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Our visit to Bordeaux at the end of
March 2001confirmed the 2000 vintage as one in which outstanding wines were made
throughout the region. The First Growths, Super-Seconds and the greater part of the
other top Médoc and Pessac-Léognan wines as well as the leading Saint-Emilion
and Pomerol properties performed notably well. The overall quality of the
vintage is also reflected among the crus Bourgeois, Petits Chateaux and the
lesser appellations.
Concentration and powerful
tannins are hallmarks of the 2000 wines, suggesting a potential for great
longevity. At the same time, the quality of the fruit and tannins, together with
modern wine-making techniques, should see most wines drinking beautifully from
relatively early.
It
would be rash to offer a definitive assessment of a vintage tasted from barrel -
samples whose final blend was, in many cases, assembled less than a month
before. However, with a cautious optimism, we recommend the year 2000 as a
vintage of the very highest order.
The
notes that follow are the result of tastings conducted by Beekman Liquors
throughout the Bordeaux region during the final week of March, 2001. The
ratings provided are, as indicated, taken from the vintage reports of James
Suckling in The Wine
Spectator and
Robert M. Parker
in
The Wine Advocate
If you are interested in receiving further information regarding these or
other wines from the 2000 vintage, or want to acquiring
particular wines as
2000 Bordeaux Futures
please review our futures offering.
Allocations will inevitably fall short of demand, so we urge those interested in ordering to act quickly, either by
web form, e-mail at bliquors@beekmanliquors.com or by telephoning Beekman Liquors at 212-759 5857
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Saint-Estephe |
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|
Château |
Wine Spectator |
Robert
Parker/Wine Advocate |
|
Calon Segur
|
95-100
|
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Cos d'Estournel
|
95-100
|
88-91
|
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Cos Labory Blueberry tartness with other blue and black fruits. The nose is
floral but somewhat closed. Pleasantly rustic with some mint at the
finish.
|
85-88
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87-88
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Haut Marbuzet Very powerful, massive. Quite a star. 100% new oak. Cru
Bourgeois way above its station with fruit that more than holds its
own.
|
85-88
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|
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Lafon Rochet Purple
and profound. Pungent, earthy aromas, dark fruit, spice, a lovely
mid-palate expansiveness interlacing impressively with the steely
tannins.
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|
90-91
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Lilian Ladouys Strong performance. Burly, straightforward. Blackberry and rosehips
and a little fennel. Medium finish. Compact.
|
89-91
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Montrose
|
92-94
|
93-95
|
|
Ormes de Pez Strong but not overwhelming tannins, forceful, assertive berry
fruits with a soft overlay and hints of anise. Clean and persistent
finish.
|
89-91
|
88-90
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Phelan Segur Aroma of sweet plums. Sleek long tannins. A racy, exciting
wine. Very bright in color, while less opaque than some St.-Estephes,
with a smoky, herbal quality on the mid-palate.
|
85-88
|
86-88
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| Pauillac |
|
|
Château |
Wine Spectator |
Robert
Parker/Wine Advocate |
|
d'Armailhac 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot. A touch straightforward, lacking,
for now, the frisson and density this wine sometimes shows,
though this may emerge.But plenty of fruit and energy.
|
89-91
|
90-93
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|
La Bernadotte Wild
strawberry aromas carry through to the palate. Fresh and arresting.
Very pretty with some underlying power. Shares ownership with Pichon
Lalande. |
89-91 |
88-90 |
| Carruades de Château
Lafite 51.5 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot,
5% Cabernet Franc, 1.5% Petit Verdot. Quite viscous. A scaled-down
Lafite. Very soft and fine. Bright fruit. Restrained and elegant. A
small dose of press wine adds to the structure. |
92-94 |
87-89 |
| Clerc Milon 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot. An even more than usually
successful Clerc. Earthiness on the nose with cassis and dark plum.
Quite complex, bold mid-palate. Bright, expressive tannic structure. |
89-91 |
90-92 |
| Croizet Bages Uncharacteristically assertive cassis flavors. Attractive glycerol and
good, straight-up tannic structure. Fine mid-palate, medium finish. |
89-91 |
86-88 |
| Duhart Milon
Rothschild 80.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19.5%
Merlot. 10% Press wine. Robust, but with a delicate hint of cedar.
Both the elegant and the powerful faces of Pauillac. Deep color.
Fractionally less opaque than the Carruades. Even tannins. Layers of
flavor. |
89-91 |
87-88 |
| Fonbadet Well-made, easy, medium weight with mocha and raspberry. Shows
promise. |
85-88 |
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| Les Forts de
Latour |
92-94
|
90-92
|
| Grand Puy
Ducasse Dark in color and flavor. Viscous texture.
Soft, somewhat muted tannins. |
85-88 |
85-86 |
| Grand Puy
Lacoste |
92-94
|
90-93
|
| Haut-Bages
Liberal Cassis and kirsch aromas. Mocha and
raspberry notes. Very full-bodied, long and graceful tannins. A great
success. |
92-94 |
|
| Haut Batailley
|
89-91
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88-89
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| Lafite
Rothschild 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot. 10%
press wine 36% of the crop went into the Grand Vin. A thoroughbred
through and through to rank with or surpass the very greatest Lafites.
Super-sleek and integrated. The essence of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Balanced, elegant, massive. Though delicious in the short term, this
is a wine for the ages, crying out for large-format bottling. Layer
upon layer. Cedar, multiple textures, cassis, floral notes. A
thrilling wine. |
95-100 |
94-95 |
| Latour |
95-100 |
96-100 |
| Lynch-Bages Very alcoholic and robust. Backward, complex. Sweet fruit to start
with, then tar and leather with cassis. Great concentration and
intriguing rusticity in the best sense.
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95-100
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94-96
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| Lynch-Moussas Olive and yeasts on the nose. Reductive. Dense and powerful. A
question as to whether the fruit will stay the course.
|
89-91
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86-88
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| Mouton
Rothschild 86% Cabernet Sauvignon,14% Merlot.
Yield: 39 hectolitres per hectare. 80% of the crop went in and, as
with d'Armailhac and Clerc Milon, the Chateau elected to exclude
Cabernet Franc entirely. Earthy, cocoa and Mocha aromas. Licorice, red
plum and a seasoning of smokiness. Muscular with exotic spice notes.
The flavors fan out. Another large-format candidate.
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92-94
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96-98+?
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| Pichon-Longueville
Baron The last wine at this property to be overseen
by J-M. Cazes and it is a triumphant farewell. Profound oak aromas
dominate the nose. Upfront dark blue and black berry fruits on the
palate give way to an elegant, classic Pauillac cedar and cassis
middle, a thread of fine tannins and a long finish.
|
92-94
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94-95
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| Pichon-Longueville
Comtesse de Lalande 50% Cabernet
Sauvignon, 36% Merlot,
14% Cabernet Franc. Huge cassis, plum and berry aromas. Vanilla,
chocolate and violets. Velvet in texture. More Pomerol than
Medoc in its lusciousness. Sensuousness belies the power. Tannins as
soft as can be. Beautiful.
|
95-100
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95-97
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| Pontet-Canet We have a division of opinion on this wine: "Tight, bitter, not
pleasing.....hardness" on the one hand, " Dense, lots of
mocha, blackberry, impressive, " on the other. Buy some and
decide !
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92-94
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92-95
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| Saint
Julien
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|
|
Château |
Wine Spectator |
Robert
Parker/Wine Advocate |
|
Beychevelle Delicate nose, more
Margaux than St.
Julien. Good purple color.
Brambly. Greenish tones on mid-palate. Drying on the finish.
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89-91
|
90-91
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Branaire Upfront fruit. Dynamic, crisp tannins. Nicely floral with red and
black currant. Compact middle, cabernet Franc spiciness mingling with
crushed berries. Very attractive.
|
92-94
|
90-92
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Clos du Marquis 68% Cabernet Sauvignon,
24.5% Merlot, 2.5% Cabernet Franc, 5%
Petit Verdot. 20% new oak barrels. Like Las Cases, an example of the
benefits of a judicious application of new and once-used wood.
Emphatic spice. Dark plums and fine glycerol texture. Gracious,
full-bodied.
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|
88-90
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Ducru
Beaucaillou
|
95-100
|
93-95
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Gruaud Larose Best in an age.
Mighty.
Immensely dark. Black raspberry, smoke. Robust tannins. Wood dominates
the mid-palate with a stew of fruit behind. Protracted finish. This
will need time, but guarantees to deliver.
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95-100
|
93-95
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Lagrange Thundering tannins. Licorice and lots of big berry fruit with a trace
of tar . Good grip. Tannins on the end are a little coarse but should
tame down.
|
89-91
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87-88
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Langoa Barton Fine and impressive. Deep color and notes of violet. Vibrant fruits,
clean tannins. A persistent finish.
|
92-94
|
88-90
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Léoville
Barton A triumph. Black/purple, loaded with an array of
young, fresh, ripe fruits. Tremendous breed, extract, concentration
and dimension. Intense, profound berry character. Impeccable
structure. Enduring finish. A truly great wine in the making.
|
95-100
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98-99
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Léoville Las
Cases 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc,
9% Merlot. More consistent than anyone over at least two decades, this may
well be the wine of the vintage. With 62% new oak, this makes the case
for 100% new barrels not necessarily being the be-all and end-all of
superlative Bordeaux. Monumental. Long, super but not over-extracted red and black
fruit aromas. Succulent. Harmonious. Rich, sweet tannins. A wine to be
drunk and to last
forever. Great power and purity. Will reward large-format bottling.
|
95-100
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94-96
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Léoville
Poyferré The road to recovery continues.
Sweet fruit, insistent tannins, pronounced viscosity and tar, nicely
offset by vivid currant, mocha and chocolate, though less compelling
than the other two Leovilles. The only question concerns the
surprising abruptness of the finish.
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95-100
|
92-95
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Talbot Deep, rich color. a hint of roses, iron, asphalt, eucalyptus scents.
Rich and dense, well made, nicely integrated. Sleek, glossy tannins.
Excellent length.
|
92-94
|
90-92
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| Margaux |
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|
Château
|
Wine Spectator |
Robert
Parker/Wine Advocate |
| d'Angludet Lacking distinction. Feral, herbaceous on the nose. What fruit there
is is hard and not pleasing. On the whole, quite dumb. |
|
88-90 |
| Brane-Cantenac Less purple than many other wines of the
Medoc. A delicate,
smoky, herbal quality. Attractive range of fruit. Medium-full-bodied.
Interplay of red and dark fruits with licorice. |
92-94 |
91-93 |
| Cantenac-Brown Deep color. Sweet berries, subdued tannins and a long mid-palate
giving way to only moderate-length at the end.
|
89-91 |
89-91 |
| Dauzac Sweet spring flower aromas. Approachable. Good, rich tannins. Very
upfront fruit. tending towards " new-worldliness"
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|
88-90 |
| Durfort-Vivens Starts jammy then turns to a green astringency and dries on the finish.
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|
|
| Ferrière Sweet kirsch aromas. Very sleek. Nervy, exciting. Fresh thyme, red
currant. Finesse, power, length. Alcohol and menthol at the end.
|
92-94 |
|
| Giscours Earthy, cherry nose. Upfront fatness. Hints of
powdered cocoa .
A tannic finish.
|
|
89-91 |
| Kirwan A richer style of
Margaux. Tarriness on the nose, bold black fruit. Exotic. Very fine tannins. Emerging cocoa at the end. Holds a lot of
promise.
|
92-94 |
91-92 |
| Labégorce Dark red fruit, some cassis. Extracted fruit. Disjointed
oakiness.
Tannins turn bitter on the finish.
|
89-91 |
86-87 |
| Labégorce Zédé Shows some real class. Mid-weight, cedar and pure red fruits. Graceful
tannins. Long, even finish.
|
89-91 |
86-87 |
| Lascombes The new administration is sure to change things. For now, a raw
beefiness, fierce tannins and a mean finish. Short on charm.
|
89-91 |
90-92 |
| Malescot
St.-Exupery Herbal nose. The middle thickens out. Low extract. Astringent finish.
|
|
92-94 |
| Margaux 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 7% Petit
Verdot, 3% Cabernet
Franc. Right up there with the property's finest. In the words of
Margaux administrator Paul Pontallier, "A great vintage demands
great Cabernet ", and this one certainly provided it. The floral
signature of Margaux takes its time to reveal itself. Cassis, plum,
licorice and fennel. Great purity. Luscious, concentrated and complex.
100% new oak is effortlessly assimilated. Seamless, persistent finish.
Margaux is another top wine in this vintage that would repay
large-format bottling. M. Pontailler feels this would show still
better a month or two from now.
|
95-100 |
94-96 |
| Marquis de
Terme Very attractive floral, black fruit opening.
Swells nicely on the mid-palate. Tannins kick in. Well delineated.
Well rounded out.
|
|
|
| Monbrison Upfront big fruit from the outset, showing big fruit opulence. Chunky,
full-throttle finish. An agreeable surprise to see this wine on track
once more.
|
89-91 |
88-89 |
| Palmer
|
92-94 |
92-94 |
| Pavillon Rouge
de Château Margaux 60% Cabernet
Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot. Administrator Paul Pontallier calls this " the greatest Pavillon
Rouge ever made. The most powerful in 40 years." Very
ripe, velvety textures. Masculine in style, with higher measured
tannins than in 1986, but less overt.
|
92-94 |
89-90 |
| Prieuré
Lichine A divided house on this one: " Black
cherry, ,....integrated,....fills out, " or "
Herbaceous mid-palate....dries out on end." Take your pick.
|
85-88 |
88-89 |
| Rauzan Gassies
More dissent here: " Edgy,....bigger than usual ", or " tart, hard....not enough fruit."
|
89-91 |
87-88 |
| Rauzan Ségla
A star of the vintage, fine-tuned and living up to its station at
last. Fragrant, assertive, powerful wine. Big fruit, lively,
nuanced. Thick, complex finish. Multiple spice. Forest flowers,
deep raspberry. Generous. Quite outstanding. |
95-100 |
88-89 |
| Siran Sweet from the outset on nose and palate. Good, stylish fruit. Should
drink well early and keep going.
|
92-94 |
87-88 |
| Pessac-Leognan
and Graves |
|
| Château |
Wine
Spectator |
Robert
Parker/Wine Advocate |
| Bahans du
Haut-Brion 53% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc. 15% new
oak. At Haut-Brion, the selection is made after vinification. Cedar,
eucalyptus. Perfumed. Beautiful ripe fruit. Dense and spicy. Complex.
Great length and power.
|
89-91
|
88-90
|
| Bouscaut Restrained. Some bright cherry fruit. Tannin at finish.
|
85-88
|
84-86
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| Branon
|
92-94
|
92-95
|
|
Carbonnieux Vivid dark purple. Some complexity, turning a little coarse. Mocha
with tannic finish.
|
85-88
|
87-88
|
|
Les Carmes Haut-Brion Wow! Tremendous extract and fruit.
Deep and expressive, powerful and brooding. A compote of red and black
fruits. This will be stunning.
|
80-84
|
91-95
|
|
La Chapelle de
La Mission Second wine from La Mission Haut
Brion. 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 3% Merlot. 10% new
oak. Very perfumed. Purple, low viscosity. Attractive, ripe, bright
fruit. Not obviously a Graves.
|
89-91
|
90-91
|
|
Chantegrive Good fruit and spice. For easy drinking,
|
87-
|
87-88
|
|
Domaine de
Chevalier Very edgy, nervous wine. Exciting.
Compelling aromas of fruits, pine and smoked meat. Plums and cedar.
