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I tasted the 1996 Ducru Beaucaillou on four separate occasions from bottle in January. The 1996 is long, with a deep mid-palate. It also reveals tannin in the finish. This wine is remarkable. It is muscular, concentrated, and classic. Bottled in late June, 1998, it exhibits a saturated ruby/purple color, as well as a knock-out nose of minerals, licorice, cassis, and an unmistakable lead pencil smell that I often associate with top vintages of Lafite-Rothschild. It is sweet and full-bodied, yet unbelievably rich with no sense of heaviness or flabbiness. The wine possesses high tannin, but it is extremely ripe, and the sweetness of the black currant, spice-tinged Cabernet Sauvignon fruit is pronounced. This profound, backward Ducru-Beaucaillou is a must purchase. It will be fascinating for readers who own the 1996 to follow the evolution of this exceptional vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2035.Robert Parker | 96 RP(Château Ducru-Beaucaillou) The 1996 Ducru-Beaucaillou is just beginning to stir from its closed adolescence and is showing very good promise for its eventual period of peak drinkability, but that is still more than a decade away. The nose is starting to develop some secondary layers of complexity in its mélange of cassis, dark berries, currant leaf, cigar smoke, a touch of Ducru’s nutskin, complex soil tones, herbs and a nice framing of cedary, spicy wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite black fruity in personality, with an excellent signature of soil, a very tobaccoey personality, fine-grained, but quite substantial tannins, lovely acidity and a very long, soil-driven and classic finish. This is a superb vintage of Ducru that should really get interesting to drink around its thirtieth birthday and prove to be very, very long-lived. Impressive juice. (Drink between 2025-2100)John Gilman | 93+ JGThe 1996 Ducru-Beaucaillou is a vintage that I have not tasted for a number of years. Matured in two-thirds new oak, it has an open and expressive bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit, estuarine scents, touches of liquorice emerging with time. It is higher-toned than the 1995 with iodine evolving with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent tannins, fresh acidity, quite sweet in the mouth and maybe like the 1995, just missing that complexity and terroir expression that I think has defined recent vintages from this estate. Maybe it is slightly compromised by some Merlot (25%) that was picked a but later, but still, there is a lot of pleasure to be found in this 1996. Tasted at the Ducru Beaucaillou vertical at the château.Vinous Media | 93 VMIntense aromas of cedar, vanilla, leather and blackberry. Full-bodied, with coffee, vanilla, ripe fruit and a medium finish. Just about ready. The 1995 is certainly better.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Drink now. 18,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSThe Ducru 1996 is less extravagant than the 2000. It shows a full body, with firm tannins and pretty floral, leaf, light earth and berry character. Needs drinking. 90 pointsJames Suckling | 90 JS

Château Eglise Clinet Pomerol 1996: It's agreed among most Bordeaux wine lovers that Right Bank, more specifically Pomerol, made good quality but not great reds in 1996. The 1995 was much better for Merlot and Cabernet Franc. So this 1996 Eglise Clinet came as a big surprise when I tasted it. The red shows wonderful complexity and beauty now. It's full body yet refined with black olive and berry character. It's so balanced and fine now. Very pretty. Drink now.James Suckling | 94 JSOne of the few profound Pomerols in 1996, l'Eglise-Clinet turned out an uncommonly rich, concentrated wine that is performing well from bottle, even though it is displaying a more tightly-knit structure than it did from cask. The dark ruby/purple color is followed by notes of charcoal, jammy cassis, raspberries, and a touch of sur-maturite. Spicy oak emerges as the wine sits in the glass. It is fat, concentrated, and medium to full-bodied, with a layered, multidimensional, highly nuanced personality. This muscular Pomerol will require 3-5 years of bottle age. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2020.Robert Parker | 93 RPThe 1996 l’Eglise-Clinet has always had an open and Burgundy-like bouquet, pure but like many Pomerol crus in this vintage, not particularly complex. The palate is well balanced with slightly grainy tannin. This is a more masculine and introverted wine compared to the 1995, a little too serious perhaps and needing more flesh toward the linear finish. Not bad at all although it just lacks the fireworks. Tasted over a private dinner in Bordeaux.Vinous Media | 90 VM

Deep plum in colour, holding its Pauillac character perfectly at 25 years old, opening up to show cedar, pencil shavings, tobacco, graphite, cassis and touches of raspberry purée. This is very much in the drinking window, with waves of camphor, charcoal, woodsmoke and tobacco adding complexity and interest. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Drinking Window 2021 - 2036.Decanter | 95 DECThe 1996 exhibits a dark plum/ruby/purple color that is just beginning to lighten at the edge, surprisingly velvety tannins and a classic Pauillac bouquet of lead pencil shavings, cedarwood, black currants, sweet cherries and spice box. This medium to full-bodied, elegant, savory, broad wine is still five years away from full maturity. It should continue to drink well for another 10-15 years.Robert Parker | 93 RPThis is much more open than the 1995. Offers aromas and flavors of currant, mint and spices. Full-bodied, soft and velvety, with a fruit finish. Starting to drink well now.--Lynch-Bages non-blind vertical. Best from 2008 through 2012. 35,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS(Château Lynch-Bages (Pauillac)) Prior to this tasting, I had never had the opportunity to taste the 1996 vintage of Lynch-Bages and I quite liked the wine, though it is still a ways away from really starting to drink well. The blossoming bouquet delivers a combination of cassis, cigar smoke, a fine base of gravelly soil tones, French roast, toasty new oak and still a dollop of fresh herb tones in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with firm, well-integrated tannins, fine focus and grip and a long, promising finish. All of the constituent components are in place here to make a fine bottle with a bit more bottle age. (Drink between 2026-2075).John Gilman | 92+ JG(79% cabernet sauvignon, 13% merlot, 6% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot; 5.2 g/l total acidity; 13% alcohol): Dark ruby-red with a hint of garnet. Cabernet sauvignon-typical aromas of blackcurrant, violet, tobacco, dried herbs and minerals, complicated by a touch of smoky oak. In a distinctly firm, structured style, but with juicy acidity intensifying the dark berry and mineral flavors. Building flesh and sweetness on the back half counterbalances the wine’s firm spine, spreading out nicely on the lingering finish. Though currently a little clenched and austere, this wine offers excellent precision and wonderful balance.Vinous Media | 91+ VM

