2000 DOMAINE DE L'A

Cotes de Castillon, Bordeaux France

. 60% Merlot- 25% Cabernet Franc - 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
Raspberry colour and lightish. On the nose, there is a subtle balance of red fruits and flowers. A hint of vanilla. In the mouth it is well balanced, the tannins are crisp and the fruit is fresh. A smooth wine of finesse and distinction, almost feminine. 88/100

Other article: Derenoncourt's revolution, a meeting with..

2000 D'AIGUILHE

Cotes de Castillon, Bordeaux France. 80% Merlot  - 20% Cabernet Sauvignon
The wine appears thick, almost viscous. The nose is dominated by red fruits. The texture of the wine seems relatively extracted over the fruit with a tight structure and a slightly alcoholic finish. Surprising to see such a stylistic difference between this and the Domaine de l'A since both wines were vinified by Stéphane Derenoncourt! 86/100

2000 REIGNAC

BORDEAUX PRESTIGE

75% Merlot  - 25% Cabernet Sauvignon
One of the latest products of the Bordeaux marketing machine, which is currently going great guns after rapturous recommendations by Robert Parker. They take great care of their vines and use the latest vinification techniques in the chais under the supervision of Michel Rolland, the star Bordeaux winemaker.
Relatively dark appearance, verging on purple. Nose of super-ripe black cherries, torrified and marked with oak. On the palate, it has a degree of power, but the fruit has to fight hard with the tannins to show through. Relatively austere structure, but undeniable ageing potential. 87/100

2000 CANON-LA-GAFFELIERE

Saint Emilion - Bordeaux France

60% Merlot  - 36% Cabernet Franc - 4% Cabernet Sauvignon
Discreet impression of raspberries. A progressive attack in the mouth, leading smoothly on to fine red fruits. However, the wine seems to lack depth, is one-dimensional and a little diffuse. 86/100
  86/100

2000 PAVIE-MACQUIN 

Saint Emilion - Bordeaux France

80% Merlot  - 17% Cabernet Franc - 3% Cabernet Sauvignon
Strong aromas of crême de cassis and glycerin (fading after a few minutes), then fleeting hints of peppers and menthol. Fine fruity attack, but it finishes a little alcoholic for my taste. A slight imbalance which I think ought to dissipate as it evolves. A level below the excellent 99, and certainly not quite up to the standard of the remarkable 1998!  89/100

2000 BON PASTEUR

Pomerol - Bordeaux France

80% Merlot  - 20% Cabernet Franc
Complex, fruit-dominated nose (blackberries and raspberries), intermingled with floral aromas, rich and full. The wine is tight, well balanced between fruit and acidity, a little hollow in the mid-palate but with a pleasant finish. A pleasing wine, but I doubt it will age well beyond 10-12 years.  88/100

2000 HAUT BAILLY

Pessac-Leognan-Graves - Bordeaux France

50% Merlot  - 50% Cabernet Sauvignon
Attractive berry-scented nose with hints of rosemary and menthol. A well made wine, balanced and full. Classical finish of great elegance and lovely finesse. A success for the appellation.  89/100

2000 MALARTIC LA GRAVIERE 

Pessac-Leognan-Graves - Bordeaux France

50% Cabernet Sauvignon - 40% Merlot  - 10% Cabernet Franc
Creamy aromas of mocha, tobacco, cinnamon and smoke. Round and full-bodied, pure, seductive flavors, with a velvety texture. A bit short and woody on the finish. A nice and fresh wine but it lacks some kind of dimension to really compete with the stars of the appellation. 87/100

2000 PAPE CLEMENT

Pessac-Leognan-Graves - Bordeaux France

60% Cabernet Sauvignon - 40% Merlot  
Glorious colour. Scents of ripe sunny fruits, tobacco. Slight alcoholic hint which dissipates quickly on breathing. The attack is a model of its kind - progressive, harmonious and persistent, marked by very soft tannins. Magnificent depth balanced by an interesting minerality giving it a splendid backdrop. Surprising difference between the very hot nose and the palate, with its great precision and remarkable freshness. This wine will certainly enter the canon of the legendary Pape-Clements as a reference point among the numerous great successes from this property of the last fifteen years. In terms of quality, this growth is reaching once again the levels attained by La Mission. 94/100

2000 RAUZAN-SEGLA

Margaux - Bordeaux France

61% Cabernet Sauvignon - 35% Merlot  - 2% Cabernet Franc- 2% Petit Verdot
Lovely deep dark ruby appearance. Slightly torrefied nose, dominated by red fruits. Slightly milky sensation. This wine's structure is classical, without great power, but archetypally "Margaux". Equally, the whole lacks verve, especially for a 2nd growth. Could (should) have done better with the potential offered by this vintage.  87/100

