Wines (12 View)

Coming out of a relatively dormant state, this 2000 is a spectacular Cheval Blanc. Of recent vintages, I think only the 2009 can give it a run for its money. A blend of 53% Merlot and 47% Cabernet Franc, the wine has a sweet nose of menthol, melted licorice, boysenberry, blueberry, and cassis. A broad wine with compelling purity, a layered texture, and sweet tannin, with hints of coffee and earth in the background, this is by far the best Cheval Blanc since 1990 and before 2009. It is a legend in the making and can actually be drunk now, as the tannins have nearly melted away. This is a beauty with incredibly complex aromatics. Drink it over the next 25-30 years. 99WA

Wine Enthusiast, 96pts. - Right from the early days of tasting in spring 2001, this was going to be one of the stars of the vintage. And a star it remains. There is big, ripe fruit, with solid, ageworthy tannins. It may not be as powerful as some of the blockbusters of the vintage, but it is certainly more opulent, less classical than Leoville-Barton can sometimes be.

Wine Spectator, 96pts. - Take textbook St.-Julien warmed fig, blueberry compote and blackberry reduction notes along with ample graphite, bramble and tobacco flavors, then dial it up a notch. This has terrific energy to offset the admirable depth and length, and hasn't even started a second phase yet. One of the stars of the vintage.

Absolutely compelling in two tastings of this vintage, the 2000 Margaux is composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. The extraordinary seductiveness, complex aromatics, and purity it exhibits lead me to believe it has reached its window of full maturity. Medium-bodied, with layers of concentration, stunning blue, red, and black fruits intermixed with spring flowers, a subtle dosage of new oak, and a distinctive personality that is elegant while at the same time powerful and substantial, this is a multi-dimensional wine that was extremely approachable and drinkable in both tastings I had of it. The color remains a healthy, even opaque bluish/purple, but there is no reason to hesitate to drink it. It should evolve for another 30-40 years, so there is no hurry either. 100 points - Robert Parker

95pts-Wine Advocate:
Originally rated 96, this wine confirmed its early rating, although again, the backwardness and still very obvious tannins suggest another 7- to 8-year wait. Dense ruby/purple, with a bouquet of blueberry, crushed rock, and some floral notes, the wine is medium to full-bodied , rich, powerful, but again very tannic and still strikingly youthful. For a wine that is already 10 years of age, it remains infantile. This blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot is indeed a special wine and should hit its prime in about 2020 and last at least 30 years afterward.

"A beautiful crushed rock/liqueur of minerality characterizes this inky/purple-hued St.-Emilion. Tannic, with lots of pure black raspberry and black cherry fruit intermixed with a notion of charcoal as well as the aforementioned rocky/powdered stone component, this long distance runner requires another 5-6 years of cellaring. It should age easily through 2030+." 95+pts WA

This estate's 37.5 acre vineyard situated on pure limestone soils is planted with 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon). A terrific effort that rivals the compelling 1998.

Dense ruby/purple-colored, with an exotic, exuberant perfume of black fruits, flowers, incense, and licorice, this unctuously-textured, full-bodied port is one of the most concentrated of the vintage. Sweet, expansive, and succulent, this large-scaled, but remarkably well-balanced effort is surprisingly forward and accessible... - WA95

La Conseillante made an excellent wine in 2001, another great one in 2005, and the estate hit home runs in both 2008 and, above all, in 2009. In fact, the latter vintage may well end up being the modern-day reference point for La Conseillante. Nevertheless, there?€?s a lot to be said for this 2000. An elegant, gentle style that is never a blockbuster, the 2000 La Conseillante has a deep ruby/plum/purple color and an unbelievably expressive nose of sweet kirsch liqueur intermixed with raspberries, incense, toast, and licorice. Full-bodied yet ethereal in the sense that it seems to combine power along with eloquence and delicacy, this is a beautifully pure wine that has just hit its plateau of full maturity, although ideally I think it would benefit strongly from another 4-5 years of bottle age and drink well for two to three decades. 96WA

"Glorious aromas of freshly picked raspberries, with tiny hints of cream and minerals. Full-bodied, with superfine tannins and a long, long finish of berries and cherries. Super second wine from Margaux. Best Pavillon Rouge I have ever tasted. Best after 2010. 20,525 cases made." 94pts WS

"The millennial Unico was tasted twice in January and June 2012. It has a Bordeaux- inspired bouquet that demonstrates more austerity than the 2004 with herbaceous notes infusing the brambly black fruit: smoke, forest floor, wild mint and cedar. The palate is medium-bodied with bright blackberry, strawberry and Morello on the entry. It is extremely well balanced and more feminine than the nose suggests. There is also impressive tension and vivacity towards the finish. There is great backbone here, a solid and obdurate Unico at the moment, but it will surely mellow in bottle. 108,536 bottles produced. Drink 2018-2030+." 93pts WA