A great wine that has put on considerable weight and continues to show more and more depth and complexity, the dark plum/ruby colored 1996 Pape Clement has a gorgeous nose of barbecue spices intermixed with black currant, plum, coffee, and a hint of white chocolate. The wine is exceptionally rich, fill-bodied, and a fabulous success, particularly in the Pessac-Leognan sector. The tannin is sweet and the wine full-bodied, with tremendous richness and length. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2020. Last tasted, 4/02.Robert Parker | 94 RP(Château Pape Clément) In 1996, Pape Clément was still very much a classically styled claret and the wine shows very good potential to eventually blossom from behind the substantial tannins of the vintage and turn into a lovely wine. The nose is a youthfully complex blend of black cherries, dark berries, tobacco leaf, earth, smoke, dark chocolate and just a touch of spicy new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, fullish and still quite primary, with lovely focus, very good mid-palate depth, firm, but well-integrated tannins and lovely length and grip on the chocolaty finish. This should prove to be a lovely example of the vintage and it will be interesting to see if it always retains a bit of a firm edge from ‘96s massive tannins, or if this eventually blossoms into a classic example of Pape Clément . (Drink between 2018-2050)John Gilman | 91+ JGFull ruby-red. Superripe aromas of roasted plum, black raspberry, woodsmoke and humus. Dense and rather unevolved, but with sound acidity giving it excellent vinosity. Full, quite dry and serious; the substantial dusty tannins coat the entire palate.Vinous Media | 91 VM

The prodigious 1997 Amarone Vigneto Alto TB is reminiscent of Henri Bonneau’s 1990 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Celestins. The lofty 16% alcohol is barely noticeable. Yields were a minuscule 20 hectoliters per hectare. Sadly, there are only 300 cases of this extraordinary Amarone. It boasts notes of smoke, truffle oil, blackberries, plums, and earthy, concentrated black currant jam. Layered, thick, full-bodied, and dry, with extraordinary purity as well as definition, it is an amazing achievement. While not for everybody, this is a singular, impeccably balanced wine. Anticipated maturity: now-2020.Robert Parker | 96 RP

The first release from the 20-acre Thorevilos Vineyard (co-owned by David Abreu and Ric Forman) is the 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Thorevilos, a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. It is a dense, sweet, black currant-flavored effort with hints of scorched earth, cedar, and flowers in the background. Fruit-driven (mostly blue and black fruits), with a Pomerol-like succulence/lushness, it should drink well young, and evolve for 15+ years.Napa Valley’s most gifted vineyard manager, and certainly a must-hire for those looking to develop great vineyards and produce top quality wines, David Abreu continues to fine tune his own estate, producing some of the most prodigious Cabernet Sauvignons in the world.Robert Parker | 92 RP

This wine is superb. With its power and structure it will age over 20 years or more. Backed by blackcurrant and jelly flavors, it shows great fruity attractiveness even at this early stage in its development. It will develop slowly and evenly to become a reference point for the vintage.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEI love the chocolate and blackberry character, with hints of cedar. Nicely perfumes. Full and very creamy, with soft tannins and a long finish. The tannins compliment the creamy texture perfectly, wait two more years to pull the cork. 2012.James Suckling | 94 JSThis elegant St.-Emilion has filled out nicely over the last decade. From barrel and post-bottling, I thought it might turn out austere, but that does not appear to be the case. It offers a deep ruby/purple color as well as copious aromas of black cherries, crushed rocks, and earthy undertones. While not a blockbuster, it is beautifully balanced and pure, revealing slightly more depth and richness than I expected. Drink it now and over the next 10-15 years.Robert Parker | 90 RP

Beautiful aromas of plums, soy, black currants, black raspberries, espresso, and spring flowers jump from the glass of this perfumed, dense plum/ruby/purple-tinged Pomerol. Medium to full-bodied and pure with sweet tannin and impressive extract, it will benefit from 2-3 more years of bottle age, and should last for an additional two decades.Robert Parker | 93 RPThere’s no denying the dense, rather massive core of raspberry, blackberry and boysenberry confiture flavors here, but the core is already showing a lightly dried edge. The finish picks up mulling spice, cocoa and melted licorice notes that compensate for that, but I feel like this is burning the candle at both ends, relying more on oomph than precision.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2023. 2,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

