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The 2000 Les Forts de Latour has a very perfumed and floral bouquet, beautifully defined, precise and precocious; hints of eucalyptus emerge with time. The palate is well balanced and intense, delivering black fruit laced with mint and tar. The concentrated finish gently grips the mouth. This is only just beginning to show what it can do.Vinous Media | 95 VMSome call it the second wine of the great first growth of Latour. But it’s a unique wine on its own. It shows blueberry, raspberry and other dark-berry character. It’s so round and delicious, why wait?James Suckling | 94 JSSuper enticing aromas of crushed raspberries, Indian spices and hints of vanilla. Full-bodied, with a refined and tight tannin structure and a long, refreshing finish. A beauty. Best Les Forts in years. Best after 2009. 11,665 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2000 Les Forts de Latour is a seriously endowed wine with notes of black walnuts, black currants, crushed rock, tobacco and spice box. Full-bodied, luscious but still in need of another 2-3 years to hit full maturity, it certainly can evolve for another 15 or more years, and looks to be slightly richer and longer-lived than I originally predicted.My original ratings appear to have been dead on the money for both of these efforts from Chateau Latour.Robert Parker | 92 RP

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

From magnum, a youthful colour, reflecting slow evolution. Aromas of cedar, lead pencil, roasted and primary fruit. Fine grained, noticeable tannin. Excellent balance of power and smooth texture. Noé Tesseron described it as ’older school Pauillac’, and I liked it a lot. Long finish. Aged 60% new oak. (Drink between 2021-2045)Decanter | 95 DECUpgraded in score over my original rating, which was several points lower, Alfred Tesseron has done a remarkable job since 1994 with Pontet-Canet, which has been hitting first-growth levels since 2003. But the 2000 also shows exceptionally well. In need of another decade of cellaring, this dense purple wine has a classic nose of incense, charcoal, creme de cassis, and subtle new oak. Full-bodied, powerful, still very tannic, and shockingly backward, this is a big, rich wine that has put on weight and seems to need more time than I originally predicted. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2035+.Robert Parker | 94+ RPI drank this fabulous 2000 Pontet-Canet in Hong Kong last summer at home with family. It was a wonderfully complex wine that was really starting to show its best. On the nose it displayed tar and currants with hints of dried fruits and berries. It was full-bodied yet so refined and delicious at the same time.James Suckling | 94 JSDeep red-ruby. Explosive nose combines raspberry, roasted currant, grilled nuts and exotic spices. Rich, sexy, silky and full in the mouth, with expressive flavors of black raspberry, game, smoke and truffle. Finishes with strong but suave tannins and excellent length. St. JulienVinous Media | 93 VMA lovely lead-in of singed cedar and vanilla notes gives way to slightly taut, racy red and black currant fruit flavors that drive nicely through an iron-edged finish. Rather sleek and tightly focused, relying more on minerality than power.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2023. 2,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThis is a very modern style of wine, with generous new wood and super-ripe fruit flavors, balancing with polished solid tannins. Very international in style, it is good, but could come from anywhere.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

The best since the 1990, the 2000 Pichon-Longueville Baron is just now starting to shed some baby fat and develop additional complexity and layers. This still ruby/plum-colored beauty boasts a phenomenal nose of blackcurrants, tobacco leaf, lead pencil shavings, and new saddle leather. It’s deep, full-bodied, and sexy, with incredible amounts of texture and opulence that keeps you coming back to the glass. It makes a mockery of so many Bordeaux today that are made in a so-called elegant style yet lack the fat, richness, and density to ever hit this high a level. With low acidity, beautiful purity of fruit, sweet tannins, and a great finish, it’s in the early to middle range of its drink window (I love it today) and has another two decades of sensational drinking ahead. Readers wanting to know what truly great Bordeaux tastes like should open a bottle of this!Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThis is one of the great wines of the vintage, and certainly a candidate for one of the finest wines made at this estate under the management of Christian Seeley and proprietor AXA. Showing incredibly well at two tastings of 2000s, the wine has a dense bluish/purple color and a beautiful nose of incense, melted asphalt, and creme de cassis as well as hints of new saddle leather and licorice. It is superbly concentrated and very pure, with excellent texture and opulence. The acidity seems low, the tannin high but well-integrated. This is a compelling 2000 that is just closing in on its window of maturity and should stay there for at least 20 or more years. Bravo!Robert Parker | 97 RPA rich and spicy wine with lots of walnuts, dried berry and plum. Full and very savory. So much tobacco and sous bois. Roasted fruit too. Classic 2000. Drink now.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2000 Pichon Baron is consistent with the bottle tasted at the vertical back in 2018. It has a very elegant nose featuring a mixture of red and black fruit, fresh mint and touches of graphite (though in this bottle, it is not quite as prominent). The palate is medium-bodied with a crisp entry, offering vibrant black fruit laced with graphite and dried blood; I find more complexity here compared to the 2000 Pichon-Lalande that I tasted at the property just an hour earlier. Quite spicy and peppery, leading to a vibrant finish. This is imbued with wonderful tension. A Pauillac that is approaching its peak.Vinous Media | 95 VMRock-solid, with a block of currant, fig and blackberry paste notes forming the core, while youthful brambly-edged grip still holds sway throughout. Lots of enticing licorice root and sweet tobacco flavors wait in reserve, and there’s nice lift from a light savory hint at the very end. Still has a ways to go.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2028.Wine Spectator | 94 WS(Château Pichon Baron, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) On the nose, graphite notes combine with black fruit including prunes, which highlight its solar character, but a minty and floral freshness adds aromatic lift after aeration. Similar impression on the palate with a juicy yet elegant mouthfeel that has a tightly-wound yet harmonious structure. Now at its apogee. (Drink between 2022-2030)Decanter | 93 DEC