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A great Angelus and one of the two or three best vintages made under the talented young Hubert de Bouard, this wine still has a youthful, saturated ruby/purple color and a sweet nose of melted licorice intermixed with creme de cassis, tapenade, cedar, spice box, and vanilla. Very full-bodied, opulent, and rich, it is one of the 1989s that justifies the lofty reputation of this vintage. Extremely full-bodied, this wine can be drunk now or cellared for at least another 10-15 years. Anticipated maturity: Now-2015. Last tasted, 4/02.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThe 1989 Angélus is a vintage that I have tasted multiple times from various formats. It remains one of my favorite of that era. Still quite deep in color, it has a glorious, almost hubristic bouquet of layers of lush black cherries, cedar, sage and meat juice aromas as it moves assuredly into its secondary phase. The palate has always been very harmonious and smooth, the tannins finer than preceding vintages. There is lovely grip here, and black truffle and smoky notes appear on the finish. A quite marvelous Château Angélus. Tasted at the château.Vinous Media | 96 VMWow. What a reserved, yet seductive nose of milk chocolate, raspberry and mineral aromas that go on and on. Full-bodied, with ultrafine tannins and a mineral, berry, blackberry and violet flavor. This is polished and racy on the palate. So young still. Why wait? But serious and classic.--’89/’99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009). Drink now.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

(Château Figeac (St. Émilion)) The 2000 Château Figeac is one of the strongest examples of the vintage I have tasted in quite some time. The wine remains youthful, but its promise is self-evident, as it delivers a refined aromatic constellation of black cherries, dark berries, cigar wrapper, a superb base of soil tones, a touch of youthful Figeac herb notes, smoky new oak and an exotic topnote of celery seed. On the palate the wine is deep, complex and full-bodied, with a superb core of fruit, lovely balance and grip, suave, buried tannins and a long, nascently complex and very, very promising finish. This is very elegant for an example of 2000 claret. (Drink between 2025-2075),John Gilman | 94 JGFigeac has become a more consistent wine over the last few years. A profound effort, the surprisingly full-bodied 2000 Figeac has an opaque purple color accompanied by a terrific bouquet of camphor, graphite, black currants, licorice, and smoked herbs. With well-balanced, powerful tannin, concentration, and pinpoint precision, finesse, and purity, this expressive as well as textured effort will drink well between 2004-2018. When Figeac hits on all cylinders, one can understand why some tasters believe it is as complex as Cheval Blanc. This is undeniably the estate’s finest effort since 1996.Robert Parker | 93 RPSpices, herbs, plums, and meat on the nose. Full and round, with soft tannins and a beautiful finish. Chocolate and fruit everywhere. Give this another two or three years. Pull the cork in 2013.James Suckling | 93 JSOvert rosemary, bay and tobacco notes lead the way, backed by dark fig and steeped black currant fruit flavors at the core. The finish is loamy-edged, with a serious tug of earth. There’s nice flesh and density here, though I like where this is now, rather than wanting to wait too much longer.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2020. 8,333 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe 2000 Figeac is similar to the bottle tasted at the château just three months earlier. Still a tad rustic on the nose with singed leather and earthenware infusing the red berry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied, quite Left Bank in style, a little rough in texture with a slightly herbaceous finish. Maybe marginally better than the previous bottle, though it does nothing to dispel the idea that the 2001 is the better Figeac. Tasted at the Figeac vertical in Berlin.Vinous Media | 90 VM

Cassis, spice, chocolate, truffle, and floral notes all emerge from the 2000 Château Péby Faugères, a gorgeous, absolute tour de force in world-class Merlot. On the palate, it’s full-bodied, deep, rich, and textured, with beautiful balance and a layered, concentrated mouthfeel. This show-stopping, brilliant Saint-Émilion ranks with the crème de la crème of the region and has another 15+ years of prime drinking ahead of it. Drink 2026-2041.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe luxury cuvee from Faugeres (owned by Bernard Magrez), the 2000 Peby Faugeres is the real deal. Sadly, only 500+ cases were made of this compelling St.-Emilion. An inky/blue/purple hue is accompanied by aromas of espresso roast, blueberry liqueur, smoke, and graphite. Thick and unctuously-textured with impressive purity and depth as well as full-bodied power and richness, it needs another 2-3 years of cellaring, and should last for two decades.Robert Parker | 96 RPImpressive saturated ruby. Roasted black cherry, dark chocolate, mocha and espresso on the nose. Lush and silky on the palate, with intense, nicely delineated dark berry and torrefaction flavors. Impressively concentrated and rich. Dense, vinous and solidly structured wine, with plenty of extract to support the firm tannins. Finishes with excellent length.Vinous Media | 90+ VMStill youthfully rich and dark, with fig, blackberry and black cherry paste flavors layered with ganache and well-roasted espresso notes. More heft than cut as the wood dominates, though there is good loamy drive through the finish. Tasted from magnum. -- Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2023. 1,665 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WSNice berries and cherry character on the nose that opens up to hints of green tea and a stemmy undertone. Full-bodied, with good fruit and a soft finish. Go ahead and pull the cork on this one.James Suckling | 90 JS

Deep ruby/garnet-hued, the 2000 Château Valandraud is a beautifully complex, layered, and floral Saint-Emilion with darker currants, menthol, spice, herbs, chocolate, and graphite on the nose. On the palate, it’s rich and full-bodied, with a pure, layered, graceful mouthfeel, a terrific sense of freshness, fine tannins, and a great finish. Drink 2026-2036.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDTasted at the Valandraud vertical at the property, the 2000 Valandraud has a very dark color with just a thin crimson rim. The bouquet is exquisite: intense black cherry and blackcurrant scents, sandalwood, cedar and spices, complex and involving, the aromatics appear to just grow and grow. The palate is medium-bodied with supple red and black fruit, fine tannins and perfect acidity. It feels backward but very tensile with a flow of energy towards the precise and deeply impressive finish. This is an outstanding millennial Saint Emilion from Jean-Luc Thunévin. Tasted December 2016.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPNoticeably mature, with coffee, dark earth and roasted wood notes leading the way, while the core of black currant and dark plum fruit flavors is well-mulled. Though this sports a bit of a chewy, fleshy feel, everything pulls together through the finish, and this shows some serious length.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2023. 1,417 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThis has a fascinating coffee and chocolate character with a hazelnut edge. Full and velvety but turns a little austere. Bright acidity. Try after 2013.James Suckling | 93 JSSaturated ruby-red. Ripe, expressive aromas of black cherry, blackberry and espresso. Sweet, concentrated and quite perfumed in the mouth, with notes of oaky torrefaction currently dominating the wine’s dark fruit flavors. Distinctly powerful for Valandraud, and impressively long on the finish, with a sweet, chocolatey aftertaste. A sample of the same juice tasted just after the last racking showed more precision of aromas and more clarity in the mouth, with strong raspberry fruit to go with the smoky oak.Vinous Media | 91+ VM