovely wine. Round and refined. Best after 2006. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS