Now into my second case, this delivers consistently. For myself, this is by far the greatest vintage produced by the estate, with only the 1990 coming anywhere near. As with a few of the right bankers from 2000, this has been in its peak drinking window for the last 5 years, but with a structure that should keep it at this level for at least another decade. Tasted blind, you would swear it was a top Pomerol. It is liquid velvet with a deeply seductive nose of ripe red berry fruits underpinned with floral notes. The depth and balance on the palate are faultless, and if the finish was longer, it would merit another point. This, and the Bellevue are my favourite St.Emilions from 2000, and among the best priced, and great value for money.
Audozed three hours and it was just right. I wasn't so much a fan of this RB wine on release, but time has been kind to it. Lovely melange of currants, tobacco, forest, soil, etc. A confident medium>medium+ body with good structure, fresh acids, etc. Should continue to hold and will certainly develop some more tertiary character. Fun to revisit all these years later. Enjoy now or in the coming decade depending on your preferences. highly recommended
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Deep garnet, nose of black cherry, black plum, blackberry, blackcurrant, raspberry, redcurrant, leather, smoke, toast, coffee, chocolate & tobacco. Good weight, strong acidity, ripe and juicy tannings.To taste black cherry, red cherry, raspberry, strawberry, blackcurrant, black pepper, spice, cedar, toast, smoke, leather, meat & coffee. Long. Outstanding. Super balance, lots of intensity, complexity and definition. In a great place with fruit still very present, but plenty of other complexity. Ready to go depending on your taste preferences, with plenty of time in hand.
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Quick decant and on to it. Quite complex but on the rustic side. Certainly well kept bottle but based on prior notes this bottle may have aged quicker than others'. We'll see with the next bottle but I'm prob gonna open it within the next year to correctly project my other bottles.
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Tasted regularly, this is without doubt the greatest from the estate drinking and is the embodiment of the right bank wines from one of the most iconic vintages in our recent times. The right bankers are far ahead of their left bank siblings from the year, and already displaying secondary and tertiary notes, but with at least a good decade of prime drinking ahead of it. Taste profile is as per previous, but interestingly a distinct floral background of lavender and violet has appeared during the last year end palate. Highly recommended.
Great, tertiary Bordeaux notes, very aromatic. Dense and fruity with strong structure. An aristocratic, top Bordeaux on its peak plateau. Drink now till 2030.
Dark ruby red; P&P over an hour; nose brought tart red cherries, green cardamom and a little pepper finish; with a little time the nose develops a mild turpentine, wood spirits note. Very pleasant in a Asian( Indian) food profile, less so with French Cuisine
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Nose: violet, red flower, pepper, red fruits, dark chocolate, mature plum, graphite, fig Notes: medium bodied with a bit of a savory note towards the end. Quite a complex and expressive aroma with an attractive and intriguing mature plum nose. I would say that the nose is quite exceptional and right now it seems like the palate hasn't caught up entirely with the nose yet. Although this wine is drinking well now but I would anticipate another 8-10 years for this to reach its peak drinking window. Coming from an excellent vintage this wine surely has a lot of potential left in it. I've had a bottle of 88 not long ago and it's still standing quite strong so I do think we can resample this again in 2030 or after. Drink: 2030+ Rating: 91
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I can't really add more to previous notes, apart from confirming my endorsement of this wine. Without doubt it is the greatest wine from the estate drinking and one the best St. Émilions from 2000. My instinct is that this is probably a wine that will need to be drunk over the next 5 years to enjoy it at its best. Liquid velvet!
Jim's Retirement Party (Libertyville, IL): Small glass from magnum. Like the Lynch Bages, this simply needs more time, although the plump black fruit and sweet spice are providing slightly more pleasure today. However, the firm tannins are still assertive. Patience will be rewarded.
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One of my earliest fine wine purchases, along with a few 2002 GC burgs. This last bottle of the batch lived up to expectations. Gentle decant, consumed over 2.5 hours. It started light and almost Burgundian, and then really fleshed out with time. Excellent bottle. Well-stored, this could go 5+ years.
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Popped and poured at Kittle House for mom's day. Lots of tobacco and herbal notes on the nose. Medium body, fairly silky on the palate, some red fruit notes, along with coffee, licorice and tobacco. On the plummy side as well. There's still fruit here but not as plentiful as I recall, and the wine now has assumed more of a tertiary style. I've had this wine in the past on numerous occasions and have always enjoyed it, but this was not its best showing. To me, despite what others on CT have written, it seems like it has begun its decline, which is regrettable.
Decanted before dinner and outstanding. Still quite dark, tannin mostly resolved and balanced ripe dark fruits. Wine got progressively better as dinner went on. Corked and put in fridge and finished 2 nights later when the wine never really sang or expressed itself and was more acidic/sour. Pairing with food was fine but just not there. Should have finished it off night 1
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Popped n poured last nite with MP at Frank Italian in East Village. I've had this wine b4 and my notes are consistent, tho this may have been its best showing yet. Still dark purplish in color, w/no apparent signs of bricking. Tobacco, cigar box, and espresso aromas overwhelm immediately upon opening the bottle. Black and red fruit, tertiary notes of espresso, coffee, tobacco and cigar box are prevalent. I also notice some spice, some smoke and some forest floor elements. There's most definitely a pervasive woodsy earthiness to this wine that is just quintessential Bordeaux. The wine has lost some of the elegance I had noticed in the past and has become more of a masculine, sexy, thick-bodied mature right banker. Excellent wine!
Fantastic. This is a beautiful quintessential Bordeaux. Immensely complex with aromas of espresso, rich cherry and dark berry fruit, toast, hint of funk. Full bodied yet balanced, very masculine. Flavors of red fruit, earth, tobacco/smoke. Ends with a long drawn out finish.
One my favourite right bankers from 2000 drinking well, and it is probably the best vintage the estate has produced since the 1990. It is opulent on the nose packed with ripe red fruits and flora. The palate is silky smooth and perfectly balanced with a subtle tannic background, and the finish is 30+ seconds.
This has clearly moved into its prime-time drinking window. Splash decanted, the wine shows off its nose of tobacco leaf, flowers, herbs, and a melange of red fruits with ease. Silky, rich, soft, and polished, the finish leaves you with touches of licorice, thyme, espresso, spice, mint, and sweet red pit fruits.
This is a delightful wine and probably the best from the estate drinking. I normally give this a well deserved 96, but this had the slightest taint of the cork. I would hope this doesn't become a regular issue as with the 1990. In spite of the flaw the bottle was finished and was enjoyed.
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From corovin. Deep ruby/garnet. Nose of juicy plums, dark cherry, some earthy, smoky notes, a hint of cedar, vanilla and leather, but overall still fresh and vibrant and only starting to enter its secondary phase. Palate is medium bodied and well balanced, with a fresh line of acidity cutting through the dark red fruits and giving it a vibrant fresh feel with good energy across the palate, but also silky smooth. Medium length finish, with lovely fruit and spices lingering. The tannins are well ingrated and smooth, so ready to drink now, but this still has the structure and fruit to last many more years yet. While very clearly a classic Bordeaux, it’s one that will probably also appeal to those who like Burgundy too as its on the more refined side of things. Delicious. 93pts
Edit - tried another bottle, opening at 2:30pm before decanting at 5pm and drink at 8pm. Far more evolved and drinking exceptionally well, hence the +2. Lovely contrast between the fresh redcurrant and spices on the entry, before leading into a long billowing finish with wonderful tobacco notes. Exceptional.
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effusive mature nose of red fruit (cherries, plums, cassis) layered with lead pencil and mineral complexity - full mouth of right bank merlot fruit with soft, ripe tannins - excellent acid-fruit-tannin balance - as per several other reviews, the finish is somewhat short and does not quite match the rest of the wine - clearly has the potential to last many more years, but drinking beautifully now - tasted alongside 2000 Vieux Chateau Certan, which had a richer body and better balance but not as much bright forward fruit as the Canon-la-Gaffeliere
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Mini verticale 2016-2015-2010-2000-1998. 2016 trop jeune mais grand équilibre, belle fraîcheur et grand avenir; 2015 cuit, le perdant de la soirée; 2010 parfait, puissance et équilibre; 2000 un très léger bouchon, beau malgré tout; 1998 magnifique, le plus élégant.
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Popped'n poured, at home with steak. Parker would, on occasion, refer to a wine as hedonistic - this is of that ilk. A nose that goes on and on, and incredibly pure fruit. A great wine.
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Brick red, full bodied Traditional BDX nose. Earthy, fruit still present, leather notes Smooth, nicely balanced. Long finish. In a perfect place. Really nice wine.
Yoshi is the best!
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Started with primary fruit in the nose and some pencil shavings. After a couple hours of decanting, the wine swirls on the palate with tart black cherry, hint of mushroom, and some pencil lead. This bottle got more acerbic as it opened, but it’s great with food. It still has some life left in it but if you have some in your collection then go ahead and try it
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The last of 3 bottles and by far the best: when I pulled out the cork the room got filled by smell of kirsch, Black berries, coffee, Vanille. Intense. No decant needed. This is a full bodied, rich and hedonistic wine at its best drinking time. Long finish, increadible power, supersexy. It comes out of the glas and is taking over your senses, overwhelming. Might last for another 2-4 years in that stadium.
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3 - 5 years of life left in this bottle. It shows big Merlot / Cab Franc / Cab Sauv with a huge mid-palate of black plums and coffee, and it tastes like the dirt from which it grew! Yeah!!!