New oak clearly present without being intrusive. Highly distinctive,
highly impressive.
|
89-91
|
88-90
|
|
Fieuzal Complex herbal, eucalyptus aromas. Roasted dark plum, cassis, anise
and smoke. Spicy. The wine's richness masks powerful tannins.
|
|
89-91
|
|
de France Short on fruit and dimension. Pedestrian.
|
|
84-86
|
|
Haut-Bailly 50-50 Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Sweet at the front. Long finish,
healthy tannins. Will mature well.
|
89-91
|
89-91
|
|
Haut-Bergy The leaner side of the
Pessac-Leognan/Graves spectrum, but likeable
nonetheless.
|
89-91
|
92-94
|
|
Haut-Brion 51% Merlot, 43 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc. 75% new oak
barrels. Profound, sweet fruit. Plum, forest fruit and earth aromas.
Leather, birchwood, blueberries, blackcurrants. Great extraction and
concentration, though not quite the snorting monster of 1998, but
sleeker, more integrated and harmonious. Fleshy with a decided edge to
the finish.
|
92-94
|
96-98
|
|
Larrivet Haut-Brion A star. Inky, profound, assertive sweet fruit, a core of tannin. Great
structure. Comes close to the great wines in complexity, elegance and
flavor.
|
89-91
|
90-92
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|
La Tour Haut-Brion 53% Merlot,42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc. 45% new oak.
Tarry spice aromas. Dark, sweet fruit. Smoke and tobacco. A muscular
tannic structure. Patented two tier vats and free run juice ( as at
Haut-Brion and La Mission ) compensate for the high proportion
of press wine used in the past. A burly structure with plenty of fruit
to match.
|
92-94
|
89-91
|
|
Latour-
Martillac Dark color, earthy, lots of plummy
fruit. Tannins on the finish.
|
89-91
|
|
|
La Louvière Good structure, tannic. Dark, ripe fruit. Quite rich. A hint of
molasses. Finishes strong and long.
|
|
89-91
|
|
Malartic-Lagravière Chewy, big and sweet. Opens well but seems to lose direction.
|
85-88
|
90-92
|
|
La Mission Haut-Brion 58%
Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc. 75% new oak. Dark red in
color. Earthy forest, smoke and cedar aromas. Mocha, chocolate, cassis and
black raspberry, with thick tannins in complex interplay with the fruit.
Magnificent La Mission. Tasted side-by-side, it might have just shaded the Haut-Brion.
|
95-100
|
98-100
|
|
Olivier A solid wine. Sweet at the front end and a good, spicy quality at the
finish.
|
|
88-89
|
|
Pape Clément Medium scale. On the herbal side and a little short on fruit this
time. Gives the impression that there might be more to come. Could
merit a second look.
|
89-91
|
92-95
|
|
Picque-Caillou Has cassis and quite complex earthy notes. Looks set to outperform
itself, but finishes abruptly.
|
85-88
|
87-88
|
|
Rahoul Stylish and restrained with herbal and tobacco accents, redcurrant.
|
|
86-88
|
|
Smith-Haut-Lafitte 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. Rich, loaded
and gushing with dark fruits. Highly concentrated, structured with
sweet tannins.
|
89-91
|
92-94
|
| Saint-Emilion |
|
|
Château |
Wine Spectator |
Robert
Parker/Wine Advocate |
|
Angélus 60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc. Powerful, expansive, smoke and
super-ripe black raspberry aromas and flavors. Hugely extracted. For
those who like their wine massive. Sweet wood tannins. Impressive
length. Must be allowed time.
|
92-94
|
96-98
|
|
Ausone
|
92-94
|
96-98
|
|
Balestard-La-Tonnelle A muted nose, the elegant face of
St.-Emilion. Defined fruit notes
|
89-91
|
86-88
|
|
Beau-Séjour Bécot Emphatic new wood both on nose and palate. Excellent upper register
fruit. Streamlined, highly polished. Tannins harden right at the end.
|
89-91
|
|
|
Beauséjour Duffau Lagarosse
|
|
90-93
|
|
Canon Generously
oaked. Best in quite some time. The recently acquired Cure
Bon with its Cabernet Franc element seems to have added extra nuance.
