Wine Varietals

wines

The perfumed, candied cherry-scented 1999 Chambolle-Musigny Les Fuees (domaine) is medium to dark ruby-colored. This soft, pure, and perfumed wine is lush, opulent, and sexy. Medium-bodied, filled with cherries, candied raspberries, talcum powder, and perfume, this supple wine possesses a long, super-ripe tannin-filled finish. Drink it over the next 10 years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RPRed-ruby. Musky, perfumed aromas of spicy red berries and bitter chocolate. Lovely sweetness on entry, then tightly wound and solidly structured, with firm acids and a stony backbone beneath. Finishes with very good length.Vinous Media | 88-91 VM

A mouthful of wine that packs in lots of rich, deep, plush and concentrated flavors, with tiers of currant, blackberry, raspberry and wild berry fruit. Well-integrated tannins smooth out the finish. Drink now through 2010. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 1,475 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSGood full medium ruby. Superripe aromas of black fruits, maple syrup, mocha and graphite; at once roasted and vibrant. Supersweet in the mouth, with sappy black fruit and mineral flavors over a firm backbone. Shapelier and a bit less roasted than the 2000, with firm supporting backbone. This is very impressively concentrated California merlot; the fruit spreads out and builds on the very long, firmly tannic back end. I underrated this wine from barrel a year ago.Vinous Media | 93 VM

Austere in its aromas but the flavors of black cherry, blackberry and dark chocolate build nicely from the beginning to the long aftertaste. Very tightly knit, with intensity, structure, loads of finesse and plenty to give overall. Non-blind Petrolo Galatrona vertical (November 2021). Drink now through 2033. 400 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe extremely concentrated, massive, full-bodied 1999 Galatrona takes Merlot to the limits of ripeness and intensity. This is "extreme" Merlot, but wow, what an impressive wine. Made from 100% Merlot aged in 100% new French oak, this opaque purple-colored 1999 exhibits phenomenally ripe notes of jammy blackberry and cherry fruit intermixed with roasted coffee and pain grille. Unctuously-textured and thick, with moderate tannin, this huge, viscous wine needs to settle down, but there is unbelievable upside potential to the raw materials present in the bottle. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2020.Robert Parker | 95 RPVery dark almost impenetrable ruby, this has no rim. Very deep aromas and flavors of smoky black plum, tar, shoe polish, smoky vanilla, and rosemary. Plush and palate-coating, becomes spicier with air and finishes with superb length, clarity and harmonious tannins.Vinous Media | 94 VM

This was a magical bottle of the 1999 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Cuvée Vieilles Vignes, a wine that’s just beginning to hit its stride as it approaches its 20th birthday, unfurling in the glass with aromas of red berries, cassis, dark chocolate, cinnamon, dried rose petals and orange rind. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and immensely concentrated, with a broad attack, lovely acids and a formidable reserve of creamy old-vine fruit, structured around a chalky chassis of tannin that evokes the great old Burgundies of yesteryear. Concluding with a long and expansive finish, this is still a young wine, and another two decades of aging won’t be a problem. But it’s now clear that this ranks as one of Ponsot’s greatest recent hits—and one of the high points of this reputed vintage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPA spicy, ripe and relatively expressive nose features superbly complex aromas that combine maturing red, black and dark berry fruit elements along with plenty of pungent earth character. There is terrific intensity to the seductively sappy and concentrated broad-shouldered but well-detailed flavors that offer knock out power. This really does a slow build from the attack all the way to the explosive finish that lingers for minutes. As impressive as the wine is however, the structure has once again begun to assert itself and thus it will likely need another 5 to 8 years of cellar time to be at its best. Tasted thrice recently with similar results though, somewhat worryingly, a fourth bottle displayed enough brett to notice.Burghound | 96 BHGood dark red. An initial touch of reduction to the aromas of raspberry, minerals, mocha and musky woodsmoke. Wonderfully sweet and lively on the palate; an outstanding expression of soil, with plush, fine-grained flavors of red berries, smoke, minerals and exotic Asian spices conveying an impression of finesse that’s striking for such a rich, powerful wine. The very long, mounting finish displays balsamic notes of cedar and sandalwood and benefits from strong, perfectly integrated tannins. New winemaker Alexandre Abel considers this wine too young to drink but would double-decant it if you do (my bottle had simply been uncorked two hours before I tasted it).Vinous Media | 96 VM(Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes- Ponsot) I should note that there is a provisional aspect to my enthusiasm for this wine, as this note dates back to the first couple of 1999 in the bottle tastings in late 2001 and early 2002. If this wines remains as strong as it initially appeared upon its arrival here, then the Clos de la Roche will be the first Clos de la Roche to issue forth from the domaine since the 1991. The nose is deep, packed with fruit and very primary, with layers of plum, cherry, vinesmoke, game, loads of soil tones, mustard seed, dark chocolate, and other herbs soaring from the glass. On the palate the wine is big, full and opulent, with great underlying structure, plenty of ripe tannins buried in fruit, and superb focus that the powerful 1997 never displayed this early in its youth. For those that have been hankering for another monument of Ponsot Clos de la Roche, the 1999 may well be the vintage. I only hope that it is able to maintain the freshness that it is currently showing. 2012-2050. 95 (if it stays the course and does not start to taste prematurely senile as the 1998 is now doing). (Drink between 2012-2050)John Gilman | 95 JG