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

Gaja's 2000 Sperss is wonderfully open and radiant. Layers of dark fruit, grilled herbs, cassis and smoke saturate the palate in this powerful, stunningly beautiful Sperss. Gorgeous inner perfume and a long, intense finish round things out in style.Vinous Media | 96 VMIncredible amount of fruit and character in this wine, with mint, mineral, blackberry and plum aromas turning to tobacco and tar. Full-bodied, with an iron-cast core of fruit and velvety tannins and a long, long finish. Incredibly tight and powerful. Give this a decade. From Gaja's 30-acre vineyard in the Barolo-producing zone of Serralunga. Best after 2013. 2,800 cases made, 580 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSGaja’s 2000 Sperss is wonderfully open and radiant. Layers of dark fruit, grilled herbs, cassis and smoke saturate the palate in this powerful, stunningly beautiful Sperss. Gorgeous inner perfume and a long, intense finish round things out in style. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030.Angelo Gaja’s 2000s are a bit of a mystery. The wines were absolutely beautiful upon release and equally impressive when I tasted them a few years later for the 7th edition of Parker’s Wine Buyers Guide. The 2000s were far less convincing when I tasted them in November 2010. All of the wines were initially very reticent and closed. After an hour or two in the glass they opened for about 30 minutes before closing back down again. Gaja thinks the wines are passing through a stage of inaccessibility. If anyone deserves the benefit of the doubt it is Gaja. I can’t remember the last older wine from this cellar that was a disappointment or that hadn’t aged well, and I have been privileged to taste the vast majority of wines that have been made here under Angelo Gaja’s tenure. Time will ultimately tell where these wines are headed, but this was not an especially flattering showing for Gaja’s 2000s. That said, most producers would be thrilled to have wines like these in their cellars. In some ways, Gaja is a victim of his own success. He sets such a high bar with his finest vintages; it is only natural to expect greatness all the time. The 2000s fall a bit short of that mark but are quite strong in the context of the year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

The plushest, most ostentatious and dramatic of all the Leovilles in 2000, this wine is already sumptuous, displaying some nuances in its huge nose of vanilla bean, black chocolate, jammy black cherries, cassis, and graphite in a flamboyant style. Opulent, savory, rich, and full-bodied, it is a head-turning, prodigious wine and a complete contrast to the extracted behemoth of Leoville Barton and the backward, classic Leoville Las Cases. The Poyferre’s low acidity, sweet tannin and an already gorgeous mouthfeel make it a wine to drink now as well as over the next 25 or more years.Robert Parker | 97 RPAbsolutely knockout stuff, the 2000 Léoville Poyferré is a sexy, layered, totally irresistible Bordeaux that’s firing on all cylinders today. Sporting a deep ruby/purple color and blockbuster notes of blackcurrants, lead pencil shavings, cedar and tobacco, this concentrated, powerful 2000 has a rounded, opulent texture, sweet tannin, and a huge finish. It’s a quintessential Poyferré and my only regret is I didn’t buy more. It’s going to keep for another two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDPure and focused, with some still-primal blueberry reduction and plum sauce flavors at first, moving to hints of black currant and fig paste. As this moves along, it shows more development, picking up bay, smoldering cigar and warm ganache notes through the finish. Rich and long, and just starting to hit its stride.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2028. 20,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThis has spices, meat, dark and ripe fruits, and a light sultana character. Full-bodied, tight and firm with a beautiful freshness and great length with notes of licorice and citrus skin. Fascinating stuff. Leave this alone for at least a couple of years. Should be better after 2012.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2000 Léoville Poyferré has a lovely bouquet of brambly red berry fruit, orange peel, sandalwood, ash and a touch of peppermint. Maybe there is just a tiny smidgen of brettanomyces. The palate is medium-bodied and approaching full maturity, with grainy tannins, meat juices, sage, thyme and light white peppery notes surfacing with aeration. There is a straightforwardness to this Saint-Julien that I like, and it has the substance and balance to give another 20 years of drinking pleasure.Vinous Media | 92 VMThis wine is clearly the product of an extremely generous and successful vintage. Even if the following year is where I might go for finesse and staying power, the beauty of the 2000 is instead found in the fullness of the fruit and its frank expression. There are touches of exotic cinnamon, rosemary and grilled almond notes, deepened with layers of olive paste. Great quality, it lingers on the palate. One of the signatures of Château Léoville Poyferré is its willingness to go all out to make wines that are generous and that make you smile; you get the sense with this wine that they enjoy their good fortune and hope that you do too. Drinking Window 2018 - 2036Decanter | 92 DECNo written review provided. | 91 W&S

The 2000 Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne is a huge wine bursting with ripe varietal fruit, smoke, ash, crushed rocks and slate. This is an unusual Comtes that deftly balances richness and power while maintaining considerable minerality. The 2000 will be hard to resist in its youth, but should also age beautifully for a number of years. It is a stunning, flat-out great bottle. This is Lot L0346UJ05700. Disgorged October 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2030.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThe 2000 Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne is a huge wine bursting with ripe varietal fruit, smoke, ash, crushed rocks and slate. This is an unusual Comtes that deftly balances richness and power while maintaining considerable minerality. The 2000 will be hard to resist in its youth, but should also age beautifully for a number of years. It is a stunning, flat-out great bottle. This is Lot L0346UJ05700. Disgorged October 2010.Vinous Media | 96 VMAfter hot weather early in the year, Champagne was hit in 2000 with hail and rain. Fortunately, conditions improved late in the year, and the quality of the final results is sometimes underestimated. I find the Comtes de Champagne delightful, with perhaps more ripe apple than lemon on the nose and a distinct note of butter and brioche. On the palate, the texture of the wine was very fine, with crisp acidity and a lingering finish. Lovely.Decanter | 95 DECA savory, aromatic accent of dried herb and candied orange peel notes mixes with yellow peach, kumquat, honey, graphite and creamy mineral. Very refined and elegant, with finely tuned acidity driving this to the mouthwatering finish. Drink now through 2020. 1,700 cases made, 750 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS I have always liked the 2000 vintage of Comtes de Champagne, and this most recent bottle at our vertical was absolutely singing. The pure and vibrant nose wafts from the glass in a wide open blend of pear, peach, creosote, complex, limestone minerality, blossoming notes of nuttiness, orange peel, brioche and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and really starting to get into its apogee of peak drinkability, with lovely mid-palate concentration, elegant mousse, outstanding focus and grip and a very long, pure, vibrant and wide open finish. This wine has now reached its plateau of maturity, but it will be here for many decades and there is clearly no rush to be drinking the wine, but it is ready and an awfully fine glass of Blanc de Blancs at the present time. (Drink between 2014 - 2035)John Gilman | 94+ JGThis chalky char­donnay yields scents of toasted brioche and apple butter. There’s a lot of creaminess to it, while the nutty savor and precise bubble keeps it firm. For grilled langoustines.Wine & Spirits Magazine | 91 W&S