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A very stellar wine. Let breath in glass for 1.5 hours, which revealed luscious black raspberry fruit, crushed rocks, shaved pencils, earth and smoke. It was extremely well balanced and a long finish. A very enjoyable wine and experience.
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medium red, brick rim - effusive but mature nose of red fruit (cherries, plums, cassis) layered with lead pencil and mineral complexity - full mouth of right bank merlot fruit with soft, ripe tannins - excellent acid-fruit-tannin balance - as per several other reviews, the finish is somewhat short and does not quite match the rest of the wine - clearly has the potential to last many more years, but drinking beautifully - I thinks it's about the best it can be right now
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This is the best example of the estate drinking in its prime window. It is a fabulously decadent wine with a wonderful nose packed full of ripe cherry and plum with floral overtones. The tannin has sweetened on the palate over the last 12 months, but it still retains a subtle steeliness. There is a wonderful depth and balance on the palate and finish. The tannin still needs to further settle on the finish. 96+
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This is drinking beautifully, but should stay here for a another decade or more. It is a wonderfully elegant wine and is probably the best example from the estate drinking at present. The nose is deep with ripe red cherry and plum with floral background notes. The tannin is sweet and in perfect balance delivering a seamless smoothness in the mouth. Similarly everything is in harmony on the finish which is deceptively lengthy and keeps coming back in waves for nearly 60 seconds. The only thing preventing me from rating this higher is a slight lack of depth on the finish. I would hope that this can be addressed with age.
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very similar to my last tasting note in July 2020: medium red, brick rim - effusive but mature nose of red fruit (cherries, plums, cassis) layered with lead pencil and mineral complexity - full mouth with soft, ripe tannins - very good acid-fruit-tannin balance - as per several other reviews, the finish is somewhat short and does not quite match the rest of the wine - clearly has the potential to go 10+ more years, but drinking beautifully now - neither choice would be wrong!
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In full flower. Drank to compare to 96 St. Julien for family wine tasting. Full mouth of dark fruit and some mushroom which blew off to rich shoe polish and mahogany notes.
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Well, this was a bomb. If you enjoy opulent, (not in a negative way) and masculine wine this was a stunner. For my wife it was a bit too much up in the face but I can only admire the quality of this wine which is simply extraordinary. Our palates have preference for more elegance and poetic profiled wines however, this had so much of dark fruits, deep earth, spices, lead, pencil and showing an endless waves of flavors as well as aromas from all the way from Bordeaux 2000 that one could only be admirative and be awed. It went very well with a roast lamb and I can definitely see my last bottle of 2 being opened during winter time in a few years. No hurry as this has massive texture to last another 20 years. Cheers,
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Super expressive nose of black currant, cedar chips, leather, woody spice. Fully integrated tannins, luxurious mouthfeel, black fruit on the palate with a touch of stem.
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Opened slowly. 2 hour decant. Right out of bottle strawberry, almost vinegary fumes, flowers. Over time sour burned off and deeper richer mix of blackberry, floral, leather. Quite drinkable, but could go several more years.
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very similar to my last tasting note: medium red, brick rim - effusive nose of red fruit (cherries, plums, cassis) layered with lead pencil and mineral complexity - full mouth with soft, ripe tannins - good acid-fruit balance - as per several other reviews, the finish is short and does not match the rest of the wine - clearly has the potential to go 10+ more years, but drinking beautifully now
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The first whiff gives fresh herbs - later it reveals a glorious feminine rose and cassis perfume on nose and palate. Red and black fruits, with a (very) little tertiary leather approaching. Elegant, classic Bordeaux and also typical of 2000. Tannin and acidity quite prominent, tannins beginning to soften, not yet fully integrated - this is still young. Good complexity and length. Will improve further with age.
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Absolutely stunning, and drinking at a peak of maturity. Very ripe and rich, yet impeccably balanced. Meaty notes, classy toasted oak handling, brilliant inner core of focus, and a spicy/gamey note that adds huge nuance. As it developed in the glass, the hipness of the wine slightly masked the exquisite focus, but I have no problem seeing this wine drinking well for another decade.
This is a wonderful elegant wine, which is drinking at its prime. It has lost its rougher edges and now is out performing the 1990 in its prime. The nose is beautifully perfumed with red cherry, plum and flora. The tannin has fully resolved and is sweet and balanced on the palate. Previously I was a little critical of the finish, but the last year has seen it improve with length and balance. This only needs a couple of hours in the decanter, but should stay here for a good few years.
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medium red, brick rim - beautiful nose of red fruit (cherries, plums, cassis) layered with lead pencil and mineral complexity - full mouth with soft, ripe tannins - good acid-fruit balance - as per several other reviews, the finish is short and does not match the rest of the wine - clearly has the potential to go 10+ more years, but I like it where it is now
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Decanted an hour plus then drank over the next two hours. My last bottle showed more age and brown around the edges. This one looks more youthful. Wine is sublime. Big barnyard nose. Wine is so smooth with lots of flaor layers or earth, spice, tobacco, chocolate and currants. Lots of extraction and a very long finish. We had several great bottles over the holidays but this one was either 1st or 2nd with a 2010 Canon la Gaffeliere which was right there. I’m sure the wine can go longer but doubt it will improve significantly. Drink up.
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Cork was in perfect shape. Amazingly expressive nose. Could just inhale it all night long. Decanted for 2 hours and it was just getting started. Red fruit, spices. Incredibly fresh at 19 years. Good weight on the palate. Finish left something to be desired, but continued to mellow with time. Very good grape juice.
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Friend's birthday dinner at a local steakhouse, with the 2000 Canon la Gaffeliere, 2000 Pontet Canet, and 2003 Leoville Poyferre. All were popped'n poured at the restaurant.
Despite no decanting, the Canon la Gaffeliere is in a great drinking window, and continues to thrill. Dark fruits, and an aroma that doesn't quit. Another consistently outstanding bottle and a favorite product.
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You can safely ignore Cellar Tracker's End Drinking Date of 2022. Well stored bottles should have at least a decade of continued excellent drinking. Still a little bit of tannic oomph, but at a wonderful place, particularly if decanted over, or maybe an hour prior to, dinner. I could sit for an hour and just deeply inhale the wonderful aromas without even tasting a drop. But why? The run of great Bordeaux "vintages of the century" of late ('05, '09, '10, '15, '16) will leave some forgetting just how monumental the 2000 vintage was across the board. The Right Bank wines seem to have started hitting a sweet spot, as should many of the Left Bank over the next 5 or so years.
Right bank 2000s are really starting to hit their stride, and for myself this is the best Canon La Gaffeliere drinking at present. It has entered its prime drinking window, but still benefits from extended aeration. The nose is beautifully aromatic and opulent with red cherry, plum and flora. The tannin has softened on the palate but has retained a decent bite, and there is good depth and balance. As noted by another reviewer, the finish does not quite match the rest of the wine, but it is still a decent length with excellent balance.
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One of the Chateaus that made me fall in love with Bordeaux - the 2000 is rockin' right now, and at an even better place than the 2000 Gruaud that was matched against it. Although the CellarTracker gives the 2000 Canon la Gaffeliere a drinking window thru only 2022,. I'd be stunned if this didn't continue to excel for the next decade. After all the hype regarding Bordeaux in '05, '09, '10, '15, and '16, I won't be at all surprised if 2000 reemerges as the benchmark vintage.
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The 2000 Canon la Gaffeliere has been a consistently excellent wine, and this bottle was no different. Popped'n poured, but likely even better with an hour decant. I think this has several good years ahead.
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Decanted, but very little sediment. Clear ruby color. A bit shy on the nose at first but giving up plum and earth after some time. Intense flavors in the mouth, black fruits and tobacco leaf. Mature flavors carry through the finish. A nice mature St Émilion overall, but not super distinguished or distinctive. Drink now and in the next five years.
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This was beaming and it grew for about 5 hours before it was gone. It was by far the best bottle from the case that I have been holding. Maybe this is just my kind of Bordeaux with its old school clay filled, earthyness and coffee notes. The fruit is red and super concentrated and feisty, giving the old stench all the lift it needs to make the old wine fresh and exotic at the same time. Long, bruising finish with lots of tannins...Ways to go...I see this getting better and better. 95-96 today and 96+ in the future. Drink or HOLD
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Dinner at Imperial Treasure Fine Teochew Cuisine. Dark purple colour. Plummy, generously fruited but not heavy. Notes of balsamic vinegar. Low acidity, well balanced. Silky tannins, very smooth. This wine is drinking well now and is a perfect example of the appeal of the Right Bank in a good year, as a pair for Chinese cuisine.
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Similar to last notes. Decanted only one hour this time to give it a little more structure and this worked out well. Very smooth, velvet like tannins and a Wine you don’t want to end. Excellent structure and a wonderful melding of Merlot and Cab Franc. Down to my last bottle. The Wine is for sure in the “plateau phase” so I don’t see a benefit of additional aging.
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Amazing balance with 2 hours decanting! Velvety structure. Complex but smooth with dark fruit and earthiness nose. Good 30 second finish. Start to drinking well.
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Popped and poured. Always one of my very favorite Bordeaux right bank Bordeaux, and this never disappoints. One of the 2000 already in a good drinking window, but would likely have been even better with an hour or so decant. Really delicious.
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Decanted 2 hours. Dark color, barnyard nose but not too much. Lots of wonderful fruit flows over the palate. Excellent balance and structure. Tannins are soft and the wine is drinking great. I actually thought it would be a bit more tannic and not as mellow and approachable. Very enjoyable and solid Wine.
