Wines with Age

wines

A full-bodied red with soft and silky tannins that gives the wine definition and brightness. Savory and fresh. Beautiful now.James Suckling | 93 JSA revelation, this stunning wine (also reasonably priced) has turned out to be even better than I thought. Opaque purple-colored, with gorgeous ripeness and richness, a big, sweet mid-palate, and a seamless finish revealing loads of fruit, chocolate, glycerin, and ripe tannin, this opulently-styled 2000 will have few detractors. It is hard not to be totally seduced by this effort. Kudos to proprietor Bernard Magrez and his omnipresent oenologist, Michel Rolland. Bravo! Anticipated maturity: Now-2015.Robert Parker | 91 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

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

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

(Château Lagrange) The 2000 vintage of Lagrange is one of the most powerfully built that I have tasted from the Suntory era, and it will take many years for this deep and classy wine to reach its apogee. I very much like the cool fruit tones of the 2000 on both the nose and palate. The bouquet is a fine, reserved blend of cassis, bell pepper, espresso, black cherries, a bit of youthful horsiness, an impressive base of soil tones, tobacco leaf and a very vague impression of new oak buried somewhere in the aromatic depths of the wine. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and very young, with a rock solid structure, ripe tannins, good acids and excellent focus and grip on the very long, palate-staining and chewy finish. While the 2005’s great tangy acids will carry the wine far into the future, the 2000 vintage gets my vote for the potentially longest-lived wine that this property has yet produced since the changeover in 1983. Most promising. (Drink between 2022-2080)John Gilman | 94 JGAn impressive performance by Lagrange, the 2000 possesses a saturated ruby/purple color with obvious notes of melted licorice, creme de cassis, and toasty new oak. This ripe, dense, full-bodied St.-Julien is chewy, thick, high in tannin, large-bodied, and impressively long and dense. As always, it is less expressive than some of its peers, but it is loaded as well as reasonably priced. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2030.Robert Parker | 93 RPThis is a muscular red, rippling with bramble-edged tannins that push the dense core of blackberry, fig and boysenberry fruit paste flavors along. Juicy star anise notes and a swath of well-roasted apple wood add even more range on the finish, which is seriously long. Just ever so slightly woodsy in the end, but a terrific showing.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Best from 2018 through 2028. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSA wine that is just starting to wake up after a long sleep. It’s medium-to-full-bodied, with super-integrated tannins and a lead-pencil, currant and berry character. Lemon peel undertones. Lovely silky texture. Drink now and beyond.James Suckling | 93 JSNo written review provided. | 93 W&S(includes 76% cabernet sauvignon, the highest percentage ever at Lagrange) Deep, saturated bright ruby-purple. Brooding aromas of cassis, violet and cedar ("hibernating now," says Ducasse). Very densely packed but very closed and extremely backward. Nearly painful flavors of black fruits, violet and menthol. Finishes very firm and very long, with powerful tannins supported by the wine’s flesh. Forget this wine until 2015. The petit verdot was left out of the blend, notes Ducasse, "because it was too strong, too muscular, not elegant. " Only time will tell if this wine surpasses the 1996.Vinous Media | 92+ VM

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

Tasted blind at Bordeaux Index’s 2000 tasting in London. An open-knit, more leathery nose than its peers, touches of mulberry, dried orange peel, graphite and even a tang of marmalade. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, masculine and dense, real backbone again here, a wine in for the long-haul. Blackberry, allspice, hoi sin and a touch of white pepper towards the long but bashful finish. This needs another 5-6 years but it is finally realizing the promise it showed in barrel Drink 2015-2030. Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP-NM(31.5 g/l dry extract; 13.4% alcohol): Deep ruby to the rim; much darker than both the 2001 and the 2003. Notes of milk chocolate, underbrush and cedar complicate the ripe red cherry and dark plum aromas. Enters sweet, dense and tactile, displaying ripe dark fruit, tobacco, porcini and mineral flavors of noteworthy precision and cut thanks to harmonious acidity. Finishes sweet, spicy, smooth and very long; once again, du Tertre comes across as remarkably fresh and focused in a hot vintage.Vinous Media | 92 VMLoads of tobacco and prune character. Rich and decadent. Full body with velvety tannins and a juicy, delicious finish. Just opening now. Improving with age.James Suckling | 91 JS

(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

Although still youthful, I do not think the 2000 Monbousquet will develop much more complexity. It is a seductive, rich, generously endowed effort revealing plenty of spice box, herb, black currant, kirsch, espresso, and toasty oak characteristics in a decidedly modern, but opulent, fleshy style. Enjoy this endearing, long, velvety-textured St.-Emilion over the next decade.Robert Parker | 93 RPBright ruby-red. Roasted currant and black cherry scents complicated by sexy oak. At once chewy and silky in the mouth, with complex, fresh flavors of plum, redcurrant, vanilla, coffee, smoky oak and woodsy underbrush. Finishes sweet and long, with thoroughly ripe tannins. This was bottled in February of this year after 28 months in barrel; it wasn’t too long ago that this wine received barely 18 months of elevageVinous Media | 92 VM

This wine stands out as a sensational effort just a few years away from full maturity. A 50/50 blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine displays loads of scorched earth and smoky barbecue scents along with blueberry, black raspberry and black currant. The wine is expansive, has a savory, broad palate and a full-bodied mouthfeel, yet possesses vivid purity and uplift. The tannins are still present, but they are sweet and well-integrated. This wine should hit full maturity in another year or two and last for at least 20 more years.Robert Parker | 96 RPA soft and rich red now with so much meat, chocolate, stone and even game. Then there’s dark and bright fruit under. Full body, velvety tannins and a fresh finish. James Suckling | 94 JSA rich, open modern style of wine, full of new wood flavors. The fruit is solid, chunky and square, while the tannins are ripe and generous. This will develop relatively quickly, over the next 10 years.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEShowing some considerable maturity, with prominent smoldering tobacco and cedar notes at the fore, followed by steeped blackberry and black cherry fruit flavors and a finish that courses with warm tar and singed bay leaf depths. Underneath, though, the tannins are rich and long, so this may stay at this point for some time.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2026. 7,333 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSNo written reviews provided | 92 W&SThe 2000 Pape Clément is a vintage that I last tasted in 2010. Now at 21 years of age, it shows little sign of aging on the rim. The bouquet is perhaps less advanced, demonstrating fewer secondary aromas, compared to its peers, and featuring mulberry, camphor and touches of fig and damson that blossom in the glass. It becomes quite feral, maybe even slight bretty, with aeration. The palate is very malleable on the entry, quite rich and dense, velvety-smooth and yet missing some tension and grip on the finish. This is a thoroughly enjoyable Pape Clément that could probably give 15–20 years’ more drinking pleasure, though I aver that more recent vintages dig deeper into the terroir. Picked September 28 to October 10 at 31.5hl/ha and matured in 100% new oak.Vinous Media | 91 VM

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

Still a bit of a brick house, with very solid charcoal and loam notes forming the base while the core of dense fig, blackberry and black currant confiture flavors settles in. This is seriously long, and the smoldering tobacco and roasted alder notes just keep going and going through the finish. This hasn’t really started to unwind yet.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Best from 2020 through 2035. 2,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThis is likely to be one of the most long-lived Pomerol from 2000. It has hugely rich fruit, it is has great density. But what will give it its longevity is the layer of tannin that sits, brooding, in the middle of the wine. Don’t even attempt to drink before 2012.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE(Château Trotanoy) I have had some rather sulking, desultory showings of big name 2000 claret in the last couple of years (a very grumpy bottle of Cheval Blanc immediately comes to mind), and this is a vintage that seems likely to be eventually consigned to the “vastly overrated” camp in the decades to come. That said, the 2000 Trotanoy showed brilliant potential at our tasting and is a wine that fully embodied the hope engendered by all of the early hype surrounding the vintage. The deep, classic and still youthful nose wafts from the glass in superb blend of cherries, red plums, nutskins, tobacco leaf, gravelly soil tones, menthol and a lovely base of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, young and tightly-knit, with a lovely core, outstanding focus and balance, ripe, very well-integrated tannins and simply stunning length and grip on the primary and oh, so promising finish. This will be another legendary vintage of Trotanoy in the fullness of time. (Drink between 2025-2075)John Gilman | 95 JGThis starts off with fabulous aromas of milk chocolate, plums and subtle spices. Full bodied, with super silky tannins and a long, long finish. Tight but just starting to open up. I’m loving the fresh acidity at the end. Needs another five to six years bottle age. Pull the cork in 2016.James Suckling | 95 JSTasted at the Trotanoy vertical in Hong Kong, the 2000 Trotanoy seems to be improving with age. It has an outstanding bouquet with far more fruit intensity than I anticipated: mulberry, blackberry, briary, broom and white pepper all mingling together with superb delineation. The palate displays exquisite balance, fresh and focused with a clean and precise finish that is only just beginning to show what it can do. Like so many millennial Bordeaux it has matured at its own pace, however, on this showing it seems determined to reward those with the greatest patience. Tasted November 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 95 RP-NM95% merlot and 5% cabernet franc): Deep, saturated red. Highly perfumed nose of black plum, lavender, cedar, chocolate and Oriental spices. Enters sweet, round and broad, then turns a bit tougher, with hints of earth and game complicating bright cassis and mocha flavors. There is an amazing freshness to this wine that helps extend the fruit flavors at the back, and the finish is long and smooth. In this vintage’s early days it was tightly wound and austere, but it’s now beginning to slowly blossom and become more expressive. This is often the case with Trotanoy, which usually needs a good ten years from the vintage to really come into its own. A very successful 2000.Vinous Media | 94+ VMThe summer in 2000 was not as warm as 1998 but it was drier, as a result the wine is less opulent. This majors more on aromatic complexity and seems a little more approachable than the 1998, even if it still displays the clear muscularity of Trotanoy and promises plenty of time ahead of it. There is an appealing menthol edge to the nose here, with fresh mint leaf that also plays through the palate, suggesting that maturity levels were not quite as high as in 1998, although it’s hard not to see that this gives the wine a fresh edge today, and adds complexity as well as a touch of grace. Drinking Window 2019 - 2030Decanter | 93 DECNo written review provided | 91 W&S

Just starting to open now, with currant, tea leaf and berry character, along with a mineral undertone. Full body with firm tannins and a long finish. Another couple of years more of bottle age would be good, but why wait?James Suckling | 92 JSA beautiful wine and one of my favorites from this estate, this blend of nearly two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and one-third Merlot is aging impressively. Dense ruby/purple in color, with creme de cassis, charcoal, and sweet leathery and chocolatey notes intermixed with the classic Pauillac cedar and spice box, the wine is medium to full-bodied, fleshy, with sweet tannin and a long finish. It seems to have inched into its window of full drinking maturity, and will stay there for 10-15+ years.Robert Parker | 92 RPThe 2000 Clerc Milon has a rustic, ferrous bouquet of sous-bois, cedar and tobacco scents and slightly faded fruit; touches of eucalyptus emerge with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with a supple opening and pliant tannins, though there is a touch of coarseness toward the finish. Modest in weight, this is an open-knit, old-school Pauillac that is just beginning to show a little dryness toward the tobacco-dominated finish. Drink this over the next 6–8 years.Vinous Media | 90 VMThis shows a lightly rugged edge, with espresso and humus notes along the edges of the dark currant and blackberry fruit core. The finish keeps the rustic profile, with a charcoal shading, but there's ample fruit for balance. Solid, but for fans of the style.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2018. 11,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Approaching perfection, this wine is inky, bluish/purple-colored to the rim, offering up notes of incense, blueberry and blackberry liqueur, licorice, graphite and spring flowers. A touch of roasted espresso bean is also present. The wine has great concentration, a magnificent, full-bodied mouthfeel, stunning purity, and well-integrated acidity, tannin, alcohol and wood. This beauty seems to be in mid-adolescence with at least 25-30 years of life ahead.Robert Parker | 99 RPOut of this world. Incredible aromas of crushed blackberries and cherries, with wet earth, mineral and mint. Full-bodied, with fantastically refined, silky tannins and a long, long finish. Terrific. Greatest Angelus I have ever tasted. Best after 2010. 7,080 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSFurnished with wonderful richness, this has notes of amazingly dark fruit and dark chocolate on the nose. Full-bodied and soft, this has a lovely velvety texture and a chocolate and coffee character. This is extensive and fresh, with hints of mint and spice on the finish. Don’t drink this for another five years, pull the cork in 2015.James Suckling | 95 JSNo written review provided | 95 W&SImpressive saturated ruby. Black fruits, shoe polish, licorice, truffle, leather and a hint of game on the nose; at once superripe and fresh. Fat, sweet and deep, but retains lovely inner-mouth aromatic character and precision of flavor for such a rich wine, thanks to sound acidity. Effortlessly carries its 14% alcohol. This builds impressively on the back end, finishing with strong but lush tannins (the index of polyphenols was 92!) and powerful fruit. This wine was racked a total of three times.Vinous Media | 93 VM

This shows some noticeable maturity at first, with black tea and mulling spice notes out front, but there’s a lovely spine of briary tannins and finely beaded acidity that pulls this back to a fresher side as the core of raspberry pâte de fruit slowly wakes up, throwing off additional cherry, currant and plum nuances. By the time this all knits through the finish, you realize it’s just a bit too soon to open this beauty. Best from 2020 through 2035.Wine Spectator | 97 WSA major vintage, where the tough spring gave way to a beautiful summer. Here it’s the Cabernet Franc that’s dominant, giving lift and aromatic complexity that seems to take a hold as it rolls through the palate. Raspberry leaf, blackcurrant and liquorice are all dominant. It’s still extremely young, so you can take your time opening any bottles that you have of this beautiful wine. Drinking Window 2018 - 2030.Decanter | 96 DECI am really loving the nose here, sweet ripe fruit, raspberries and strawberries, and flowers. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and great freshness on the long finish. This is starting to open up now, this is pure and precise with just a hint of fresh herb showing the Cabernet Franc character. This still needs five years. Pull the cork after 2015.James Suckling | 95 JSA gorgeous wine of grace, elegance, and power, this youthful 2000 will benefit from another five years of cellaring. It appears to have 25 more years of life ahead of it. A deep ruby/purple color is just beginning to lighten at the edges. The bouquet offers up scents of cedar wood, melted licorice, black currants, blackberries, caramel, and mocha. Medium to full-bodied, elegant, and pure with low acidity as well as formidable tannins in the long finish, the 2000 should rival vintages such as 2005, 2006, and 2009.Robert Parker | 95 RPThe 2000 Vieux-Château-Certan is a Pomerol that I had not encountered for some time. Perhaps this vintage has lost some of its initial luster, not least because the consensus from winemakers and consumers alike is that the appellation performed far better in 2001. This millennial VCC has a saturnine nose even after almost two decades, offering dusky black fruit, hints of chimney soot and tobacco, and later a whiff of licorice. It remains stubborn and sultry. The palate is quite muscular for a VCC, although fine acidity lends it tension. Where one might criticize Alexandre Thienpont’s wine for its lack of refinement and panache, for failing to realize the potential it showed during its first decade. As such, I would afford it another three or four years in bottle to see if it brightens up.Vinous Media | 92 VM(Vieux-Château-Certan (Pomerol)) The 2000 vintage of Vieux-Château-Certan is quite shut down at the present time and is not too interested in being bothered during its hibernation. It may end up being in the same league as the 2000 Figeac, but for the moment, it is hard to see all of its facets, as it is compacted down on itself and rather grumpy. With some extended aeration, the wine reluctantly offers up scents of dark berries, cassis, cigar ash, a fine base of dark soil tones and a bit of nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and plenty structured, with a rock solid core, firm, well-integrated tannins and good length and grip on the well-balanced finish. It is possible that this wine will end up being even better than I predict, as it is sleeping deeply at the moment, but it seems to me that this may well be one of those wines from 2000 that never quite sheds the more sullen side of the vintage. Time will tell. (Drink between 2030-2085).John Gilman | 92+ JG

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

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

Wonderfully ripe and decadent, with tobacco, meat and ripe berry aromas, with hints of currants. Full-bodied, and very velvety, with unctuous fruit flavors. Long and exotic aftertaste. Terrific wine. Best after 2010. 2,375 cases made. — JSWine Spectator | 93 WSA brilliant second wine, the 2000 Carruades de Lafite (51.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42.3% Merlot, 4.9% Cabernet Franc, and 1.4% Petit Verdot), aged in 10-15% new French oak, shows wonderfully sweet lead pencil shavings intermixed with an elegant black cherry and cassis nose. A wine of tremendous purity, medium body, and the tell-tale Lafite elegance, this is a gorgeous wine to drink now and over the next 12-15 years.Robert Parker | 90 RP

Incredible concentration and richness in this wine. This is good stuff, loads of complexity with notes of flowers, vanilla, and ripe fruit. Still drinking like a baby, this is full, soft, and long. Opulent and gorgeous right now but give this five years and you’ll be better off. Pull the cork in 2015. So much fruit for a Bordeaux. 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc.James Suckling | 99 JSA stunning wine with extraordinary concentration, but still somewhat backward, this 2000 needs much more time than I projected seven years ago. It boasts an inky/dark purple color along with an intense nose of kirsch, blackberries, licorice, caramel, and flowers. Full-bodied with abundant tannin as well as a multidimensional, thick texture, this unevolved Pomerol has not changed much since its 2003 release. Gorgeous purity and a natural mouthfeel make for a dazzling wine that will benefit from another 5-10 years of cellaring, and last for three decades thereafter. It is a legendary effort!Robert Parker | 97+ RPThe 2000 l’Eglise-Clinet was picked from 18 September and matured in 80% new oak. This has a magnificent bouquet with black fruit infused with bay leaf, smoke, freshly rolled tobacco and a touch of spice. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite firm in the mouth with blackberry, clove, allspice and white pepper. This has always been a very complex millennial Pomerol with a very grippy, quite masculine finish and therefore decanting is advised. Denis Durantou informed that this was the only vintage neither fined nor filtered. Tasted at the l’Eglise-Clinet vertical at the château in April 2018.Vinous Media | 97 VMThis has everything. Super class and elegance, yet ripe and exciting. Fantastic aromas of blackberries, cherries, violets and minerals. Full-bodied, with incredible raspberry, cherry, mineral and silky tannins. Very long. Winemaker Denis Durantou is a purist, and it shows. Best after 2012.Wine Spectator | 97 WSOne of the wines that turned me on to the brilliance of Denis Durantou when tasted during a vertical with him and Michel Rolland back in 2014. I tasted it again this week and it more than lived up to my memories, with its understated power and rapid expansion through the palate as its exotic character becomes clear, coupled with the precise brush strokes that Durantou always managed to coax out of his wines. He died in May 2020, just as I was beginning to taste En Primeur 2019, and it seems only right to raise a glass to his memory. Drinking Window 2020 - 2040.Decanter | 97 DECDenis Durantou’s obsessive search for perfection paid off handsomely with this stunning 2000. Despite the richness of the fruit, there is still a sense of lightness to the wine which makes it surprisingly easy to comprehend at this stage. The Cabernet Franc perfumes couterpoint the rich Merlot, while the wood underpins everything.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WE

This is a beautiful wine and certainly one of the great sleepers of the vintage. I originally predicted that this wine would be at full maturity between 2007 and 2028, but I would push that back by a good 4-5 years. Still inky/purple, with notes of acacia flowers intermixed with wet rocks, black currants, and blueberries, the wine is full-bodied, displays no real evidence of any oak, and offers up terrific concentration, texture, and length. For those who bought this beauty at $30-35 when it was available, this was a terrific buy, and it should continue to evolve for 20+ years.Robert Parker | 92 RPVery smoky, with charcoal, almost lamblike aromas. Full-bodied, chewy and very rich, with a thick and velvety finish. Stylish and decadent young wine. Best after 2007. 26,040 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Of all the 2000s tasted in the line-up, this was the one that was most evolved, with melted tannins and exotic saffron spice notes. It’s a beautiful wine, very classic Pauillac, full of tertiary hints of truffle, soft menthol and undergrowth - signatures of an older Bordeaux wine that is wonderful to drink now. It’s probably the most perfect of the five for cracking open over the next few years but may not have the staying power of the others. Interesting to note how much higher the pH is here (3.85) than Leoville (3.5) considering it’s practically next door. 10% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Harvest 21 September 21 to 9 October. Drinking Window 2019 - 2038Decanter | 96 DECSitting next to my former colleague, Pierre Antoine Rovani, at one of the tastings, he commented that he didn’t like the striking green note in the aromatics of this wine, which I didn’t detect at all, and a subsequent bottle at another tasting did not reveal it either. I do think there is a hint of bay leaf and a meatiness to it. In short, I find this to be a spectacular Pichon Lalande. Dense purple in color, with loads of coffee, mocha, creme de cassis, and chocolate notes, this is a somewhat unusual blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and a whooping 10% Petit Verdot, with a little bit of Cabernet Franc. The Petit Verdot certainly gives the wine more of a tapenade, floral note, which I think can be interpreted by some as herbal. This is a rich, opulent, stunning Pichon Lalande that is beginning to drink beautifully, yet should continue to improve for at least another 10-15 years and last 30 or more years.Robert Parker | 96 RPMadame de Lencquesaing’s estate has produced a stunner in 2000. The perfumes, delicate and sensuous, give it class, style and make it very memorable. It is delicious now, but there are tannins there, and deep, intense fruit flavors, waiting to develop slowly and surely.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThis has pronounced bay and cassis bush aromas that impart lots of peppery and herbaceous lift, but this is hardly on the lean side as there’s a well of gorgeously pure currant and blackberry fruit notes at the core. The finish is sleek and glistening as an iron note takes over.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2028.Wine Spectator | 95 WSLot of currants and berries with a slightly stewed-fruit character. It’s full and round with soft tannins and a fruity finish. Needs to be decanted an hour or two before serving. Succulent wine.James Suckling | 93 JS(Château Pichon-Lalande) I had liked my last bottle of the 2000 Pichon-Lalande a bit better than this recent bottle at our vertical tasting, and I wonder if it was more a function of the context this time around, as this wine was the only really blunt vintage in our lineup, and perhaps in a different setting (like a horizontal tasting of the vintage in the Médoc?), I might have come away a bit more favorably impressed. It is not that the 2000 Pichon-Lalande is a bad wine by any stretch of the imagination, but the inherent elegance of this great estate is not self-evident in this vintage of the wine. The bouquet is starting to blossom, offering up notes of sweet cassis, currant leaf, cigar wrapper, gravel, smoke and cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, chewy and rock solid at the core, with good focus and grip, well-integrated tannins and a long, powerful finish. This is a very good wine and perhaps, the customary charm of Pichon will emerge further on down the road, but for now, I have to rank it in the good, but not great vintages of Pichon-Lalande. If it develops the property’s typical elegance with further aging (and which is certainly within the realm of possibility, as the wine is still quite adolescent today), then my score will seem conservative, but I am not certain that this will come to pass. (Drink between 2025-2075)John Gilman | 92+ JGThe 2000 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has a strong minty bouquet that perhaps slightly overwhelms the terroir expression. I believe this comes from a high proportion of Petit Verdot (14%) that would have probably been eschewed nowadays. The palate is medium-bodied with intense black plummy fruit mixed with graphite and sage. This is a muscular though enjoyable Pichon, dense and almost brawny toward the finish, but what is missing is a sense of elegance and precision. Just a touch of greenness shows on the finish (in a positive way). A forceful Pauillac that will benefit from decanting.Vinous Media | 92 VMNo written review provided | 92 W&S

A prodigious Petrus, this wine has that extra level of intensity and complexity that is monumental. The magic is clearly Petrus, and the 2000 will always be an interesting vintage to compare to another legend in the making, the 1998, or more recently, of course, the 2005, 2008, and 2009. Extremely full-bodied, with great fruit purity, an unmistakable note of underbrush, black truffle, intense black cherries, licorice, and mulberry, the wine seems to show no evidence of oak whatsoever. It has a sumptuous, unctuous texture, plenty of tannin, but also vibrancy and brightness. This is a remarkable wine that seems slightly more structured and massive than the 1998, which comes across as slightly more seamless, as if it were haute couture. This wine needs at least another 5-10 years of cellaring and should age for 50+ years.Robert Parker | 100 RPThe 2000 Petrus was served blind as an extra in an already formidable line-up. Deep, inky in hue, it has an intense nose of black and red fruit laced with pencil shavings and black truffle, the latter more prominently featured vis-à-vis previous bottles. The palate is medium-bodied, one of the most youthful examples that I have encountered, perhaps more masculine. Superb backbone here, grippy with that broody finish it exhibited a couple of years back. What you might call a "slow burner". Tasted at Epure restaurant in Hong Kong (again).Vinous Media | 98 VMThis has a pretty jam-packed core of blackberry, plum and boysenberry confiture notes inlaid with ample charcoal-edged tannins and carrying through a robustly tobacco-coated finish. But even with that density and power, there is a really beguiling backdrop of incense and black tea flavors waiting to emerge further. It’s all there, but this seems a touch more backward than the rest of the field, so hold on here.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Best from 2018 through 2035. 2,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 98 WSConcentrated plum colour, medium-full intensity and star bright. Powerfully complex aromatically with waves of dark berry fruits - blackberry, black cherry and bilberry. Still fairly young in expression, although it slowly unrolls to show campfire smoke and liquorice notes. With time in the glass, a more animal, liquorice bud note arrives, and the retro olfaction brings waves of violets. Exceptionally good quality and nuanced, finishing with black pepper and a hit of spice alongside black chocolate shavings. The tannic structure remains muscular and closed, suggesting this is just at the beginning of its drinking window and will age for many decades to come. From previous experience of this wine, this particular bottle seems entirely in keeping with a Petrus 2000 and is a beautiful example of this particular vintage and estate. Tasted as part of the Space Cargo Unlimited experiment, this bottle remained on earth while another sample was tasted that had returned from space. Drinking Window 2021 - 2050.Decanter | 98 DECWhile the first impression with Pétrus is the wood, it is the fruit which gradually shows itself. It is extraordinary, this dense fruit, which simultaneously manages to float with elegance. There is layer after layer of fruit, sometime black, sometimes smoky, sometimes spicy. The wine is not yet totally integrated, still intensely young, with decades to go. But what a development it will be Wine Enthusiast | 98 WENo written review provided. | 94 W&SA delicious nose of black olives, brown sugar, and sliced plums. Full bodied but shy, with a dense palate and soft and silky tannins. Flavors of milk chocolate, plums, and light vanilla bean come through. This is so good now, but wait three to four years to really see it shine. Find the wineJames Suckling | 93 JS