Tasted blind at Bordeaux Index’s 10-Year On horizontal. A dark garnet colour, this has a lovely nose, a deep well of dark berried fruits with superbly integrated oak. Very fine delineation with touch of raspberry and crushed strawberry, an underlying mineralite really coming through. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins, real backbone here with strong Cabernet Franc lending touches of bell pepper and leafiness towards the long, complex finish. Still very tight, this will benefit from further bottle age.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 95 RP-NMThe 2001 l’Eglise-Clinet is a wine that I have encountered many times both from bottle and magnum. It is a superb Pomerol with a crystalline bouquet that exudes pure red berry fruit laced with smoke and truffle, almost Burgundian in style with immense precision. The palate is medium-bodied with wonderful harmony and precision thanks to its filigree tannin. Such is the elegance on display here that it belies the power and length, ferrous notes, even a hint of curry leaf furnishing the finish. Superb.Vinous Media | 94 VMWild and exotic on the nose, with blackberry, meat and spice. Medium- to full-bodied, with super well–integrated tannins and a lovely balance of fruit and spice on the finish. This is really a beauty—a seductive young wine. Just a few notches below the 2000. Best after 2008. 1,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSDrank this at Robuchon restaurant in Macau. The three-star Michelin restaurant is amazing and has one of the best wine lists in the world. This res is so sexy. Look for 2001 Pomerol. A wine with layers of aromas of licorice, dark chocolate and berries. Violets. Full to medium body with very fine tannins and a long finish. Just coming around. Pure pleasure.James Suckling | 94 JS

Tasted at the La Conseillante vertical at Chez Bruce. The La Conseillante 2001 has a lovely, rounded bouquet with notes of blackberry, loganberry, a touch of espresso and fresh fig that simply wafts from the glass and seduces upon contact. The palate is quite compact at the moment, good acidity with firm tannins, slightly foursquare at first but mellowing in the glass, quite linear towards the finish that refuses to fan out or give much away at the moment. Taciturn, very well crafted and very understated on the finish that has the perfect marriage of fleshiness and dryness to leave the palate eager for more. The ’01 is an exemplar for the estate. Magnificent. Tasted December 2010.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RP-NMAfter a precarious run, the 2001 La Conseillante was as a shoo-in. It has a seductive mélange of red and black fruit, those hints of truffle and white pepper coming through, youthful and brushing off its 21 years effortlessly. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins, plenty of crisp black fruit laced with sage and still offering that cheeky soupçon of curry powder on the persistent finish. This is now reaching its peak and is just a lovely Pomerol.Vinous Media | 94 VMA finessed and balanced vintage, this is full of soft brambled fruits, tobacco and campfire notes, with sculpted fine tannins at 20 years old. Bernard Nicolas was the owner and winemaker at the time, with no outside consultant, so a very different set up at the château than the one you find today. Old school and utterly charming. Harvest September 22 to 30.Decanter | 94 DEC(Château La Conseillante) I had a less than stellar bottle of this wine early on in 2010, so I was very happy to cross paths with a stellar example this year at the estate’s 140th Anniversary luncheon. 2001 has produced some really lovely wines and intuitively, I had suspected that the character of the vintage would match very well indeed with the La Conseillante house style. Happily, this is indeed the case, as this lovely wine offers up a complex and very pure nose of plums, raspberries, a touch of nuttiness, coffee, a fine base of soil and a nice framing of cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite complex, with a fine core of fruit, ripe, measured tannins, very good acidity and excellent length and grip on the still fairly closed finish. This will be an excellent vintage of La Conseillante and will be a real sleeper. (Drink between 2016-2040)John Gilman | 93+ JGBeautiful wine with blackberry, chocolate and floral aromas. Medium- to full-bodied, with silky tannins and a pretty finish. Refined and silky. Not a big Conseillante, but all in finesse and texture. I like it as much as the 2000. Best after 2006. 4,165 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Made in an elegant, surprisingly low key style for La Mondotte, the concentrated, delicious, opaque purple-colored 2001 builds incrementally on the palate. An impressive bouquet of black cherries, creme de cassis, toast, and minerals is followed by a medium to full-bodied effort with nicely integrated wood, acidity, and tannin as well as a long finish. This is a brilliant wine, and one of the finest efforts of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2017.Robert Parker | 94 RPSolid red with loads of spicy, rich berry fruit, with just the hint of spice. Full-bodied, with a well-integrated fruit and tannin structure. Long finish. Tight and firm now. Needs time. This is very serious. Best after 2006. 740 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2001 La Mondotte, which I had tasted twice before, has a pleasant bouquet of raspberry coulis and crushed strawberry scents, hints of peppermint and orange blossom emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with simple red berry fruit, maraschino cherries and touches of blueberry, fine acidity and dark chocolate and espresso notes toward the finish. This was always a more elegant style of La Mondotte, one that did not appeal to me in its youth, but does now. Cropped at 20hl/ha and matured in 100% new oak for 18 months.Vinous Media | 92 VM

The 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Deux Freres elicits “wows”. Aged 60% in neutral wood foudres and 40% in one, two, and three-year old Burgundy barrels, this 2001, which tips the scales at an awesome 16.2% natural alcohol, boasts an inky/purple color along with a sensationally pure bouquet of blackberries, graphite, acacia flowers, licorice, and sweet kirsch liqueur. Unctuously textured and full-bodied, with high tannin as well as a closed personality, this prodigious yet fabulous Chateauneuf du Pape is a potential legend in the making. It requires 3-5 years of cellaring, and should keep for two decades. The texture, purity, and magnificent concentration suggest tiny yields, old vines, and non-interventionalistic winemaking. By the way, this wine represents a selection of the finest lots in the cellar as the sources are the same as for the Cuvee de Mon Aieul, although a large component of Deux Freres is from the Usseglio holdings in the sector of Chateauneuf du Pape called La Crau. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2022+.Robert Parker | 99 RPBright ruby-red. Superripe, roasted aromas of singed red fruits, carob, marzipan and walnut. A huge, roasted wine showing strong evidence of surmaturite; flavors of dried fruits and walnut. With alcohol in the 16% range this is undeniably massive, but I found myself wishing it had more primary fruit and verve. Quite different in style from the Cuvee de Mon Aieul. A rare and expensive bottling, recommended for fans of the type.Vinous Media | 91 VM

No written review provided. | 99 RPDoesn’t give much on the nose, with subtle lemon, honey, tangerine and apricot. Full-bodied and very sweet, with a long finish. Thick and compacted, with loads of mango and sweet candied fruit. Best after 2010. 150 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

Riper than 2000 with sultanas and plums. It’s full with ripe tannins and a juicy finish. Be patient. Try in a year or two.James Suckling | 93 JSBeautiful aromas of berry, currant and toasted oak. Intense currant character. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, intense finish. This is very structured and superclean. Excellent stuff. Best after 2011. 7,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2003 Les Forts de la Tour possesses a dense ruby/plum/purple color in addition to notions of cold steel, lead pencil shavings, and creme de cassis. Full-bodied, opulent, heady, rich, and lush, it can be drunk now or cellared for 15+ years.What can one say about proprietor Francois Pinault and his manager, Frederic Engerer? A strong argument can be made that in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004, Latour produced the wine of the vintage, although it has plenty of competition in the Northern Medoc in 2003. Moreover, the bargains are the estate’s least expensive cuvee, Pauillac, followed by Les Forts de Latour, Latour’s second wine which continues to increase in quality.Robert Parker | 92 RPDeep ruby-red. Wonderfully vinous and sappy for the vintage, with aromas of redcurrant, mineral and spice. Sweet, rich, lush and exotic but with good spice character giving lift to the flavors. A very fine-grained wine that will give relatively early pleasure, but it can’t match the 2004 or 2005 for backbone. Finishes dry and classic, with plenty of richness.Vinous Media | 91 VM