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This went through a bit of a dumb phase 12 months ago, but it has come back to its best. It is a glorious wine, and the best from the estate since the opulent 1990. The nose is full of cherry and plum with wafts of flora. Everything on the palate is perfectly balanced with deep layers of ripe fruit combined with beautifully sweetened tannins. The finish is 30 seconds plus and harmonious. Only a slight lack of depth mid palate prevents a higher rating. Do give it a lengthy decant at this stage. 96+
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Drank from decanter at Marc Forgione with partners and wives. It's been awhile since I've had this lovely, but it's still firing on all cylinders. My prior notes are consistent. Dark purplish color, generous nose of tobacco, coffee and cedar, medium bodied. Pleasant plummy smoothness, with nice complexity and very long. Lots of woodsy forest floor here too. A very elegant wine, showing lovely tertiary notes. Always enjoyable.
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The '95 Canon la Gaffeliere was one of the first wines that started my love affair with Bordeaux. And the '98 and '00 have been even better. I'm sure some view this as being one of the more "modern" Bordeaux, but this wine at 18 years has gorgeous fruit, plus structure, elegance, and that certain je ne se quoi. This was the 3rd bottle of 6 (pop and poured, with ribeyes on the grill - with an hour decant it would have been even better). I only wish I had bought a case. This may be a 2000 Bordeaux for which I'll actively search.
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Very enjoyable. This wine displayed a nice, slightly oxidized color with medium bricking but the nose was still super complex, even after a decent decant. Comes at you with earthy notes of underbrush, cedar, charcoal and a nice core of black currant. The weight of the wine was impressive as well, not losing a beat throughout the evening. Finishes with some still present earthiness but the merlot has mellowed into some honey-tinged fruit with a bit of smoke, a terrific combination. Very well balanced at this point, I think it's at peak right now and perhaps for another three to five years. An incredibly consistent producer for fans of the right bank who appreciate (relative) value.
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Touch of brett on this wine which I know some people love but tastes a bit like cosmetics to me which is a bit off putting. That aside, beautiful wine, aging wonderfully, nice mix of primary, secondary and tertiary and a soft, supple finish. Worked well with charcuterie, cheese and baguette. If the wine didn't have that touch of brett it would have been amazing. I have friends that love that though... Decanted for 2 hrs, drank over 2, hit it's peak about 3 hours after opening.
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Scored slightly lower than a year ago, as the wine has seemed to have closed down slightly. However, it has the same glorious nose with cherry and floral aromas dominating. The palate has shut down slightly but possessing wonderful depth and complexity. The tannin is a little inhibiting on the palate and finish but already drinking magnificently. It has entered a bit of a dumb phase which I know from previous experiences, should be a relatively short one, and something, a matter of months rather than years, should sort out. For myself, it is the best Canon De Gaffeliere since the opulent 1990. It is highly enjoyable at this stage but do decant for 6+ hours.
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Delicious wine. Deep red color, nose overwhelming, red fruit, liquorice, violets. This is Saint emilion, so more Merlot than on left bank, which makes the taste fruitier. Tannins are smooth, alcohol is there, gives little sting in the long finish. Full body, very balanced. Love it.
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PNP for family dinner on the fly. Wine was solid but clearly needed time and air to really open up and it never got that.91-92 last night but probably higher if done right
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Last bottle during a long dinner. Pnp. Still a fairly dark garnet. Wood spices, dark fruit and soups bois. Very smooth and silky. Very well integrated with good length. Easy drinking. Personally would have preferred a bit more grip and mid palate concentration but then this was the last wine and am much more a left bank drinker.
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Tried this wine 5 years ago and thought it would improve and it has. Deep garnet color with a nose that gives great insight to the flavors to follow. Dark cherry, pencil, graphite and wrapped in cedar shavings. This wine has great fruit concentration with little to no weight. Plenty of life ahead. Bummed its my last bottle. Enjoy!
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Saint Emilion 2000 vintage: 15 years in bottle (Grill Room at the Rosewood): Wine #5 turned out to be a delicious and a relatively more economically priced edition when compared to the very big boys. Yes, Château Canon La Gaffeliere, which was promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé later, was but a grand cru classé in 2000. I recall enjoying it after it had been just bottled in 2003. And in 2017, I gave it one of my highest scores because it gave off minty fresh chocolate aromas and ripe plum, and effused impressive tannic grip. This wine has evidently more time ahead of it, but is delicious today. Bravo to Stephan Von Neipperg!
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Comprehensive 2000 St Emilion Blind Tasting (The Grill Room at the Rosewood DC): Wine 5 - Youthful and Intense but a bit straightforward nose displaying chocolate dipped cherry, red fruit and milk chocolate. Excellent concentration, unctuous yet silky, noticeable tannins towards to the end and a long cherry and milk chocolate driven finish. Really powerful and youthful wine but still need some time to gain complexity.
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another bottle from same case - this one drinking much better. Some bricking at edges. Nice secondary tobacco, wet leaves, with rich fruit. Medium bodied. Nice wine
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Popped and let sit for 90 minutes. Kept tasting over the course of 4 hours. The last sips were the best. Classic aged Bordeaux, dusty leather, mushroom, perfectly resolved tannins, lovely minerality. A perfect toast to the Master's and Sergio's breakthrough victory on what would have been Seve's 60th birthday...I like where this is now but should hold up nicely for a few more years.
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Corked. Third out of three bottles, which disappoint heaviliy. Not sure if it was a storage issue or if this year had significant quality issues at CLG.
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Tried this after some positive notes. Decanter several hours. Color more evolved than notes below. Mine was more heavily oaked with leaner flavors. Maybe a bad bottle? Lots of sediment
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In the sweet spot right now. Gorgeous to look at. Still quite dark red, lightening a bit at the rim but not rusting. Still nearly opaque. Quite decent legs as well. The bouquet is something to behold, perfumed, flowery, with classic cedar and lead pencil as well. Very delicate, but very intense. All of tis follows through to the palate, where the wine is punching way above its weight class. Wow, the flavors are just lovely, and the wine is almost weightless. I'd swear on a stack that this was a first growth, but obviously I'd burn. The ONLY "flaw" in the ointment is a tiny bit of woody bitterness on the otherwise long, impressive finish. Saved the best bottle for last. 5-14-18-9: 96/100.
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Had a few bottles in 2015, 2016 and 2017. This needs decanting for good 2-3 hours for sediments to precipitate and flavours to develop.
The colour is dense deep ruby.
On the nose, it gives cherry, plum, earth, spice, herbs, leather and tobacco.
On the palate, it gives generous and complex flavours of plum, earth, coffee and cedar. Tannins are mature and soft. Acidity and flavour intensity are just right. Medium(+) body and medium (+) finish.
With sufficient aeration, this wine is open for business and drinking nicely now. It is also intriguing to see how the flavours develop throughout the night.
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Now drinking, this wine was well worth the wait. A floral nose underpinned by cherry and plum is beautifully deep. On the palate the fruit continues but with subltle hints of apple. The tannin has softened but retained enough muscle to perfectly balance the wine giving a wonderful smoothness which continues right through to the finish. A complete wine and the best Canon La Gaffeliere I've tasted since the 1990 was in its prime. The only criticism would be that the finish is a little short and could have merited an even higher score.
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K&L 2000 Bordeaux Tasting (K&L, San Francisco): Lovely nose with aromatic herbs, blackberry, notable cab franc at 30%; palate is medium-full bodied, integrated tannins which are slightly harsh, simpler palate; medium finish. Very nice nose but the palate falls flat. 88-89
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Wow this is intense. The 2000 Canon La Gaffeliere is a magnificent prime time blockbuster boasting a tantalizingly youthful dense ruby appearance and an explosive aromatic bouquet of cassis, burnt tar, lavender, herbes de Provence as well as subtle hints of old leather saddle. There is outstanding depth and laser-like precision here as this medium to full bodied beauty pleases the palate with its delicate texture, unleashing layer upon layer of Kirsch, raspberry coulis and shiitake mushrooms. Equally irresistible is the long lasting velvety finish loaded with lush, well rounded tannin. It's all there! This wine making tour de force is in its youthful prime now but should continue to provide hedonistic pleasure for at least another decade. We had the pleasure of drinking this with dinner at Per Se, which made it even more decadent. Bravo!
I had this wine very recently and my notes are consistent, though I thought this time around the wine had a bit more weight and substance than at the last tasting (likely bc the 2000 Quinault that I had right before this was a lighter, thinner wine). Dark purplish color, generous nose of tobacco, coffee and cedar, medium bodied. Pleasant plummy smoothness, with nice complexity and very long. Lots of woodsy forest floor here too.
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Drank at Cape with J$ and others. I had this wine last appx. 2 years ago in the same locale, and my notes are very consistent. Decanted for appx 30 minutes, which was just about right. Dark purplish color, generous nose of tobacco, coffee and cedar, medium bodied. Pleasant plummy smoothness, with nice complexity and very long. Lots of woodsy forest floor here too. The fruit tasted slightly green & might be fading a tad. A generally lovely example of a mature right bank Bdx that has hit its height.
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Deep garnet in color. Double decanted. Dark fruit, bell pepper, earth, and graphite on the nose. Full bodied, medium tannins, medium acid and just a touch of heat. Cassis, plum, and tobacco on the palate. Medium finish. Nice overall intensity, still youthful. My red wine of the night, tasted against three other Bordeaux and an Hermitage. The most complete package at this point in time. Drinking well now, can definitely hold for the medium term.
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Medium-dark ruby, garnet rim. Very nice showing after some decanting. Beautiful tertiary nose with dark berries, earth, forest and a whiff of tobacco. Medium+ bodied palate with good structure. Very nice balance.
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Tasted next to 2000 Branaire Ducru and 2000 Haut Bailly. Rich, generous, with ripe fruit notes, spices, undergrowth, sweet tobacco. Very expressive and open on the palate; lots of succulent fruit, but at the same time fresh and vibrant, slightly spicy. The tannins are soft and give structure without being obtrusive. Very well balanced and harmonic. A great bottle. My favourite in this mini-horizontal. Drink or hold. 93-94+
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Opened at home and slo O at 1pm. Decanted at 3:00 pm. Back into bottle at 5 pm. Opened again at restaurant at 6 pm and served with Beef Wellington 1 hour later. This wine had a nice bouquet on opening but was very closed on the palate. After double decant it was beginning to open and when served it was nearing peak. This wine was lush with black fruit, complex structure, balanced with silky smooth tannins, and showing really well tonight. Will keep for several years but no need to wait.
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Wonderful bouquet of black fruit and earthy (almost farm-like) tones. Decanted for ~2 hours -- smooth, silky tannins and overall balance and harmony of finish improved meaningfully after the hour mark after opening. Drinking well now.
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Cellared since release, perfect cork and fill. Dark red to rim. Lush, smooth, full-bodied and well-balanced with cherry, plum and earthy notes, good finish. Drinking very well but no significant tertiary complexity yet. The stuffing is there if you're willing to wait for it. Excellent now with potential for increased complexity.
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well well well. this was easily the best bottle of the batch. opened for the truffle dinner, but drank most of it for the dessert course :) too many bottles for tasting notes. this was rich and lush and right in the zone
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Stunning showing at early maturity. Exotic nose lifted camphor spice and pencil shavings. Plummy fruit but very, very focused. In the mouth, a wine of stunning balance that drinks like a glass of water. Everything is in equilibrium - plenty of flavor but the overall effect is one of being a point. Long and savory finish adds up to a near-profound wine. This feels much younger than its 15 years and I am not sure if this will improve (because it is already so good) but if it does, this will become a profound experience.
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Soft, silky, smooth and complex, with its ripe, fresh, sweet, plums and cherry notes coupled with licorice, truffle and hints of flowers. This is ready to drink, yet there is no rush to pop a cork. Drink now, or wait a while, either way, you'll be happy.
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This is a classic full-throttle Bordeaux that is a classic. It has a beautiful, delicious, highly complex, rich, long lasting wine with a round finish. The only other 2000 wine that exceeds this wine, in my judgment, is the St. Julien Leoville Poyferre. I have tasted at least 20 different 2000's from Bordeaux ( some are too early). This will not disappoint, and it is ready.
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Fantastic complexity. All flavour categories delivered something esp towards end: floral - violets, nutty - Brazil, matured fruits, mushrooms. Everything that is great about a Bordeaux!
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Opened in the morning, let breath in the bottle for a few hours, then re-corked and brought to dinner. Still has the bright fruit and spice elements on both the nose and the mouth. Held up quite nicely, though I don't have the impression it will improve. Drink up!
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From a bottle that had been opened 24 hours earlier. Had a glass over 1,5 hours. Lots of back and forth and I never quite understood which direction this wine is taking. Could go either way. Had the 99 some years ago and liked it. The 2000, however, did not quite convince.
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Better showing than last time...The finish was longer and this bottle seemed to have just been entering its secondary phase. Lots of tobacco and barnyard notes in this bottle...possible to mistake it for a fat CDP...good acidity and nice structure. Tannins and finish help up through the bottle. Enjoyed...Will try one more soon it make decision on how far back in the cellar to stash the rest...
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This wine was firing on all cylinders tonight. Dark ruby, with garnet at the edges. A slowly evolving nose of black cherry, currant, barbecue smoke, bacon fat, crushed rock, and espresso. The smokiness of the nose was evident throughout. Rich and silky mouthfeel. Nice medium-plus finish. Silky tannins that balance nicely. This wine is clearly in its drinking window, but it probably still has a decade to do. Don't hesitate if you want to drink this now.
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I've been through a case of this wine in the past 18 months. It is consistently smooth, soft, and complex, very sexy with a soaring aroma that follows through in the long and lingering taste. I doubt this will improve--it is drinking so well now it has nowhere to go! Open a bottle and enjoy. A lovely bottle of St. Émilion.
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Opaque ruby color turning crimson at the rim with a nose of rich earthy nose of blackberries, currants, dried rosemary, bay leaf, and pepper spice. The palate is medium-bodied, dry with a silky texture on medium but bright acidity. Flavors of black currant, smoke, graphite, toasted oak, vanilla, and hanged meat. Delicately balanced and elegant. Finishes long with hints of spice and herbs. At its peak already. Drink now.
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My last bottle of a case bought EP. Might have been the best yet. Modern style, rich, ripe and smooth. But not overripe, with the balance and complexity of great Bordeaux. This wine wild hold for years, but I think it is at or close to its peak now. Delightful wine!
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Another sexy supple bottle of Canon-la-Gaffelière. Velvet spices with some smoke, cherry, and just a hint of licorice. Lingers on the palate with intriguing complexity. One of the finest early-drinking 2000s.
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I have to agree with Merzbow on this. Low performance. Although the cork was ok, the wine seemed to be corky from opening to drinking 2 hours later.
I had this experience already on previous occasions, so I guess it's either above average bottle variation, or just a corky year for ClG.... (However beside that, the nose is quite sexy with sweet fruits which are still there. The color of the wine was ok, so I don't think it's about a closing drinking window).
Drank with J$s at the Cape. Decanted for appx 30 minutes, and wish I had opened it earlier. Dark purplish color, generous nose of tobacco, coffee and cedar, medium bodied. Silky smooth with nice complexity and very long. But, this time around, the fruit tasted a bit green or perhaps a bit faded. As the wine sat in glass, it opened and improved but then, toward the end of the bottle, slipped backward once again. I enjoyed this wine but not nearly as much as the last time I had it a few months ago. Hopefully, it's just this bottle.
Right at opening, this wine was a stunner. The nose was a stunner one of tobacco, mocha, and cedar. The first sip showed a cedar driven mature flavor with non existent tannins, followed by a tobacco and cedar finish that stayed in the mouth for a good minute. We were WOWED!
As the night wore on, the wine wore down allot. The finish seemed to fall off a cliff right at 10 seconds or so...The wine hollowed out, and left the moth with almost no goodbye!
Im afraid that this bottle lived fast, and is dying young (Maybe storage conditions from previous owner) Seems to me that this one is starting its decline...So, drink now, don't decant, and drink fast, cuz its beautiful.
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Westchester Wine School - Premium Wine Tasting (Bar Lees, Mamaroneck, NY): I supplied, and drank at WWS tasting. Drank alongside 2004 Valandraud & 2000 Certan De May. The wine was decanted for a solid 90 minutes before drinking. Dark ruby color, generous nose laden with coffee & earth. Medium bodied, silky smooth tannins, nice freshness and great length. Classic example of a well-aged bordeaux in its prime drinking stage with tons of cigar box, smoke, spice, & earth, yet still showing excellent fruit and acidity levels--all in perfect symmetry at the moment. Wonderful complexity & structure, and just a pleasure to enjoy--especially with many who appreciated this wine for what it was. Easily voted the WOTN by a landslide. I'm loving that I still have several bottles left in the cellar.
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Popped and poured, but let it sit in the glasses 30 minutes before dinner. Drinking very well now, and though I'm confident it will hold a few years, I doubt it will improve. I'll finish my last bottle this year.
Nice, complex nose. Rich, modern style. Good finish. A wine of pleasure.
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"Best bottle for about 100 Euro" (Daniels Home): Colour: Medium-dark ruby, garnet rim. Nose: A LOT of espresso/mocha then cassis, blood, steel and a hint of black olive. Palate: Still young, tannins are present. Medium acidity & finish.
Again, not my style of wine. Till now I have no sweet spot for BDX.
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This is a sexy bottle of wine. Complex flavors woven into a deep and silky palate-saturating glass. It is showing better and better. The flavors are long lasting, medium bodied plus. Highly recommended.
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Medium-dark ruby, garnet rim. This wine has been closed for quite some time and is now just starting to open up. Nose of dark berries intermixed with earthy notes and a touch of wood. On the palate medium-full bodied with pronounced tannins. Good they did not go further with the extraction here. Solid length. Decant 2h or wait for another 2-3 years.
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Delicious! Slight orange cast to the garnet wine. Dark aromas of alluring spice. Drinking silky smooth, with licorice, black cherries, and dark fruit. A really nice glass of Bordeaux.
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Flashy, fleshy and fun this is aromatic perfection. The 2000 vintage is beginning to show its brilliance. The royal purple sweet black fruit is laced with licorice, caressed with cassis, roasted with coffee. This is perfectly balanced, textured, silky smooth, and excitingly rich. A sensual experience from mid palate though the finish.
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Solid garnet all the way to the rim. Good viscosity and legs. With a little air the nose emerged nicely with graphite and mulberry fruit. Feminine and fragrant. Still tight but fruit is there on the palate, very nice. Good structure and grip. Just beginning to hit its stride, many years of life ahead. Beauty. Long finish. 4-13-16-8: 91/100.
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Served at the Chateau with 2006 and 2002 for lunch. Looks much younger than the 02. Nose a bit close at first (dumb phase?), then slowly evolved into rose petal, leather, truffle, meat, dark chocolate. Plenty of ripe and supple tannins. Well-balanced. Needs at least another 5 to 10 years to realize its full potential.
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La Commanderie de Bordeaux: Les Cinq (Five Sails - Vancouver, BC): Great nose showing tons of lead pencil shavings on the nose, along with some rich black cherries, cassis, plenty of spice, and bright red currants hiding in the background. Shows a lot more spice on the palate in the form of clove and black pepper, along with plenty of cedar, graphite, and fresh mint. Nice richness with slightly sweet dark fruits yet not extracted in the least, finishing with a hint of menthol. Great lead pencil profile all the way through here showing nice restraint yet holding plenty of power in the background. Very young and tightly wound at the moment but clearly there is plenty of potential here and this should be put away for at least 5 years. Fantastic
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Open and fragrant, classy and elegant, this wine was a balanced pleasure from start to finish, complementing a delicate and tasty dinner. It didn't seem to last as long as others in the glass, but while it did, it was very enjoyable.
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2 hour decant, then back in the bottle, and drunk 4 hours later. Much more going on in this bottle than the last one. Huge nose of spice, tobacco and dark fruit. Well balanced and full in the mouth. Fine tannins. Delicious stuff. Would have been better with a longer decant
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Brilliant. Slow-oxed for 10 hours (yes, you read that right) then double decanted for 1 hour. This was beautiful in its graphite laden, plum oriented, tobacco infused elegance. Excellent balance of fruit forward attack with depth, subtlety, silky texture and especially length. Nice secondaries developing. One to savor over the coming decade plus.
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Decanted and drank over 3 hours. Great nose and palate of sexy black cherry fruit, coffee, some old wood as the only secondary characteristic. Very dense, yet silky with some licorice. Opulent medium++ finish. Really nice.
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Upfront impression of a savory and herbal nose, followed by blackcurrant and blackberry fruit. Mellow and integrated in the mouth, with great balance and very fine tannins. Medium finish with a bit of spice. Aged well and ready to go.
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Very nice wine. Perfect age for drinking. However, not as much in harmony as the 1998, which I enjoyed more. But I have to mention that these two in the end are both perfect wines. Not on the strong side, more with elegance and fruit.
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First night impressions. Drank 2/3rds of the bottle over 3 hour period, no decant. Everything's on the nose, which is lovely. The mouth is largely mute, except I now understand what glycerin means. Last third of the bottle is much improved and balanced. Still can't rave about this wine but I see the potential. Strongly recommend decant. Luckily I have 6 more bottles to experiment with
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Nice rubber blackberry nose; Smooth soft and silky texture; round with elegance; smooth soft sweet tannins; very nice; still feels young so wait some more.
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Minerality, coffee, black cherry, spice, floral and earthy aromas show this St. Emilion to be developing nicely. Lush, concentrated and round, the wine ends with black licorice and cherry liqueur flavors.
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Developing colour - hint of garnet at rim; quite a rich leathery bouquet. Hints of spice and a core of sweet fruit; lovely flavour. Very elegant now but still has power. Mineral iron notes as well on finish.
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Decanted for 2 hours. Very nice aromatic bouquet on the nose. Dark inky ruby color. Integrated tannins with nice complexity. I get pencil lead, spice box, some crushed rocks again and a hint of leather. This vintage is drinking very well right now. Wish I had about 12 more bottles.
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This an awesome wine. Massive and very concentrated, powerful. Almost a black ruby color with very thick legs in large numbers. Amazing nose is filled with gorgeous black fruits and is extroverted and totally exotic. Despite a massive concentration of fruit and copious amounts of tannins, this is a fleshpot of a wine, with a cornucopia of rich, mouthfilling flavors. Wow! One of the best I've tasted from the vintage for sure. It's 11 years of age and it's still a baby! Amazing! What a great vintage! Makes me believe all of the hype about the quality of the 2000s, and their ability to age, especially. 5-13-18-9: 95/100.
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Deep ruby red/purple color. Nice aromatic nose of leather and vanilla, hints of spice. Well structured and full on the palate with a long finish. I got barnyard and leather with spice box some crushed rocks. Very classic Bordeaux. I enjoyed this good wine
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Deep saturated purple color. Incredible nose of wild flower, rasberry, blackberry and a little vanilla. Taste of crushed dark fruit with a sweet berry component. Long finish and showed very well immediately after decanting. It was served single blind to me, but double blind to the rest at the table and it was interesting to note that the two French people at the table thought that it might possibly be a Napa Valley wine thrown in as a ringer - before calling it a St. Emilion. Drinking well now with plenty of life left in it. I'm not sure it will last 20+ more years like the 2000 Pichon Baron that we consumed side by side with this.
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Very dark red/purple.Tasted, then decanted before flank steak dinner. Nose is like a big bowl of ripe fruit, red and black cherries, blackberries, plums, etc. If you like your bordeaux with barnyard and dirt (which I do my self sometimes), this is not the wine for you. Some will call this "new world," but it seems very Bordeaux to me, nicely balanced, and the ample fruit is elegant, not overly sweet or alcoholic. This will probably benefit from another year or two in the cellar, but with a bit of air it is terrific now. This is just a highly enjoyable wine, a crowd pleaser that will delight hard core winos as well as casual drinkers.
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13.5% alcohol. not decanted, consumed over 5 hours. great nose and well rounded tannins. i am liking my right bank 2000s at the ten year point because of the lingering primary fruit as some secondary nuances float into the mix. very nice. drink or hold.
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Tar and leather nose; well structured and well balanced, broad and textured, smooth with rich sweet tannins; long fine finish with just a hint of heat.
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Popped and poured. Fantastic bouquet of fruits/spice engulfed the table. Actually the table next to us mentioned the aroma. Great deep purple color. mostly spice box, leather and black fruits. Subtle tannins an not overwhelming.
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Popped and poured. Intense cigar box on the nose, leather, spice. Old world taste, nice finish. Something lacking in the middle. When I say cigar box, I mean man cave smokiness. Somewhat overwhelming in the flavour too.
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Licorice, blackberry, dark cherry, spice and fresh herb aromas is pleasing to smell. The wine is round, opulent and lush with ample fruit to keep you interested.
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This wine really knocked us out last night. Wonderful color, and bouquet of toasty oak, deep and rich on the palate with notes of mocha, smoke, black and red fruits, chewy and delicious. Great finish. It will be interesting to see its evolution. From magnum.
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Caroline Wine Shop - Capaia versus Right Bank Bordeaux (Carolines Wine Shop): Mid to deep bright ruby red colour. A delightful restraint slows pulls open to reveal complex and spicy notes with those classic cedarwood aromas reminiscent of Bordeaux with red fruit from the right bank. The mid-palate is rich, whilst the tannins are yielding and slightly powdery. Good but not that long in length; there is a subtle power here, along with breadth and intensity, to suggest a good producer. Closes with a touch of melted chocolate, medium acidity and coffee grinds. Not massively structured, this was most enjoyable. Developed nicely in the glass. CF is just less than 50% of the blend. Age of vines average is 45 yrs old with vines starting at 20-25 years.
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Full, round, ripe-to-overripe, and very sweet and soft. A wine in the 'international' style without much nuance and very imbalanced toward the ripe, sweet fruit without enough acidity to scrub the sugar off the teeth. Indistinguishable from La Mondotte. Far too expensive for what's in the bottle.
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Neither the nose nor the palate was giving up much tonight. There's definitely some good blackberry and plum fruit in there somewhere, but it's just a whisper. This is not the luscious, primal, oaky, delicious wine I last tasted two years ago and still remember very well... (probably, in my memory at least, a 94-95 pt wine)... I'm not going to try again for another year or two. Drank next to the 2000 Figeac, which is drinking better than ever, by the way.
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HDH Pre-Auction Tasting (Tru): Getting better! Full ruby purple color. Big spicy purple fruit nose. Still youthful and tight, but starting to give up a bit more. Black fruit with some sweetness. Long finish with coffee notes.
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At Social Miami with Paul & Arlene Rogoff, and Bob Muraro. Bob's wine, which he decanted for 2-3 hours before dinner. Drinkable now, but will improve w time I slightly preferred the 93 Fisher Lamb V to this. Good merlot fruit, not especially intense and still tight.
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Soft and uneventful on the first and second nites. Opened up on the third nite. Nice aroma, full bodied, but just a bit acidic. While this is a very young wine, it drinks reasonably well now. Time will soften this up a bit and then the wine will see its full potential. I enjoyed this.
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St. Émilion (and Pomerol) offline at Kaspar's (Seattle, WA): Much tougher to evaluate and enjoy than the 1999 right now. Reticent nose although with a riper profile. Nice mineral, chocolate and smoke on the very tight palate. Very closed. Hands off.
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Opaque red-purple color. Forward aroma of black tar, chocolate, and cassis. Focused and concentratred with rich mocha fruit and hinds of black cherry. A hint of bell pepper on the finish. You can certainly discern the Cab Franc character. Tannic but fairly round. Drinking OK, but will certainly improve with age. 11/04
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Deep, dark red appearance. A strong bouquet of licorice, peppar and other spices. Ultradense and concentrated with great intensity on the palate. Large bodied and powerful - almost brutal - this wine is for keeping. For 15 plus years. It is somewhat hard today, but the structure, density of fruit, and balance is there. Long aftertaste.
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2000 Bordeaux Tasting (Chicago, IL): Super rich red currant and tobacco aromas. Notes of licorice and vanilla, but, yet again, very deep tannin structure. Number 6 wine of the tasting.
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4/20/2024 - dbenglis Likes this wine: 96 Points
Excellent bottle. Still youthful. Fruit opens up well. No need for long decant.
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3/12/2024 - lepetitchateau wrote: 87 Points
Stewy and overripe...
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3/8/2024 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
Now into my second case, this delivers consistently. For myself, this is by far the greatest vintage produced by the estate, with only the 1990 coming anywhere near. As with a few of the right bankers from 2000, this has been in its peak drinking window for the last 5 years, but with a structure that should keep it at this level for at least another decade. Tasted blind, you would swear it was a top Pomerol. It is liquid velvet with a deeply seductive nose of ripe red berry fruits underpinned with floral notes. The depth and balance on the palate are faultless, and if the finish was longer, it would merit another point. This, and the Bellevue are my favourite St.Emilions from 2000, and among the best priced, and great value for money.
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2/16/2024 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Audozed three hours and it was just right. I wasn't so much a fan of this RB wine on release, but time has been kind to it. Lovely melange of currants, tobacco, forest, soil, etc. A confident medium>medium+ body with good structure, fresh acids, etc. Should continue to hold and will certainly develop some more tertiary character. Fun to revisit all these years later. Enjoy now or in the coming decade depending on your preferences. highly recommended
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1/20/2024 - JonathanFlavell Likes this wine:
Deep garnet, nose of black cherry, black plum, blackberry, blackcurrant, raspberry, redcurrant, leather, smoke, toast, coffee, chocolate & tobacco. Good weight, strong acidity, ripe and juicy tannings.To taste black cherry, red cherry, raspberry, strawberry, blackcurrant, black pepper, spice, cedar, toast, smoke, leather, meat & coffee. Long. Outstanding. Super balance, lots of intensity, complexity and definition. In a great place with fruit still very present, but plenty of other complexity. Ready to go depending on your taste preferences, with plenty of time in hand.
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12/2/2023 - Stufonhead Likes this wine: 92 Points
Quick decant and on to it. Quite complex but on the rustic side. Certainly well kept bottle but based on prior notes this bottle may have aged quicker than others'. We'll see with the next bottle but I'm prob gonna open it within the next year to correctly project my other bottles.
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5/1/2023 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
Tasted regularly, this is without doubt the greatest from the estate drinking and is the embodiment of the right bank wines from one of the most iconic vintages in our recent times. The right bankers are far ahead of their left bank siblings from the year, and already displaying secondary and tertiary notes, but with at least a good decade of prime drinking ahead of it. Taste profile is as per previous, but interestingly a distinct floral background of lavender and violet has appeared during the last year end palate. Highly recommended.
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4/15/2023 - Collector1855 wrote: 95 Points
Great, tertiary Bordeaux notes, very aromatic. Dense and fruity with strong structure. An aristocratic, top Bordeaux on its peak plateau. Drink now till 2030.
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4/9/2023 - par361 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Can't imagine this getting any better from here
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1/28/2023 - vinojones wrote: 92 Points
Dark ruby red; P&P over an hour; nose brought tart red cherries, green cardamom and a little pepper finish; with a little time the nose develops a mild turpentine, wood spirits note.
Very pleasant in a Asian( Indian) food profile, less so with French Cuisine
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1/10/2023 - TWSA Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nose: violet, red flower, pepper, red fruits, dark chocolate, mature plum, graphite, fig
Notes: medium bodied with a bit of a savory note towards the end. Quite a complex and expressive aroma with an attractive and intriguing mature plum nose. I would say that the nose is quite exceptional and right now it seems like the palate hasn't caught up entirely with the nose yet. Although this wine is drinking well now but I would anticipate another 8-10 years for this to reach its peak drinking window. Coming from an excellent vintage this wine surely has a lot of potential left in it. I've had a bottle of 88 not long ago and it's still standing quite strong so I do think we can resample this again in 2030 or after.
Drink: 2030+
Rating: 91
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12/11/2022 - djhammond Likes this wine: 95 Points
As per previous notes, this is a glorious wine.
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8/20/2022 - par361 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fantastic. Still has another 5-10 years.
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7/5/2022 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
I can't really add more to previous notes, apart from confirming my endorsement of this wine. Without doubt it is the greatest wine from the estate drinking and one the best St. Émilions from 2000. My instinct is that this is probably a wine that will need to be drunk over the next 5 years to enjoy it at its best. Liquid velvet!
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6/11/2022 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Jim's Retirement Party (Libertyville, IL): Small glass from magnum. Like the Lynch Bages, this simply needs more time, although the plump black fruit and sweet spice are providing slightly more pleasure today. However, the firm tannins are still assertive. Patience will be rewarded.
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5/16/2022 - Enfantterrible wrote: 93 Points
One of my earliest fine wine purchases, along with a few 2002 GC burgs. This last bottle of the batch lived up to expectations. Gentle decant, consumed over 2.5 hours. It started light and almost Burgundian, and then really fleshed out with time. Excellent bottle. Well-stored, this could go 5+ years.
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5/8/2022 - cephomer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Popped and poured at Kittle House for mom's day. Lots of tobacco and herbal notes on the nose. Medium body, fairly silky on the palate, some red fruit notes, along with coffee, licorice and tobacco. On the plummy side as well. There's still fruit here but not as plentiful as I recall, and the wine now has assumed more of a tertiary style. I've had this wine in the past on numerous occasions and have always enjoyed it, but this was not its best showing. To me, despite what others on CT have written, it seems like it has begun its decline, which is regrettable.
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3/27/2022 - Mr T wrote:
Decanted before dinner and outstanding. Still quite dark, tannin mostly resolved and balanced ripe dark fruits. Wine got progressively better as dinner went on. Corked and put in fridge and finished 2 nights later when the wine never really sang or expressed itself and was more acidic/sour. Pairing with food was fine but just not there. Should have finished it off night 1
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2/3/2022 - cephomer Likes this wine: 95 Points
Popped n poured last nite with MP at Frank Italian in East Village. I've had this wine b4 and my notes are consistent, tho this may have been its best showing yet. Still dark purplish in color, w/no apparent signs of bricking. Tobacco, cigar box, and espresso aromas overwhelm immediately upon opening the bottle. Black and red fruit, tertiary notes of espresso, coffee, tobacco and cigar box are prevalent. I also notice some spice, some smoke and some forest floor elements. There's most definitely a pervasive woodsy earthiness to this wine that is just quintessential Bordeaux. The wine has lost some of the elegance I had noticed in the past and has become more of a masculine, sexy, thick-bodied mature right banker. Excellent wine!
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1/27/2022 - wineappreciation wrote: 92 Points
Blackberry, cigar box, leather, violets, vanilla; on palate it is thick, powerful, full, lively, and long; a bit monolithic but very good indeed
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11/27/2021 - Racer117 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Fantastic. This is a beautiful quintessential Bordeaux. Immensely complex with aromas of espresso, rich cherry and dark berry fruit, toast, hint of funk. Full bodied yet balanced, very masculine. Flavors of red fruit, earth, tobacco/smoke. Ends with a long drawn out finish.
This must be at its peak.
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11/3/2021 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
One my favourite right bankers from 2000 drinking well, and it is probably the best vintage the estate has produced since the 1990. It is opulent on the nose packed with ripe red fruits and flora. The palate is silky smooth and perfectly balanced with a subtle tannic background, and the finish is 30+ seconds.
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9/30/2021 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
This has clearly moved into its prime-time drinking window. Splash decanted, the wine shows off its nose of tobacco leaf, flowers, herbs, and a melange of red fruits with ease. Silky, rich, soft, and polished, the finish leaves you with touches of licorice, thyme, espresso, spice, mint, and sweet red pit fruits.
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9/22/2021 - djhammond wrote: flawed
This is a delightful wine and probably the best from the estate drinking. I normally give this a well deserved 96, but this had the slightest taint of the cork. I would hope this doesn't become a regular issue as with the 1990. In spite of the flaw the bottle was finished and was enjoyed.
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9/12/2021 - Hendmo Likes this wine: 95 Points
From corovin. Deep ruby/garnet. Nose of juicy plums, dark cherry, some earthy, smoky notes, a hint of cedar, vanilla and leather, but overall still fresh and vibrant and only starting to enter its secondary phase. Palate is medium bodied and well balanced, with a fresh line of acidity cutting through the dark red fruits and giving it a vibrant fresh feel with good energy across the palate, but also silky smooth. Medium length finish, with lovely fruit and spices lingering. The tannins are well ingrated and smooth, so ready to drink now, but this still has the structure and fruit to last many more years yet. While very clearly a classic Bordeaux, it’s one that will probably also appeal to those who like Burgundy too as its on the more refined side of things. Delicious. 93pts
Edit - tried another bottle, opening at 2:30pm before decanting at 5pm and drink at 8pm. Far more evolved and drinking exceptionally well, hence the +2. Lovely contrast between the fresh redcurrant and spices on the entry, before leading into a long billowing finish with wonderful tobacco notes. Exceptional.
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9/5/2021 - nisid Likes this wine: 95 Points
Rich plum notes, lots of fruit left. Tannins pretty well integrated. This wine is open for business but should have plenty of years ahead of it.
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7/31/2021 - jmoon Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice rounded ready to drink plummy plush right bank beauty.
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7/30/2021 - Verb Likes this wine: 93 Points
effusive mature nose of red fruit (cherries, plums, cassis) layered with lead pencil and mineral complexity - full mouth of right bank merlot fruit with soft, ripe tannins - excellent acid-fruit-tannin balance - as per several other reviews, the finish is somewhat short and does not quite match the rest of the wine - clearly has the potential to last many more years, but drinking beautifully now - tasted alongside 2000 Vieux Chateau Certan, which had a richer body and better balance but not as much bright forward fruit as the Canon-la-Gaffeliere
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7/11/2021 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 95 Points
In a very good place. A delicious, mature, right banker.