2000 PALMER 

Margaux - Bordeaux France

53% Cabernet Sauvignon - 47% Merlot  
Intriguing nose with floral, rosemary, mentholated, "springtime" hints. The texture matches the nose, giving an interesting minerality and great precision. A rather linear finish and one struggles to find in it the unctuousness of other wines of the vintage. 89/100

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2000 CALON-SEGUR

Saint Estephe - Bordeaux France

55% Cabernet Sauvignon - 35% Merlot  - 10% Cabernet Franc
A delightful aroma - a subtle blend of wild bay and redcurrants. Great freshness. Fine density with great "follow-through" from the attack to the finish. Delicious. I would say that this is not at all recognisable as a Calon-Ségur for a wine so young to have such astonishing liveliness and it's surprisingly approachable right now. 90/100

2000 LYNCH-BAGES

Pauillac - Bordeaux, France

71% Cabernet Sauvignon - 16% Merlot  - 11% Cabernet Franc - 2% Petit Verdot
On the nose, cedarwood dominates red fruits now, but the whole thing is balanced by interesting spicy notes. Very rich in the mouth, full with a lovely sappy opulence, well balanced, never aggressive. A structured wine, less noticeably fruity than it was six months ago. It has everything it needs to be THE success of the decade for the Cazes family. 93-95/100

Other article "An evening devoted to Lynch-Bages"

2000 PONTET-CANET 

Pauillac - Bordeaux, France

61% Cabernet Sauvignon - 32% Merlot  - 5% Cabernet Franc - 2% Petit Verdot
Following on from Lynch-Bages and Calon-Ségur, Pontet-Canet more than holds its own. Gourmet aromas of vanilla cream overlaid by a subtle raspberry and redcurrant sauce. The structure is still noticeable oaky, but it really does express its terroir: a full-on, genuine Pauillac! Very expressive with magnificent purity.  91/100

2000 GRUAUD-LAROSE

Saint-Julien - Bordeaux  France

64% Cabernet Sauvignon - 28% Merlot - 6% Cabernet Franc - 2% Petit Verdot
Totally expressive nose: blackcurrant, spices (red pepper), leather, balsamic hints. The attack is very open, notably spicy with noticeable tannin. On the midpalate, I find a curious impression of macerated fruit and it's a little over-extracted. The Gruaud-Larose has astonishing power, almost rustic will need several years yet to come round. 89/100

2000 SOCIANDO-MALLET

Haut-Medoc - Bordeaux France

55% Cabernet Sauvignon - 45% Merlot  
Served at the same time as the Leoville-Barton and the Lafite. Some people compare this star wine of the Haut-Médoc to Lafite in certain vintages - here was a chance to see what it was made of.
Nicely open nose of tobacco, spices and, less pleasantly, green pepper! This greenness shows up again in the mouth, even though its structure is fat and has in the end to be able to integrate this vegetal imbalance. A big disappointment, all the more so because a second bottle opened at the same time showed exactly the same characteristics. I think that the selection was not rigorous enough this year at Sociando. At any rate, this tasting confirms the relatively modest average score it attained at ccvo-bg.org. Clearly, the black sheep of the evening. Needs to be followed up in a few months.  86/100

2000 LEOVILLE-BARTON 

Saint-Julien - Bordeaux  France

70% Cabernet Sauvignon - 22% Merlot - 8% Cabernet Franc
Sumptuous nose of red fruits, banana, raspberry and sandalwood. A very tannic attack, but with no trace of aggressiveness. Then, like a procession, there is an expression of pulped fruits with palpable intensity, and yet easy and approachable. Long, harmonious finish which you know gives it incredible potential. A masterpiece! 96/100

Other article: "THE DUEL" ! Léoville las Cases 2000 / Léoville Barton 2000

2000 LAFITE-ROTHSCHILD

Pauillac - Bordeaux, France

. 94% Cabernet Sauvignon - 6% Merlot 
An unusually high Cabernet Sauvignon proportion of phenomenal quality. The nose is relatively closed, but underlying this is a fascinating complexity - spices, red fruits, violets, cedarwood, cigar tobacco.. one could go on and on. In the mouth, you are swept away by the quality and exceptional intensity of its structure, with a fruit that sings like no other. The finish stretches on and on, beautiful and warm. Could we be looking at perfection here?  98/100

  EPILOGUE 
One reservation: the right bank wines I tasted don't bear comparison with the top Medocs. Equally, I don't feel that they reach the standard of the best 1998s. And then, not everything's perfect, because a few châteaux picked a little too early and are showing slight greenness. Other estates could have been a little more rigorous in their selection. Their wines leave a strange impression of the juice of green peppers... Finally, those who wished to produce wines emphasising extraction have given us wines which are thick, solid and too four-square.

In short, the 2000 landscape is not totally homogeneous (something which the 2000 ccvo-bg results confirm). But the best wines of the vintage are quite simply out of this world!

Alain Bringolf - for ccvo-bg.org