The 2004 Barolo Vigna Croera reveals pretty aromatics and notes of smoke, tar, roses, herbs and the small red fruits that are characteristic of the wines of La Morra. Made in a medium-bodied, delicate style it possesses a graceful, feminine personality and finessed tannins. Even though the wine continued to gain weight in the glass I noted that it was less expressive than when I tasted it from barrel in April 2007. The Croera is made from a high altitude plot in the Serradenari district of La Morra. This site has never been particularly well regarded for Nebbiolo. Long-time oenologist Dante Scaglione told me he expects the vines to only yield top-flight Barolo in truly great vintages. There will be no 2005 or 2006. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020.Bruno Giacosa’s profound 2004s, which I first wrote about in Issue 173, continue with these superb Barolos, all of which merit close attention. I also had a chance to re-taste the 2004 Barbarescos and they were as impressive as they have been on previous occasions.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPBruno Giacosa’s 2004 Barolo Croera is an excellent choice for drinking over the next decade or so. A pretty, understated wine, the Croera offers lovely balance in a feminine style that is typical of La Morra. Rose petal, mint, sage, crushed raspberries and anise shape the aromatic, mid-weight finish. If opened today, the 2004 needs a bit of air to soften the tannins a touch. The Croera is the one and only Barolo Bruno Giacosa made from La Morra. Giacosa eventually sold this parcel after a series of wines that did not meet his exacting standards and were never released. This bottle showed quite a bit better than the bottle I tasted for my recent 2004 Barolo retrospective. As it turns out, both bottles were from the same case I purchased upon release.Antonio Galloni | 90 AGAromas of plum, coffee and dried flowers follow through to a medium body, with silky tannins and a soft, refined finish. A delicate young Barolo. This is a new single-vineyard wine from Giacosa. Best after 2011. 600 cases made, 50 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Far more captivating, the 2004 Brunello di Montalcino appears to have barely budged since it was released a few years back. Stylistically, the 2004 remains one of the more mid-weight vintages at Salvioni, yet it is so finessed. Remarkably fresh and nuanced, the 2004 has all the qualities that made it so appealing when it was a young wine. Everything is simply in the right place. What a gorgeous wine this is.Vinous Media | 97 VMSalvioni’s 2004 Brunello di Montalcino is made in a style that brilliantly reconciles a modern approach in the vineyards (tiny yields, full phenolic ripeness) with a traditional approach to winemaking (long macerations, cask aging). An explosive, super-ripe wine, this Brunello flows from the glass with mesmerizing richness and stunning balance. The gorgeous red fruit carries through all the way to the finish, where flowers, tobacco and spices add further complexity. In many ways, Salvioni’s Brunello di Montalcino is the region’s equivalent to Giacomo Conterno’s Barolo Cascina Francia, a wine with which it shares many attributes. Simply put, this is a gem from Giulio Salvioni, and it is not to missed! Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPShows aromas of clove, vanilla, blueberry and cherry. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a fruity, chewy tannin finish. Needs some bottle age to mellow a little. Best after 2011. 725 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The purity of fruit in this is fascinating with plums, currants and other dark fruits. Then there is another layer of spices and chocolate. So much cassis. Full and very layered with chewy polished tannins and a long, long finish. Just starting to open. Changes all the time.James Suckling | 99 JSA lesson in genuinely great wine, the 2005 Cos d’Estournel is a monster of a wine that delivers an incredible level of opulence and decadence while staying weightless and elegant on the palate, with no sensation of heaviness. This is what truly great wine is all about. Based on 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, and the final 4% Cabernet Franc, this dense ruby/plum-hued Saint-Estèphe offers up a monster bouquet of blackcurrants, unsmoked tobacco, licorice, toasted bread, classy oak, and cedar pencil. While it starts out reserved and almost understated, this is a wine that blossoms with air (I drank this bottle over two days, showing best on day two). Full-bodied, powerful, and decadent on the palate, with moderate acidity, it has a wealth of silky tannins, a stacked mid-palate, and a great, great finish. It reminds me of the 2009, if not an improved 1982, or even a slightly fresher 2003. Regardless, it’s a thrilling wine in every sense, and I fear with the focus on acidity and freshness in today’s wine world, we might not see this style of great wine for some time.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDWhile I am not convinced the 2005 Cos d’Estournel will eclipse the compelling 2003 Cos, it is unquestionably another superb classic from proprietor Michel Reybier and his brilliant winemaker, Jean-Guillaume Prats. Made from an unusually high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (78%) and the balance mostly Merlot with a tiny dollop of Cabernet Franc, this superb effort requires plenty of time in the bottle. It boasts an inky/purple color as well as a glorious perfume of licorice, Asian spices, creme de cassis, blackberries, and toasty oak. This full-bodied St.-Estephe is exceptionally powerful, pure, and dense with a layered mid-palate that builds like a skyscraper. While there are massive tannins, they are remarkably velvety and well-integrated in this big, backstrapping effort that should enjoy an unusually long life. Forget it for 8-10 years, and drink it between 2017-2040.Robert Parker | 98 RPThe 2005 Cos d’Estournel is a vintage that I have encountered several times over the years. Here, as part of a 2005 horizontal of the top Bordeaux, it mirrors previous bottles. It has a tightly-wound bouquet at first with blackberry, scorched earth, juniper and hints of leather. More backward that its peers and clearly requiring another three to five years or an extremely long decant. The palate is robust, masculine, dense and yet comes with fine tannins and plenty of energy. It has a precision that derives from its propitious terroir and yet there is no question that it needs 15, perhaps 20 years before it will reach its drinking plateau. Tasted at the Goedhuis’s 2005 Bordeaux pre-dinner tasting at the Savoy in London.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGSaint-Estèphe has a reputation for tannins, and this 2005 Cos lives up to that. But it does much more, because the tannins add richness along with intensely ripe black fruits, dark plums and figs. The dense tannins are finely balanced with fresh acidity, and a long-lasting aftertaste. Impressive.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEStill tight despite a gorgeous wave of rich melted licorice, fig bread, warm plum compote and steeped blackberry flavors. Lovely alder, black tea and balsam wood details give this added range and a sense of detail through the finish before a wall of graphite-edged grip shows up. We’re still in wait mode here.—Blind ’01/’03/’05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Best from 2020 through 2040. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThis inky, dark wine is seductive and immediately approachable, with a nose of sweet black fruit touched with honey and a bit of earth. The texture is silky and dense but not lacking in substance or structure. The blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot with a bit of Cabernet Franc was one of the leading lights in the appellation in 2005, as is often the case. Drinking now, it should continue to improve for decades. (Drink between 2021-2040)Decanter | 95 DECJean-Guillaume Prats allowed the vintage to steer Cos toward unprecedented power in 2005; the wine comes in at 13.95 percent alcohol, and it’s grand in every sense. It smells like first-growth juice, with the kind of oak integration that accentuates the wine’s beauty rather than masks it. You can feel the tart black cherry fruit and the black tannin along with a burn in the end that is distinct to this vintage. With several days of air, the tumble and rush of the structure settles and the fruit becomes all-powerful, a taut density of sweet purple plum. There’s little doubt this will be an astonishing wine at 12 to 15 years of age; its ripeness leads into uncharted territory after that, which makes Cos one of the more interesting wines of the vintage to watch. Diageo Château & Estate Wines, NYWine & Spirits | 95 W&S

A gorgeously silky, juicy and balanced glass of wine, this combines elegant richness of sweet cocoa and blackberry, with tons of power and a feeling of holding itself in check. This is signature St Julien, concentrated yet delicate, just an utterly lovely wine that has good acidity, with tannins that have melted into the rest of the structure and fruit that is still absolutely in control, followed by a saline edge to the finish. There’s a long road ahead still, but this is a standout Ducru. Drinking Window 2019 - 2040Decanter | 98 DECThe 2005 Ducru Beaucaillou is a 10,000-case blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot (they used to produce 18,000-20,000 cases). It is an exceptionally powerful wine with a dense purple color, superb intensity, and a beautiful, sweet nose of spring flowers, raspberries, blueberries, graphite, and creme de cassis. Full-bodied with fabulous concentration, exceptionally high tannin, good acidity, and massive layers of richness that build incrementally on the palate, this monumental effort is more structured than their outstanding 2003. It may be the finest wine produced at this estate since the 1982 and 1961 Ducrus. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2050.Robert Parker | 97 RPThis offers dreamy aromas of singed mesquite and warm fruitcake that meld into a lush swath of mulled currant, fig and boysenberry fruit flavors. Black tea and incense notes skitter throughout, with a mouthwatering iron edge buried deeply.—Blind ’01/’03/’05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Best from 2020 through 2040. 10,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSA nice, complex wine with notes of flowers, berries and leather in the nose. Full-bodied, with pure fruit that turns from light raspberry to cherry jam. This is balanced and silky, a beautiful harmony. Give this some time if you can.James Suckling | 95 JS94-96 Barrel sample. Huge blackcurrant fruits dominate a wine that is powerful and showing very ripe. There are flavors of smoky, balanced tannins, bitter cherries, black figs. As all the great wines in 2005, it finishes with a delicious lift of acidity.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WE(contains a relatively high percentage of merlot, in the range of 30%) Good deep ruby-red. Wonderfully sweet, aromatic nose combines currant, chocolate and cedary oak. Fat, lush and silky, with atypical volume to the flavors of plum, tobacco and chocolate. Wonderfully supple, plump wine with layers of flavor, thoroughly sweet tannins and compelling aromatic persistence. Today the wine’s substantial baby fat is masking its impressive underlying power. According to Borie, this 2005 combines the best traits of the chateau’s 2003 and 2000.Vinous Media | 94 VMDucru delivers absolute deliciousness in 2005, a refined and elegant pleasure that just feels right in the end. It could be that after all the sleek, floral beauty, the polished chocolate-truffle tannin, there’s a formidable grip that tightens around the finish. Suddenly it feels as hard as iron. If the aromatic beauty of the fruit can survive while the tannin matures, this could well be a wine to covet in 20 years.Wine & Spirits | 94 W&S(Château Ducru-Beaucaillou) The 2005 Ducru-Beaucaillou, which was also raised in one hundred percent new wood, will have no difficulty carrying its new oak to the finish line and is a superb young vintage of this fabled estate. The nose is deep, pure and shows off a lovely tang to its aromatic mélange of black cherries, cassis, a touch of blood orange, tobacco leaf, soil and cedar. On the palate the wine is fullish, deep and rock solid at the core, with a nice girdle of tangy acidity, excellent focus and grip and a very long, ripely tannic finish. Today there is just a touch of oak spice that sticks out on the backend, but this should be absorbed with no difficulty over the next couple of years and the 2005 Ducru-Beaucaillou should prove to be one of the reference point vintages for this property. (Drink between 2020-2070)John Gilman | 93 JG

Open-knit yet deep and powerful, the 2005 Les Forts de Latour is striking today. The pedigree of the vintage comes through in spades. Expressive, perfumed aromatics meld into a core of supple, open-knit fruit in a mid-weight, impeccably balanced Forts de Latour. Hints of red fruit, iron, smoke and tobacco add lovely shades of nuance. Latour’s President Frédéric Engerer adds that that 2005 was the easiest and most balanced growing season (including 2009 and 2010) he has seen because his team had the total flexibility of choosing when to harvest.Vinous Media | 94 VMShows blackberry, coffee, cedar, and raisin on the nose, turning to licorice and fresh flowers. Full-bodied, with refined, silky tannins and a long finish. Balanced and juicy. Builds on the palate, with currant, licorice and mineral character, followed by a powerful finish. An amazing second wine. Best after 2015. 13,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSVery classy with plenty of raspberry, currant, and licorice character. This is dense and compacted on the palate. Leave it for at least two or three years from now.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2005 Les Forts de Latour is another beautiful wine from this estate. Medium to full-bodied, with a dense ruby/purple color, loads of blackcurrant fruit, earth, and spice, the wine is extremely pure, broad, savory, and quite expensive. This is a fabulous second wine, but in essence, this is really of classified growth quality. Drink it over the next 20+ years.Robert Parker | 93 RP(Les Forts de Latour) The 2005 Forts de Latour is a superb and very classic wine in the making. I last tasted this at the château in the spring of 2013, at which time it was still seven to ten years away from really starting to blossom. The bouquet offers up a pure and very promising blend of cassis, dark berries, espresso, cigar smoke, a fine base of dark soil and a deft framing of nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep. full-bodied and impressively pure on the attack, with an excellent core of fruit, fine acids, ripe tannins, and superb length and grip on the still youthful finish. I would guess now that another five years or so should be sufficient for this wine to truly start to open up and drink with a modicum of generosity. It will be excellent and long-lived. (Drink between 2022-2060)John Gilman | 92 JGAlways the equivalent of many classed growths, Les Forts de Latour is hardly a second wine, deriving from a particular parcel of the Latour vineyard. This 2005 is beautifully balanced, with lively fresh acidity, dense tannins and ripe, juicy black fruits. The acidity stays right to the end.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEIt took four days after this bottle was first opened for the wine to shed the tough, reductive character in the tannin and begin to show the plump claret this will become with time. What initially feels dark, ripe and dry-as-a-drought turns toward juicy red and black currant fruit underlined by pleasantly bitter chocolate tannin. Les Forts is produced from the young vines at Latour’s Grand Enclos (the main vineyard) from lots that do not make it into the first wine, plus selections from three other estate parcels.Wine & Spirits | 91 W&S

