Hide All Tasting Notes
Chateau Montrose,
Ready, but will keep,
Second Growth Ch. Montrose is located in the east of St Estèphe, just north of the hamlet of Marbuzet, on a gravel knoll only 800 metres from the Gironde estuary. The proximity of the estuary ensures a microclimate that protects against frost, and the vines, which lie on deep clay-gravel soils, benefit from a south-easterly aspect.
This is classic St Estèphe from the excellent millennium vintage: floral overtones are complemented by firm blackcurrant fruit and a savoury personality. This ideally needs another few years in bottle (or at least decanting a few hours before drinking) to soften its imposing tannic structure. Full of mineral complexity, this hugely impressive effort has the ability to age for decades.
This is classic St Estèphe from the excellent millennium vintage: floral overtones are complemented by firm blackcurrant fruit and a savoury personality. This ideally needs another few years in bottle (or at least decanting a few hours before drinking) to soften its imposing tannic structure. Full of mineral complexity, this hugely impressive effort has the ability to age for decades.
Ready, but will keep,
A classic effort, the 2000 Haut-Bailly exhibits notes of lead pencil shavings, raspberries, black currants, and loamy soil. Subtle hints of earth and smoke are also present in this medium-bodied, stylish, well-balanced, pure wine that emphasizes restraint and graciousness over power and blockbuster intensity. It has entered its plateau of maturity, where it should remain for another fifteen years.
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate, June 2010
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate, June 2010
Chateau Cheval Blanc,
Ready, but will keep,
"Among the young Chevals of the last 25 years, this is the most Port-like I have ever tasted. It represents the essence of this noble vineyard.....Opulent and full-bodied, with a diaphanous quality (each layer peels away to reveal even more nuances), low acidity, sweet tannin, and a 60 second finish, it is unquestionably as profound as the 1990 and 1982. It is the most compelling Cheval Blanc since the mythical 1947 and 1949, but patience is required. Potentially, this is a perfect wine."
Robert Parker - Bordeaux 4th Edition - Feb 2002
Robert Parker - Bordeaux 4th Edition - Feb 2002
Chateau Hosanna,
Ready, but will keep,
...this seamless wine is a classic example of purity and symmetry. Combining power with charm and finesse in a deeply textured, rich, elegant, yet authoritatively flavorful style, this is a brilliant effort as well as a compliment to proprietor Christian Moueix. Sadly, there are only 1,500 cases of this fabulous offering. It displays a singular style reminiscent of a hypothetical blend of Cheval Blanc and L'Evangile, the famous St.-Emilion and equally renowned Pomerol situated across from each other. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020. 96/100 pts. (Robert Parker - Wine Advovcate - Apr-2003)
Ready, but will keep,
"Made from a vineyard situated near Angelus and Beau-Sejour-Becot, this 600-case blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc is fashioned from low yields and is put through a pre-fermentation cold maceration. The rich, pure, concentrated, opaque purple-colored 2000 displays all the hallmarks of this great vintage - power, intensity, depth, ripeness, and moderately high tannin. Dense and impressive. Drink now to 2015" 92/100 points- Robert Parker- Wine Advocate (Feb 02)
Chateau Lafite Rothschild,
Ready, but will keep,
Since I gave this wine a perfect score, I suppose some could see this as a downgrade. I found everything still there for a perfect rating, but I was just struck by how tight and backward the wine was. A blend of 93.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot, the wine still has a dark ruby/purple color and an extraordinarily youthful nose of graphite, black currants, sweet, unsmoked cigar tobacco, and flowers.
The wine is rich, medium to full-bodied, but has that ethereal elegance and purity that is always Lafite. I originally predicted that it would first reach maturity in 2011, but I would push that back by 5-7 years now, although it has 50-60 years of life in front of it. Owners of this beauty are probably best advised to forget it for 5 years. Tasted next to a 1996 several days after the 2000 tasting, the 1996, which is a perfect wine, was far closer to full maturity than the 2000.
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate - Jun 2010
The wine is rich, medium to full-bodied, but has that ethereal elegance and purity that is always Lafite. I originally predicted that it would first reach maturity in 2011, but I would push that back by 5-7 years now, although it has 50-60 years of life in front of it. Owners of this beauty are probably best advised to forget it for 5 years. Tasted next to a 1996 several days after the 2000 tasting, the 1996, which is a perfect wine, was far closer to full maturity than the 2000.
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate - Jun 2010
Chateau Calon Segur,
Ready, but will keep,
Tasted from an ex-château bottle at BI Wine & Spirits Calon-Segur dinner in London. The 2000 Calon Segur is one of those wines that reminds you how great the millennial vintage could be. Now at fifteen years old, it has a brilliant, vivacious red berry nose infused with ash and cigar box aromas. The detail here is a beguiling and it just "sings" Saint Estèphe. The palate is medium-bodied with dense, firm tannin that provide a rigid backbone, but it is swathed in copious tobacco-drenched black fruit and a superb line of acidity. It finishes with a twist of bitter cherry on the finish that completes what is a deeply impressive Calon-Ségur; it might just outclass the 2005. Tasted March 2015.
Neal Martin - 28/10/2016
Neal Martin - 28/10/2016
Chateau Leoville Poyferre,
Ready, but will keep,
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 - Wine Advocate, June 2010
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate, June 2010
Chateau Ausone,
Drink now,
The tightly-structured, mineral-infused 2000 Chapelle d'Ausone exhibits outstanding concentration as well as depth in addition to floral, blackberry, and blueberry aromas and flavors. Deep and rich, it is better than many Ausones produced in the seventies, sixties, and fifties ... believe it or not! Anticipated maturity: 2008-2025. (Robert Parker - Feb-2002)
Drink now,
"A stunning achievement from this unheralded vineyard, the saturated ruby/purple-colored 2000 displays a striking perfume of cigar smoke, scorched earth, roasted espresso, and intense black cherry/currant fruit. It possesses luxurious richness, medium to full body, sweet tannin, and a seamless, silky-textured finish that lasts for nearly 45 seconds. This brilliant achievement satisfies both the hedonistic and intellectual senses. ... Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020." 94/100 points. (Robert Parker - Wine Advocate)
Chateau Leoville Barton,
Ready, but will keep,
Absolutely spectacular from bottle, but frightfully closed and backward, with massive power and structure, the saturated purple-colored 2000 Leoville Barton is one of the greatest wines ever made at this estate. The wine has smoky, earthy notes intermixed with graphite, camphor, damp earth, jammy cassis, cedar, and a hint of mushroom. Enormous, even monstrous in the mouth, with tremendous extraction, broodingly backward, dense flavors, and copious tannins, this should prove to be one of the longest-lived wines of the vintage and one of the most compelling Leoville Bartons ever made.
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate, Apr 2003
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate, Apr 2003
Chateau Gruaud Larose,
Ready, but will keep,
Ch. Gruaud-Larose is one of St. Julien’s most famous and long lived Second Growths. The vines are grown on a thick layer of glacial gravel and the wine is often described as quintessential St. Julien, combining the power of Pauillac, the Cabernet perfume of St Estephe and the elegance of Margaux. 2000 Ch. Gruaud Larose is delicious now, but will continue to benefit from ageing for another decade or two at least.