The dark ruby-colored 1999 Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape admirably conceals its 15% alcohol. With serious structure and tannin, this medium to full-bodied, closed 1999 offers beautiful, sweet kirsch liqueur notes in the aromatics and on the attack, but it tightens in the finish.Robert Parker | 92 RPMedium red-ruby. Smoky redcurrant nose, with hints of game, leather and pepper; surmuri notes of dried fruits. Fat but quite fine; less sweet and fruit-driven today than the Pignan but more complex, more serious. This has solid structure for aging. "The Pignan always tastes better young than Rayas," Reynaud points out.Vinous Media | 91+ VM

(bottled entirely in magnums) Saturated medium ruby. Superripe aromas of raspberry, minerals, dried rose, bitter chocolate and roasted oak, complicated by tangy spices and hints of exotic fruit. Lush, suave and very deep, with superb fruit intensity and sheer density of material (Voerzio says the yield here was just 22 hectoliters per hectare). The powerful but fine tannins saturate the palate, but arrive quite late, allowing the fruit to blossom on the back.Vinous Media | 94+ VMShows an amazing combination of ripe fruit, mineral and flowers, with subtle new wood. Full and concentrated, displaying seamless tannins and gorgeous fruit. Complex and complete.—’99 Piedmont blind retrospective (2009). Drink now. 125 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 1999 Barolo Sarmassa is complete, with licorice, caramel and chocolate aromas, much length and vigor on the palate, substantial depth and concentration, and a texture which indicates that some time will be needed. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2016.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