(Domaine Marquis d’Angerville Volnay "Champans" 1er Cru Red) Remarkably this has changed relatively little since my initial in-bottle review amost 10 years ago as the ripe raspberry liqueur-like nose evidences hints of spice, violets, earth and underbrush. The vibrant, pure, round and naturally sweet medium-bodied flavors possess excellent intensity on the precise, powerful and mineral-driven finish. There is a beautiful tension to this wine and while there is a serious tannic backbone, this seems supple on the mid-palate because the structure is so well-buffered. This is still very much on the way up and should easily see its 50th birthday (and many more) in superb condition. As such I would strongly advise letting this beauty continue to slumber. (Drink starting 2025)Burghound | 94 BHOne of the three batches that will be blended to make up d ‘Angerville’s 2005 Volnay Champans was still in malo, so I base my assessment on the other two. Scented with cherry and cassis, flowers and fungus, smoke and chalk dust, this displays richness and depth, fine tannins and emerging silkiness, and a youthfully firm but long finish loaded with savory subtleties. Just give it 6-8 years before revisiting. (The outstanding d’Angerville 2004s were also very late to finish malo, and the Champans is especially memorable for its vivid sauteed champignons, alluring ginger spice, marrowy richness, and flattering mouth feel, indeed comparable in quality though lacking the developmental potential of this 2005. As a striking example of mercantile bipolar disorder, I purchased this outstanding 2004 for $49.99 from a merchant whose price on the 2005 thus represented a 350% premium!)Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPGood full red. Reticent nose suggests cherry, licorice, flowers and truffle. Displays the copious sweetness of the vintage but with terrific focus and underlying spine. A stony, minerally pinot with real delicacy and cut. The long, noble finish offers a lovely combination of silk and stone and enticing lingering perfume. An archetypical Volnay that combines structure and charm: I wouldn’t be surprised if this merited an even higher score eight or ten years from now.Vinous Media | 93 VMRigid now, with cherry, mineral and smoke notes backed by burly tannins. Yet, it’s elegant in stature, concentrated and built for the long haul. Closed up already, but be patient. Best from 2014 through 2028. 150 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS(Marquis d’Angerville Volnay “Champans”) By all indications, this will be a great vintage for the Champans chez d’Angerville. This can often be one of the more recalcitrant young wines in the cellar, but it is showing remarkable refinement out of the blocks. The bouquet offers up notes of cherries, red berries, coffee, lovely minerality and a touch of spicy oak. On the palate the wine is deep, fullish and intensely flavored, with again simply striking purity, excellent focus and balance, and a long, moderately tannic and tangy finish. Fine juice. (Drink between 2012-2035)John Gilman | 92-93 JG

Owned by Bernard Magrez, this great terroir a few miles from Haut Brion and La Mission Haut Brion has produced one of the superstars of the vintage. A blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, Pape Clement’s 2005 has an opaque purple color and smoky barbecue and chocolaty notes intermixed with cassis and blackberries. There is also some underlying minerality in this full-bodied, super-concentrated wine, which has wonderfully sweet, well-integrated tannins. This majestic, multidimensional wines is one of the great, great wines of the vintage. It should drink well for at least another 25 years.Robert Parker | 99 RPThe 2005 Pape Clément is a blockbuster. Rich, heady and explosive, the 2005 packs a serious punch. Inky black fruit, new leather, spice, menthol, chocolate, gravel and scorched earth are all kicked up in this decidedly flamboyant Pessac-Léognan. The 2005 boasts tremendous depth, but equally lavish new oak. Even with all of the oak, the 2005 is fabulous. It just could have been more, a lot more. Ultimately, the 2005 is a wine of its era more than anything else.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGDark in color, offering wonderful aromas of licorice, berry, fresh tobacco and currant, with Indian spices. Complex and full-bodied, with supersilky tannins that caress every inch of the palate. Long and satisfying. A joy to taste this young wine. Best after 2015. 7,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSIn addition to the gravel soils, what distinguishes this historic Péssac property is an alluvial deposit from the Gironde, which left a layer of sand in some portions of the vineyard, a layer of clay in others. It was holy ground of the church in the 13th century; this latest vintage seems to reverberate with numinous warmth. It feels plump with fat currant flavor when first opened, developing more muscular structure over the course of several days. The tannins have a pebbly articulation, a terroir character that extends the flavor of the wine and seems to guarantee its greatness over the coming decades.Wine & Spirits | 94 W&SThis wine has great spice, nutmeg and black fig flavors. It is full of deep, brooding tannins, and packed with intense acidity. It’s fresh but has good concentration.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE