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Overall impressions: this was my first look at the 2000 vintage, a flight of mostly lesser cru wines, with a few grand cru thrown in for good measure. From all the advance press on the vintage, I was expecting some pricey offerings that didn't deliver a reciprocal wine in the bottle. But, I was pleasantly surprised to find some very nice wines -- and at reasonable prices. From my top 4 favorites, the Fougas is the clear bargain. The Barde Haut is fabulous as well, although it's about $10 more than the '99 vintage. Other values include what I think is one of the finest Fontenil's to date, along with the Haut Chaigneau, Puygueraud, and Pique Caillou. The rest of the pack was arguably less value-oriented, with most wines performing about as expected. I didn't find any particular surprises or disappointments in the flight, although I did expect more "oomph" from a couple of the wines - notable the Montrose, and to a lesser degree the Lynch Bages. Both seem nice enough, but appeared to lack something in nose or palate. |
2000 Chateau de Cugat Cuvee Francis Meyer - Bordeaux Superieur. $12.99. Medium-dark garnet ruby color. Nose of sweet oak and cassis, with a touch of cheddar. Off-sweet mouthfeel, medium body, good balance, reasonably long finish. Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B 2000
Chateau Croix de Bonnin - Lussac Saint Emilion. $9.99. Dark
ruby color. Nose of cassis and wood shavings, with a touch of eucalyptus.
Chewy off-sweet mouthfeel, lots of macerated texture and taste,
but seems a bit too oaky at present. 80% Merlot. 2000
Chateau Guibot La Fourvieille - Puisseguin Saint-Emilion.
$10.99. Very dark ruby color. Fleshy, sweet and seductive, with
just a hint of mint in the nose. Off-sweet mouthfeel, slightly stemmy
and meaty, good balance, long finish. 100% Merlot 2000
Chateau Sainte-Colombe - Cotes de Castillon. $11.99.
Dark ruby color. Complex and integrated nose of cassis, oak, vanilla,
and a light touch of caramel. Slightly macerated flavors, smooth
mouthfeel, quite toasty through long finish. 75% Merlot. 2000
Chateau Puygueraud Cuvee George - Cote de Francs. $16.99.
Very dark garnet color. Fleshy, eucalyptus-infused and toasty, with
a fascinating roasted meat quality. Chewy and very tasty mouthfeel,
with lots of grip on the palate, and a very long slightly oaky finish.
35% Malbec. 2000
Chateau Haut Chaigneau - Lalande de Pomerol. $15.99. Dark garnet
color. Nose of licorice, cassis, and nicely toasted oak. Very toasty
and very grippy on the palate, nice chewy fruit, very long tasty
finish. 2000
Chateau Fougas Maldoror - Cotes du Bourg. $24.99. Very
dark garnet color. Intense somewhat stemmy nose, with vanilla-laced
cassis and aromas of mahogany wood shavings. Very chewy and flavorful
mouthfeel, with a nice toasted grain quality throughout, and a long
smooth tasty finish. 2000
Chateau Mayne Vieil Cuvee Alienor - Canon-Fronsac. $12.99.
Very dark ruby color. Lovely, very fruit and floral-driven nose.
Tasty and smooth on the palate, but the finish seems a bit too brief. 2000
Chateau Fontenil - Fronsac. $19.99. Very dark ruby color. Big,
complex nose of cassis, vanilla and shoe wax and toasty overtones.
Chewy and full in the mouth, with flavors of sweet ripe fruit, licorice,
and toast. 2000
Chateau Cote de Baleau - Saint Emilion. $29.99. Dark ruby color.
Effusive and slightly herbaceous nose, with a nice Herbs d' Provence
quality as a background note. A bit stemmy on the palate, with nicely
integrated oak, chewy fruit, and a long smooth finish. 2000
Chateau Faugeres - Saint Emilion. $34.99. Dark ruby garnet color.
Nose of cassis and toasty oak, with a hint of pine resin. Young
mouthfeel; somewhat closed, but mostly dense fruit with just a touch
of oak, and a very long finish. 2000
Chateau Barde Haut - Saint Emilion. $44.99. Very dark ruby color.
Fragrantly perfumed nose, with a bit of stemmy herbaceousness peeking
through. Excellent balance, with a nice meaty mouthfeel, and a very
long if slightly bitter finish. |
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2000
Chateau La Couspade - Saint Emilion. $49.99.
Very dark ruby color. Fabulously integrated nose of cassis, toast,
licorice, and vanilla. Off-sweet mouthfeel, slightly oaky and tight
at present, with a very long if oak-charged finish. 2000
Chateau Pique Caillou - Pessac-Leognan. $15.99.
Very dark ruby garnet color. Nose of cassis and licorice, with a
just a touch of toast and vanilla. Slightly bitter and oaky mouthfeel,
but the dense cassis fruit stands up quite well, leaving a nice
long chewy and fruity finish. 2000
Chateau Les Carmes Haut Brion - Pessac-Leognan. $n/a. Dark
ruby color. Complex floral nose of cassis, toast, rose petal, and
a touch of stem. Interesting light floral flavors come through on
the palate, complimenting the moderate fruit. Good balance and medium-long
finish. 2000
Chateau Palmer Alter Ego - . $n/a. Very dark ruby garnet
color. Nose of cassis and toast, with slight vegetal and oaky notes
pushing its herbaceous qualities. Fleshy and tasty mouthfeel, with
a somewhat narrow focus - more like a single vineyard, rather than
a blend. A little strange - but well made. The name comes from the
reverse blend of about 2/3 merlot. 2000
Chateau Duhart Milon - Pauillac. $27.99. Dark garnet color.
Somewhat herbaceous nose of cassis, oak, white pepper, and a touch
of olive. Off-sweet mouthfeel, with a healthy does of oak contributing
to the firmly gripping tannins and long finish. 2000
Chateau Lynch Bages - Pauillac. $n/a. Dark ruby garnet color.
Stunning nose of cassis, toast and vanilla, with a light floral
scent. Initially chewy mouthfeel lasts through mid-palate, but seems
to thin out a bit on the otherwise long tasty finish. 2000
Chateau Petite Bocq - Saint Estephe. $15.99. Dark garnet color.
Aromas seem to jump from the glass, but while fruity and enjoyable,
they also seem largely neutral or one-dimensional. Lots of fruit
on the palate, with a nice chunky macerated taste of bing and black
cherry, and a long finish. 2000
Chateau Montrose - Saint Estephe. $n/a. Dark garnet ruby color.
Very refined nose of cassis and toast, but also a bit tight or restrained.
Off-sweet flavorful mouthfeel, very good balance, slightly bitter
finish. |
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No original material may be reproduced without written consent Mail & Comments - Eric Anderson Last Update 1.03.03 |