Intensely Chardonnay, this beautiful wine, named after the ancient rulers of Champagne, is pure mineral, green and citrus fruits, a steely shaft of pure concentration. Now just with a light touch of toast, this still will mature for several years.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 1999 Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne is beautiful. Understated at first, and also, surprisingly accessible, the 1999 Comtes de Champagne backs up its open, inviting personality with considerable muscle married to vibrant, pure fruit. The long, polished finish bursts with Chardonnay character. As is often the case, Comtes is at its best when it has been opened for at least 1-2 hours, or, even better, with a decade or more of bottle age. This is going to be a fascinating Comtes to follow in the coming years and decades. This is Lot L8283UI00600, disgorged August/September, 2008 (not indicated on label). Anticipated maturity: 2012-2039. Taittinger is one of Champagne’s most consistent large brands. The flagship Comtes de Champagne and Comtes de Champagne Rose, two of the finest wines in the region, sometimes fly under the radar, but they are both super-pedigreed wines with brilliant track records for developing considerable complexity in bottle. Readers who want to learn more about the estate and Comtes in particular may want to take a look at my article on www.erobertparker.com published earlier in the year. Taittinger does so many things well, but it would be great to see the estate add disgorgement dates to its labels. Importer: Kobrand Corp., Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7756Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThis shows a gorgeous apple, cream and sliced pineapple character. Full and fresh and bright. Always one of my favorite Champers, especially Blanc de Blanc.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 1999 Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne is beautiful. Understated at first, and also, surprisingly accessible, the 1999 Comtes de Champagne backs up its open, inviting personality with considerable muscle married to vibrant, pure fruit. The long, polished finish bursts with Chardonnay character. As is often the case, Comtes is at its best when it has been opened for at least 1-2 hours, or, even better, with a decade or more of bottle age. This is going to be a fascinating Comtes to follow in the coming years and decades. This is Lot L8283UI00600, disgorged August/September, 2008 (not indicated on label).Vinous Media | 95 VM(Taittinger Comte de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut) The 1999 Comtes de Champagne is a lovely bottle of wine that is now drinking very well. Given how ripe the ’99 vintage was in Champagne, the elegance and structural integrity of this bottling is most impressive, as it offers up an utterly classic bouquet of pear, delicious apple, a touch of tangerine, crème patissière, incipient notes of nutskin, glorious chalkiness, brioche and a classically smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and beautifully balanced, with excellent mid-palate intensity, bright acids, excellent focus and mousse and lovely grip on the long, complex and wide open finish. This is a touch more broad-shouldered than the equally fine 2000 Comtes, and the two vintages make lovely bookends. (Drink between 2014 - 2035)John Gilman | 94 JGThis was quite an unusual year, with higher temperatures than normal but also more rainfall. The nose is quite sweet with the scent of honey, and layers of ripe fruit with a hint of vanilla. The palate is opulent, with some coconut oil and caramel characters balanced with subtle toasted oak. It has a long, rich finish and fine acidity.Decanter | 92 DECA fine 1999, this wine is saturated with fruit while still feeling constricted by its youthful structure. Complex scents of pineapple, flint and musk broaden out into a clean, juicy finish. With the pale elegance of a great blanc de blancs, this is developing complexity as it ages.Wine & Spirits Magazine | 92 W&SToasted brioche, mushroom, vanilla and candied citrus flavors mark this delicate Champagne. This is more compelling up front, but balanced and appealing for its poise and texture. Drink now through 2020.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Dark, ripe and spicy. Intense aromas of blackberries, raisins and spices. Full-bodied and thick, with lots of raisin, currant and green tobacco character. Long finish. A thick and velvety style of red. Cabernet Sauvignon. Best after 2004. 1,400 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

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

The 2000 possesses an impenetrable black/purple color as well as a sumptuous bouquet of melted licorice, creosote, new saddle leather, blackberry and cherry fruit as well as roasted meats. Sweet and full-bodied, with great intensity, huge power, and a finish that lasts for 67 seconds by my watch, this is an amazing tour de force in winemaking. Even in a flattering, forward-styled vintage such as 2000, it will need 7-8 years of cellaring, yet this is the most accessible Jacques Perrin I have tasted. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040.Robert Parker | 99 RP(the blend, based on 60% mourvedre, was to have been bottled a week after my visit) Saturated bright deep ruby. Incredible kaleidoscope of a nose: blackberry, currant, violet, espresso, bitter chocolate, truffle, eucalyptus, gibier, licorice, pepper and wild spices. Similarly multifaceted in the mouth; hugely concentrated and lush but lively and light on its feet. This boasts an extraordinary core of dark fruit. Finishes extremely long, juicy and young. This is even stronger than it appeared to be a year ago. In comparison to this wine, the 1999 version, which I retasted alongside the 2000, was a bit more port-like, with strong notes of fruit cake and maple syrup and a superripe, chocolatey finish; I rated the wine 96 but felt that the 2000 showed even greater long-term potential.Vinous Media | 95-98 VMA wine that continues to show beautifully is the 2000 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin. Still vibrant ruby-colored with an incredible nose of blackcurrants, beef blood, truffle, incense and cured meats, it’s a huge, opulent, concentrated 2000 that has a stacked mid-palate, sweet tannin, no hard edges and a finish that just won’t quit. It’s a heavenly red that can be enjoyed anytime over the coming two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDA seducer, this Old World blockbuster dazzles with its class. Ultrarich, pitch-black, it remains elegant and refined despite its monster structure, but it’s open-knit, delivering earthy, mineral, iron and wet fur character along with the plum and blackberry. Long, refined finish. Drink now through 2025. 500 cases made. — PMWine Spectator | 95 WS(Château de Beaucastel, Hommage à Jacques Perrin, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, Red) Bloody on the nose, fresh meat and iron. Mature now, with some earthy notes among the autumnal fruits underpinned by a distinctly spicy aromatic vein. Only medium-bodied, ready to drink now, in fact it’s time to drink up - it’s unlikely to improve. Sappy acidity and a touch of polished wood on the finish. Tannins are a little lacking in finesse, but there’s good complexity and a regal touch - ageing royalty. (Drink between 2020-2022)Decanter | 94 DEC(Châteauneuf du Pape “Hommage à Jacques Perrin”- Château de Beaucastel) The 2000 Hommage from Château de Beaucastel is quite marked by brettanomyces and this will affect one’s appreciation of the wine, depending on one’s tolerance of brett. The bouquet is a mix of cassis, saddle leather, a fair bit of barnyard, dark soil tones and a topnote of bonfires. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and classically proportioned, with a good core, moderate tannins and a long, nascently complex finish that closes with good grip. If one really dislikes brett, then deduct several points from my score, but for those with some tolerance, this is a good bottle in the making- though still in need of far more time in the cellar to really blossom! (Drink between 2025-2055)John Gilman | 92 JG

Absolutely firing on all cylinders and with an open, borderline slutty profile, the 2000 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a dream on the nose, showing complex, meaty aromas of black truffle, spice rack, charcuterie, and garrigue. There’s fantastic intensity here and you can smell this wine as soon as the bottle is opened. Just as good on the palate, the wine sports a medium to full-bodied, ripe profile, perfect balance, and a dazzling finish that has you looking for another glass. I’m a fan and while this will no doubt continue to shine, don’t hesitate to pop bottles now.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThe opaque ruby/purple-colored 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape offers a profoundly sweet perfume of melted licorice, blackberries, and black cherries backed up by loads of glycerin, full body, and moderately high but sweet, well-integrated tannin. There is a seamlessness to the 2000 that will make it accessible early in life, and thus atypical for Beaucastel. The 1985 behaved in this manner when young, but the 2000 possesses even more stuffing. Like its 2001 sibling, it is a classic blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise, and the balance other permitted varietals. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025.Robert Parker | 94 RPA sunshine vintage resulting in early harvesting at the end of August. Reasonably sweet on the nose, with jammy red and black fruit aromas and spice notes. The palate is full-bodied and round with a fine acidity and subtle oak character. Precise, with depth of fruit and well-integrated tannins. Drinking Window 2020 - 2035Decanter | 94 DECRed-ruby. Roasted aromas of black fruits, leather, maple syrup and mocha. Initially a bit tight on the palate, but showed a lush, seamless texture as it opened in the glass, without losing its definition. Not quite as dense as the 2001 but very full in the mouth, with a higher-pH impression. Finishes very long, with the ripe tannins coating the front teeth.Vinous Media | 93 VMClean and fresh, bursting with fruit and spices. Full-bodied, it delivers some game, truffle, vanilla notes. It’s distinctive and ought to reveal wonderful terroir with age, but for now it hasn’t come together. Needs time. Drink now through 2020. 16,665 cases made, 4,165 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Chave’s 2000 Cuvée Cathelin was monumental. It was a privilege to taste, but also a shame to open so early. If the 1991 seemed young, the 2000 came across as a veritable new-born. Antonio Galloni | 97 AGSurprisingly, there will be about 200 cases produced of a 2000 Hermitage Cuvee Cathelin. Based on earlier visits, I thought this cuvee would not be produced again as the Chaves were embarrassed by all the attention previous offerings received. However, they will continue to produce it as long as it does not detract from their classic cuvee. The Cuvee Cathelin displays more new oak than the regular bottling as well as firmer tannin, yet also great length, palate presence, and structure. Boasting a chocolatey, blackberry nose, huge intensity, and super elegance and finesse, it will require 5-6 years of cellaring. Qualitatively, it is no better than its sibling, but does possess additional structure and new oak characteristics. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040.This family-run estate continues to go from strength to strength, with the father and son (Gerard and Jean-Louis) team pushing all the right buttons to achieve success at all quality levels. Jean-Louis Chave is responsible for several negociant wines.Robert Parker | 96 RP

Fully mature at 17 years of age, this should remain on a plateau for the next seven or eight years. The palate is still generous and silky, with a touch of light tannin and notes of sandalwood, spice box, dried leaves and a hint of mocha in the background. It's complex on the finish, with more woodland flavours of decomposing damp wood and truffle, but still retains a sense of freshness. Drinking Window 2017 - 2025.Decanter | 96 DECDrinking beautifully, the 2000 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape just oozes kirsch and licorice aromas on the nose. With air, meat, garrigue, and spice come through and I think this is smack dab in the middle of its drinking window. Beautifully textured, elegant and balanced, I would start opening bottles and wouldn’t be surprised to see this continue to drink well through 2020 or longer.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDThe 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape reveals 14.6% alcohol, and is stylistically similar to the great 1990. The 2000 is open-knit and fat, with higher levels of glycerin as well as a more corpulent style than the structured, backward 2001. A deep ruby/purple color is followed by sweet, black cherry/kirsch liqueur-like notes presented in a voluptuous, full-throttle, intense style. It is already revealing such secondary nuances as pepper, garrigue, and truffles. Chewy, full-bodied, and moderately tannic, this cuvee is accessible, but not ready to drink. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025.Robert Parker | 95 RPVery good deep red-ruby. Roasted plum and black fruit aromas, with notes of violet, dark chocolate, smoke and game. Fat, lush and superripe; shows more of a roasted character than the 2001, but also boasts solid acidity. A huge, full-blown wine with exotic notes of roasted herbs. Finishes with big, dusty tannins and excellent length.Vinous Media | 91+ VM

Enormous fruit dominates this wine. Red fruits of every type, from raspberries to red currants mingle in a dense fruit salad. But underneath this mouthfilling fruit is a big, solid structure that promises great aging ability. Keep this wine for 10 years before opening, perhaps even keeping some more bottles for at least 20.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEGood full, bright red. Sappy aromas of briary black fruits, herbs, baking spices, smoke and menthol. Rich and sweet but rather backward for 2000; offers more complex inner-mouth aromas than the two Chambolle bottlings. The texture is lush but this is still holding plenty in reserve. Finishes with firm but fine tannins and very good length.Vinous Media | 91+ VM(Domaine Comte de Vogüé Bonnes Mares Grand Cru Red) More blueberry fruit and violet aromas with big, robust, very powerful, linear flavors with chewy tannins and outstanding persistence. This stains the palate and coats the mouth and offers superb fruit/acid balance. As young Bonnes Mares goes, this is quite seductive and finishes with velvet wrapped tannins and while it can't quite match the the '01 or '02 for sheer style and grace, it's closer than one would expect based on the relative merits of the vintages involved. Consistent notes. (Drink starting 2010)Burghound | 91 BHAromatically, the 2000 Bonnes Mares bursts with spices and blackberries. Notes of cedar are intermingled with spiced coffee cake, chocolate-covered cherries, and blackberries in its generous, delectable personality. This well-balanced and structured wine improved with air during our tasting. Projected maturity: now-2012.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

Falesco’s top offering is a 100% barrique-aged Merlot, the 2000 Montiano. While it may not equal the quality of the 1999 or 1997, it comes close. The 2000 boasts an opaque purple color in addition to a sumptuous perfume of graphite, blackberries, currants, licorice, and subtle pain grille notes. With great depth, full body, sweet tannin, and a long, layered, elegant finish, it should drink well between 2005-2020. Bravo!Robert Parker | 94 RP