Sound fruit, spice. Rich chestnut extract present but not dominating.
|
89-91
|
88-89
|
|
Canon-La-Gaffelière Very refined, complex. Ripe red and dark berries. Powerful, layered
and elegant. Licorice in the middle. Spice on the finish.
|
92-94
|
94-96
|
|
Cap de Mourlin The nose is very closed. Some plum and chocolate, but on the whole
strangled by its bitter tannin.
|
89-91
|
85-86
|
|
Cheval Blanc
|
95-100
|
99-100
|
|
Clos Fourtet Very dark. Powerful Cabernet Franc component both on nose and palate.
Long and extracted but turning astringent.
|
|
90-92
|
|
La Clusière Gerard Perse of Pavie etc. Only 250 cases made. 100% Merlot. Clay
soil. Very low yield: 28-30 hectolitres per hectare. High-toast oak.
Rich and upfront. Plummy with notably sweet oak tannins. A long
menthol and alcohol-laden ending.
|
92-94
|
93-95
|
|
La Couspaude Dark. Exotic, truffle and hedgerow aromas. Dense fruit, chewy tannins.
Large-scale but well balanced. Good follow-through.
|
92-94
|
90-92
|
|
Dassault Starts out showing great charm. Candied, cherry syrup flavors.
Finishes on an austere note.
|
89-91
|
85-87
|
|
La Dominique Lovely glistening purple.Very fine. More suggestive of the
Medoc.
Cassis, a little smoky thyme. Tannins start out soft and then kick in,
offset by big fruit.
|
|
88-91
|
|
Faugères
|
92-94
|
90-91
|
|
Figeac Earthy, mineral and spice. Exotic fragrances. The high Cabernet
Sauvignon proportion shows in cassis, licorice and cedar tones. Layers
of quite opulent fruit. Controlled aggression in the tannins. Not for
the faint-hearted, but will reward patience.
|
92-94
|
92-94
|
|
Fonplégade A pleasant surprise. Very pure if muted fruit and an elegant finish
|
85-88
|
88-90
|
|
Franc-Mayne Bold purple. Ripe red fruit. Quite forward but with sufficient
structure to see it through.
|
92-94
|
88-90
|
|
La Gaffelière Raspberries, mocha, chocolate and smoke. This does everything right
until it turns raw and nasty at the very end.
|
89-91
|
89-91
|
|
La Gomerie
|
92-94
|
92-94
|
|
La Gracia
|
|
92-94
|
|
Grand-Mayne A closed, reductive mineral nose then spicy Cabernet Franc, a big
blast of power and long finish.
|
92-94
|
91-93
|
|
Larcis Ducasse Starts with restraint. Ends ugly. Deep color. The wood overpowers the
fruit.
|
|
87-89
|
|
Larmande Rich, ripe, smoky, lush, big fruit.
It all seems to be going
according to script until the great rush of disagreeable tannins on
the end. If this wine can live up to its front-end promise, then I'll
take my hat off to it.
|
89-91
|
87-88
|
|
Lusseau Owned by M.
Lusseau, estate manager at Pavie, Monbousquet and the
other Perse properties. 80% Merlot. Low yield. Truffly nose,
packed with fruit. Well rounded. Fewer than 250 cases made.
|
89-91
|
90-91
|
|
Magrez Fombrauge
|
89-91
|
94-96
|
|
Monbousquet 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Sand and
gravel. A titan. Raspberry, chestnut puree and smoke. Purplish rich
fruit. Earthy pungency. Vibrant acidity. Massive extract, very long
finish. Sweet tannins and follow-through.
|
89-91
|
94-96
|
|
La Mondotte
|
92-94
|
96-98
|
|
Patris 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc. Contiguous
with Angelus. Mulberry and mocha. Outstretched tannins. Impressive
breadth on finish
|
|
84-86
|
|
Pavie 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon on three
distinct soil types on the steep incline below St.-Emilion. 100% new
oak. Black, purple. Immense rich kirsch, chocolate flavors, rich and
delineated. Multi-layered. Spice on the nose. Big on fruit and
tannins.
|
95-100
|
95-96+
|
|
Pavie Decesse 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. 9 hectare plot on limestone. Black,
purple. Licorice, anise, cherry. Great ripeness.A big wine in every
repect.
|
92-94
|
93-96
|
|
Pavie Maquin
|
89-91
|
92-94
|
|
Péby-Faugères
|
80-84
|
95-98
|
|
Quinault
L'Enclos 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5%
Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot. Exotic, delicate, persistent. Charming, vivid
and expansive fruit. Concentrated, viscous. Beautifully made and a
crescendo finish.
|
89-91
|
92-94
|
|
La Tour Figeac Sweet fruit and smokiness betrayed by harsh finish.
|
|
89-91
|
|
Troplong Mondot A very big wine with generous, multi-facetted aromas and flavors.
Earthiness, cinnamon, marron glacé, blackcurrant. Glossy and
powerful. Complex, expressive.
|
92-94
|
93-94+
|
|
Valandraud
|
89-91
|
92-94
|
| Pomerol |
|
|
Château |
Wine Spectator |
Robert
Parker/Wine Advocate |
|
Le Bon Pasteur
|
92-94
|
91-93
|
|
Certan de May
|
89-91
|
90-93
|
|
Clinet
|
95-100
|
89-91
|
|
Clos L'Eglise
|
95-100
|
95-97
|
|
La Conseillante
|
89-91
|
96-100
|
|
L'Eglise Clinet
|
95-100
|
90-92
|
|
L'Evangile
|
95-100
|
94-96
|
|
Le Moulin This property's fourth vintage since its 1997 début. 80% Merlot, 20%
Cabernet Franc. Between 700 and 750 cases of this wine will be
bottled. The yield, at 16 hectolitres per hectare, is miniscule as a
result of extreme green-harvesting. Pigeage (foot-pressing) is
practiced and the primary fermentation takes place in Seguin-Moreau-built
oak vats. Attention to detail possible only on this scale has resulted
in an extraordinary purity of black plum and cassis fruits with
a seasoning of anise, loaded with superlative extract, cascading
secondary flavors and an enduring finish.
|
|
90-93
|
|
Nenin
|
92-94
|
91-93
|
|
Petrus
|
92-94
|
92-94
|
|
Le Pin
|
95-100
|
90-92
|
|
Trotanoy
|
92-94
|
90-92
|
|
Vieux-Château-Certan
|
95-100
|
90-92
|
| Médoc,
Haut Médoc, Moulis etc |
|
|
Château |
Wine Spectator
|
Robert
Parker/Wine Advocate |
| Chasse-Spleen Pungent
cassis aroma. Deep-colored and concentrated with bold red and dark
fruits, a pronounced edge and elegantly threaded tannins.
|
89-91 |
88-89 |
| du Moulin Rouge Smoky,
full of Merlot. Thyme and cedar notes. Very attractive, with the
structure to carry the weight.
|
|
|
| Fonreaud Perfumed cassis and truffle tones. The palate doesn't live up to the
aromas, but has plenty of good fruit.
|
85-88
|
84-86
|
| Haut Condissas Super-cuvée from Rollan de By. Very sleek and round. An insider's
wine, for the time being.
|
|
|
| Lannessan Predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon. Beautifully made wine built to last,
but drinking well short term all the same.
|
85-88
|
88-90
|
| Marjosse
|
85-88
|
88-89
|
| Potensac 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. From the Delon
team of Leoville Las Cases. Very lively, plummy nose, a lot of soft
fruits, bracing tannins. Extremely fine.
|
89-91
|
87-88
|
| Poujeaux
Sleek, long and graceful. Bright, ripe plum and mineral undertones
deliver a nice intensity and medium finish.
|
85-88
|
87-88
|
| Sociando-Mallet
The upward curve continues. Outstanding again with exceptionally
vibrant fruit, length and power. Great complexity and finesse. This
outperforms or matches all but a handful of top classified growths in
this vintage.
|
85-88
|
90-91
|
|