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7/3/2021 - spillwine wrote: flawed
Mini verticale 2016-2015-2010-2000-1998.
2016 trop jeune mais grand équilibre, belle fraîcheur et grand avenir; 2015 cuit, le perdant de la soirée; 2010 parfait, puissance et équilibre; 2000 un très léger bouchon, beau malgré tout; 1998 magnifique, le plus élégant.
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6/28/2021 - levicn Likes this wine: 93 Points
深石榴红酒体,闻香很鲜,有brett带来的淡淡牲厩味,成熟黑果香气,入口单宁紧致,颗粒细腻,咸鲜口感,清晰矿物感。非常旧世界,酒的骨架不大,结构感漂亮,蓝莓和石墨的气息,法桶带来的香草味,余味悠长,满口留香,做得精巧,平衡
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6/25/2021 - DCHawkeye Likes this wine: 95 Points
Popped'n poured, at home with steak. Parker would, on occasion, refer to a wine as hedonistic - this is of that ilk. A nose that goes on and on, and incredibly pure fruit. A great wine.
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6/4/2021 - Genghis88 Likes this wine: 93 Points
@Ancora
Brick red, full bodied
Traditional BDX nose. Earthy, fruit still present, leather notes
Smooth, nicely balanced. Long finish.
In a perfect place. Really nice wine.
Yoshi is the best!
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5/28/2021 - aerosol Likes this wine: 94 Points
Started with primary fruit in the nose and some pencil shavings. After a couple hours of decanting, the wine swirls on the palate with tart black cherry, hint of mushroom, and some pencil lead. This bottle got more acerbic as it opened, but it’s great with food. It still has some life left in it but if you have some in your collection then go ahead and try it
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5/2/2021 - shafer1994 Likes this wine: 95 Points
The last of 3 bottles and by far the best: when I pulled out the cork the room got filled by smell of kirsch, Black berries, coffee, Vanille. Intense. No decant needed. This is a full bodied, rich and hedonistic wine at its best drinking time. Long finish, increadible power, supersexy. It comes out of the glas and is taking over your senses, overwhelming. Might last for another 2-4 years in that stadium.
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5/1/2021 - Sanlucar Likes this wine: 94 Points
3 - 5 years of life left in this bottle. It shows big Merlot / Cab Franc / Cab Sauv with a huge mid-palate of black plums and coffee, and it tastes like the dirt from which it grew! Yeah!!!
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4/25/2021 - Winning_Wines Likes this wine: 94 Points
A very stellar wine. Let breath in glass for 1.5 hours, which revealed luscious black raspberry fruit, crushed rocks, shaved pencils, earth and smoke. It was extremely well balanced and a long finish. A very enjoyable wine and experience.
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4/24/2021 - Verb Likes this wine: 93 Points
medium red, brick rim - effusive but mature nose of red fruit (cherries, plums, cassis) layered with lead pencil and mineral complexity - full mouth of right bank merlot fruit with soft, ripe tannins - excellent acid-fruit-tannin balance - as per several other reviews, the finish is somewhat short and does not quite match the rest of the wine - clearly has the potential to last many more years, but drinking beautifully - I thinks it's about the best it can be right now
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3/14/2021 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is the best example of the estate drinking in its prime window. It is a fabulously decadent wine with a wonderful nose packed full of ripe cherry and plum with floral overtones. The tannin has sweetened on the palate over the last 12 months, but it still retains a subtle steeliness. There is a wonderful depth and balance on the palate and finish. The tannin still needs to further settle on the finish. 96+
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1/16/2021 - SpitzNV Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very youthful. Brick red. Nose of chantrelle mushroom. Medium acid, medium tannins. Little to no fruit but delicious through and through.
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12/20/2020 - The Bugle Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking beautifully right now. Plenty of life left.
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12/4/2020 - adnorthup Likes this wine: 92 Points
Consistent with most recent notes here. Bottle weirdly showed a bit hot after 3ish hours of air but that disappeared towards the 4 hour mark.
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10/28/2020 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is drinking beautifully, but should stay here for a another decade or more. It is a wonderfully elegant wine and is probably the best example from the estate drinking at present. The nose is deep with ripe red cherry and plum with floral background notes. The tannin is sweet and in perfect balance delivering a seamless smoothness in the mouth. Similarly everything is in harmony on the finish which is deceptively lengthy and keeps coming back in waves for nearly 60 seconds. The only thing preventing me from rating this higher is a slight lack of depth on the finish. I would hope that this can be addressed with age.
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10/17/2020 - Romol Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 2 hours. A very good bottle. Perfect to drink now but no hurry. 93 pts at the moment.
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9/29/2020 - Verb Likes this wine: 94 Points
very similar to my last tasting note in July 2020: medium red, brick rim - effusive but mature nose of red fruit (cherries, plums, cassis) layered with lead pencil and mineral complexity - full mouth with soft, ripe tannins - very good acid-fruit-tannin balance - as per several other reviews, the finish is somewhat short and does not quite match the rest of the wine - clearly has the potential to go 10+ more years, but drinking beautifully now - neither choice would be wrong!
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9/8/2020 - VAGentleman wrote: 93 Points
In full flower. Drank to compare to 96 St. Julien for family wine tasting. Full mouth of dark fruit and some mushroom which blew off to rich shoe polish and mahogany notes.
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9/7/2020 - swyang wrote:
Well, this was a bomb. If you enjoy opulent, (not in a negative way) and masculine wine this was a stunner. For my wife it was a bit too much up in the face but I can only admire the quality of this wine which is simply extraordinary. Our palates have preference for more elegance and poetic profiled wines however, this had so much of dark fruits, deep earth, spices, lead, pencil and showing an endless waves of flavors as well as aromas from all the way from Bordeaux 2000 that one could only be admirative and be awed. It went very well with a roast lamb and I can definitely see my last bottle of 2 being opened during winter time in a few years. No hurry as this has massive texture to last another 20 years. Cheers,
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9/5/2020 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fully mature but still an abundance of fruit and nice long finish. Just perfect!
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8/30/2020 - DCHawkeye Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted with dinner (surf'n turf), and I'd say this is at its peak. Not in any danger of fading soon, but why wait - this is delicious right now.
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8/11/2020 - shifter Likes this wine: 93 Points
Super expressive nose of black currant, cedar chips, leather, woody spice. Fully integrated tannins, luxurious mouthfeel, black fruit on the palate with a touch of stem.
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7/25/2020 - VAGentleman wrote: 92 Points
Opened slowly. 2 hour decant. Right out of bottle strawberry, almost vinegary fumes, flowers. Over time sour burned off and deeper richer mix of blackberry, floral, leather. Quite drinkable, but could go several more years.
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7/19/2020 - Romol Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 2 hours. A very good bottle. Perfect to drink now and it still has a few years left. 93+ pts at the moment.
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7/1/2020 - Verb Likes this wine: 94 Points
very similar to my last tasting note: medium red, brick rim - effusive nose of red fruit (cherries, plums, cassis) layered with lead pencil and mineral complexity - full mouth with soft, ripe tannins - good acid-fruit balance - as per several other reviews, the finish is short and does not match the rest of the wine - clearly has the potential to go 10+ more years, but drinking beautifully now
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6/25/2020 - gothamfreerider Likes this wine: 96 Points
Starts off with kumquat&licorice flavors. A fantastic mid layer of smoked cherries. Espresso infused finish. Absolutely fantastic ..
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5/24/2020 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 93 Points
The first whiff gives fresh herbs - later it reveals a glorious feminine rose and cassis perfume on nose and palate. Red and black fruits, with a (very) little tertiary leather approaching. Elegant, classic Bordeaux and also typical of 2000. Tannin and acidity quite prominent, tannins beginning to soften, not yet fully integrated - this is still young. Good complexity and length. Will improve further with age.
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4/22/2020 - DCHawkeye Likes this wine: 91 Points
Popped'n poured, at home with steaks. Nose was great, but this bottle wasn't nearly as good as the last several.
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4/18/2020 - Marc wrote: 94 Points
Absolutely stunning, and drinking at a peak of maturity. Very ripe and rich, yet impeccably balanced. Meaty notes, classy toasted oak handling, brilliant inner core of focus, and a spicy/gamey note that adds huge nuance. As it developed in the glass, the hipness of the wine slightly masked the exquisite focus, but I have no problem seeing this wine drinking well for another decade.
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3/11/2020 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is a wonderful elegant wine, which is drinking at its prime. It has lost its rougher edges and now is out performing the 1990 in its prime. The nose is beautifully perfumed with red cherry, plum and flora. The tannin has fully resolved and is sweet and balanced on the palate. Previously I was a little critical of the finish, but the last year has seen it improve with length and balance. This only needs a couple of hours in the decanter, but should stay here for a good few years.
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2/2/2020 - Verb Likes this wine: 94 Points
medium red, brick rim - beautiful nose of red fruit (cherries, plums, cassis) layered with lead pencil and mineral complexity - full mouth with soft, ripe tannins - good acid-fruit balance - as per several other reviews, the finish is short and does not match the rest of the wine - clearly has the potential to go 10+ more years, but I like it where it is now
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1/6/2020 - Romol Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Again a very good bottle. Ready to drink but no hurry. 93(-) pts at the moment.
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12/26/2019 - WineGuyDelMar Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted an hour plus then drank over the next two hours. My last bottle showed more age and brown around the edges. This one looks more youthful. Wine is sublime. Big barnyard nose. Wine is so smooth with lots of flaor layers or earth, spice, tobacco, chocolate and currants. Lots of extraction and a very long finish. We had several great bottles over the holidays but this one was either 1st or 2nd with a 2010 Canon la Gaffeliere which was right there. I’m sure the wine can go longer but doubt it will improve significantly. Drink up.
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12/25/2019 - shifter Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cork was in perfect shape. Amazingly expressive nose. Could just inhale it all night long. Decanted for 2 hours and it was just getting started. Red fruit, spices. Incredibly fresh at 19 years. Good weight on the palate. Finish left something to be desired, but continued to mellow with time. Very good grape juice.
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12/4/2019 - DCHawkeye Likes this wine: 94 Points
Friend's birthday dinner at a local steakhouse, with the 2000 Canon la Gaffeliere, 2000 Pontet Canet, and 2003 Leoville Poyferre. All were popped'n poured at the restaurant.
Despite no decanting, the Canon la Gaffeliere is in a great drinking window, and continues to thrill. Dark fruits, and an aroma that doesn't quit. Another consistently outstanding bottle and a favorite product.
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11/22/2019 - DCHawkeye Likes this wine: 95 Points
You can safely ignore Cellar Tracker's End Drinking Date of 2022. Well stored bottles should have at least a decade of continued excellent drinking. Still a little bit of tannic oomph, but at a wonderful place, particularly if decanted over, or maybe an hour prior to, dinner. I could sit for an hour and just deeply inhale the wonderful aromas without even tasting a drop. But why? The run of great Bordeaux "vintages of the century" of late ('05, '09, '10, '15, '16) will leave some forgetting just how monumental the 2000 vintage was across the board. The Right Bank wines seem to have started hitting a sweet spot, as should many of the Left Bank over the next 5 or so years.
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10/5/2019 - danckie Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice wine, no formal notes. Ageer with mr. T. Five this a lot of Airtime. I decanted this for over two hours which proved to short.
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9/22/2019 - Mr T wrote:
Very nice
Give this a lot of air
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9/21/2019 - hargy Likes this wine: 91 Points
big wine that has a long way to go - will be sensational in ten years
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8/15/2019 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
Right bank 2000s are really starting to hit their stride, and for myself this is the best Canon La Gaffeliere drinking at present. It has entered its prime drinking window, but still benefits from extended aeration. The nose is beautifully aromatic and opulent with red cherry, plum and flora. The tannin has softened on the palate but has retained a decent bite, and there is good depth and balance. As noted by another reviewer, the finish does not quite match the rest of the wine, but it is still a decent length with excellent balance.
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7/27/2019 - Sniffy-Sniff Likes this wine: 94 Points
In a great place. Perhaps a touch short on finish, otherwise perfect.
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7/4/2019 - DCHawkeye Likes this wine: 94 Points
One of the Chateaus that made me fall in love with Bordeaux - the 2000 is rockin' right now, and at an even better place than the 2000 Gruaud that was matched against it. Although the CellarTracker gives the 2000 Canon la Gaffeliere a drinking window thru only 2022,. I'd be stunned if this didn't continue to excel for the next decade. After all the hype regarding Bordeaux in '05, '09, '10, '15, and '16, I won't be at all surprised if 2000 reemerges as the benchmark vintage.
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6/14/2019 - DCHawkeye Likes this wine: 93 Points
The 2000 Canon la Gaffeliere has been a consistently excellent wine, and this bottle was no different. Popped'n poured, but likely even better with an hour decant. I think this has several good years ahead.
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6/10/2019 - Romol Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Ready to drink. Improved a lot with air. 2 hours in the decanter were perfect. 93(-) pts
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6/3/2019 - pgm wrote: 91 Points
Decanted, but very little sediment. Clear ruby color. A bit shy on the nose at first but giving up plum and earth after some time. Intense flavors in the mouth, black fruits and tobacco leaf. Mature flavors carry through the finish. A nice mature St Émilion overall, but not super distinguished or distinctive. Drink now and in the next five years.
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4/6/2019 - Purple Tooth wrote: 96 Points
This was beaming and it grew for about 5 hours before it was gone. It was by far the best bottle from the case that I have been holding. Maybe this is just my kind of Bordeaux with its old school clay filled, earthyness and coffee notes. The fruit is red and super concentrated and feisty, giving the old stench all the lift it needs to make the old wine fresh and exotic at the same time. Long, bruising finish with lots of tannins...Ways to go...I see this getting better and better. 95-96 today and 96+ in the future. Drink or HOLD
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4/2/2019 - SGoenophile Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dinner at Imperial Treasure Fine Teochew Cuisine. Dark purple colour. Plummy, generously fruited but not heavy. Notes of balsamic vinegar. Low acidity, well balanced. Silky tannins, very smooth. This wine is drinking well now and is a perfect example of the appeal of the Right Bank in a good year, as a pair for Chinese cuisine.
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2/13/2019 - WineGuyDelMar Likes this wine: 93 Points
Similar to last notes. Decanted only one hour this time to give it a little more structure and this worked out well. Very smooth, velvet like tannins and a Wine you don’t want to end. Excellent structure and a wonderful melding of Merlot and Cab Franc. Down to my last bottle. The Wine is for sure in the “plateau phase” so I don’t see a benefit of additional aging.
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2/9/2019 - rashcar Likes this wine: 95 Points
Amazing balance with 2 hours decanting! Velvety structure. Complex but smooth with dark fruit and earthiness nose. Good 30 second finish. Start to drinking well.
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1/25/2019 - Romol Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Very good bottle. 2 hours in the decanter were perfect. Ready to drink and still has many years left. 93(-) pts.
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12/24/2018 - DCHawkeye Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped and poured. Always one of my very favorite Bordeaux right bank Bordeaux, and this never disappoints. One of the 2000 already in a good drinking window, but would likely have been even better with an hour or so decant. Really delicious.
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11/24/2018 - WineGuyDelMar Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Dark color, barnyard nose but not too much. Lots of wonderful fruit flows over the palate. Excellent balance and structure. Tannins are soft and the wine is drinking great. I actually thought it would be a bit more tannic and not as mellow and approachable. Very enjoyable and solid Wine.
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10/28/2018 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
This went through a bit of a dumb phase 12 months ago, but it has come back to its best. It is a glorious wine, and the best from the estate since the opulent 1990. The nose is full of cherry and plum with wafts of flora. Everything on the palate is perfectly balanced with deep layers of ripe fruit combined with beautifully sweetened tannins. The finish is 30 seconds plus and harmonious. Only a slight lack of depth mid palate prevents a higher rating. Do give it a lengthy decant at this stage. 96+
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9/11/2018 - cephomer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank from decanter at Marc Forgione with partners and wives. It's been awhile since I've had this lovely, but it's still firing on all cylinders. My prior notes are consistent. Dark purplish color, generous nose of tobacco, coffee and cedar, medium bodied. Pleasant plummy smoothness, with nice complexity and very long. Lots of woodsy forest floor here too. A very elegant wine, showing lovely tertiary notes. Always enjoyable.
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8/2/2018 - Romol Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Very good bottle. 2 hours of air were perfect. This is ready to drink and improves a lot with air. No hurry to drink. 93 pts.
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7/31/2018 - DowerHouse Likes this wine:
Rich and deep. Definitely benefits from decanting.
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6/23/2018 - DCHawkeye Likes this wine: 93 Points
The '95 Canon la Gaffeliere was one of the first wines that started my love affair with Bordeaux. And the '98 and '00 have been even better. I'm sure some view this as being one of the more "modern" Bordeaux, but this wine at 18 years has gorgeous fruit, plus structure, elegance, and that certain je ne se quoi. This was the 3rd bottle of 6 (pop and poured, with ribeyes on the grill - with an hour decant it would have been even better). I only wish I had bought a case. This may be a 2000 Bordeaux for which I'll actively search.
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6/9/2018 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very enjoyable. This wine displayed a nice, slightly oxidized color with medium bricking but the nose was still super complex, even after a decent decant. Comes at you with earthy notes of underbrush, cedar, charcoal and a nice core of black currant. The weight of the wine was impressive as well, not losing a beat throughout the evening. Finishes with some still present earthiness but the merlot has mellowed into some honey-tinged fruit with a bit of smoke, a terrific combination. Very well balanced at this point, I think it's at peak right now and perhaps for another three to five years. An incredibly consistent producer for fans of the right bank who appreciate (relative) value.
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3/31/2018 - snjen wrote: 92 Points
A nice St. Emilion with good intensity. Still to young.
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2/19/2018 - lmbernstein wrote: flawed
Really flabby. Structure was all gone. Super disappointing.
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2/4/2018 - jimyeni Likes this wine: 92 Points
Touch of brett on this wine which I know some people love but tastes a bit like cosmetics to me which is a bit off putting. That aside, beautiful wine, aging wonderfully, nice mix of primary, secondary and tertiary and a soft, supple finish. Worked well with charcuterie, cheese and baguette. If the wine didn't have that touch of brett it would have been amazing. I have friends that love that though... Decanted for 2 hrs, drank over 2, hit it's peak about 3 hours after opening.
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12/5/2017 - djhammond Likes this wine: 95 Points
Scored slightly lower than a year ago, as the wine has seemed to have closed down slightly. However, it has the same glorious nose with cherry and floral aromas dominating. The palate has shut down slightly but possessing wonderful depth and complexity. The tannin is a little inhibiting on the palate and finish but already drinking magnificently. It has entered a bit of a dumb phase which I know from previous experiences, should be a relatively short one, and something, a matter of months rather than years, should sort out. For myself, it is the best Canon De Gaffeliere since the opulent 1990. It is highly enjoyable at this stage but do decant for 6+ hours.
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10/15/2017 - winelover1808 wrote: 93 Points
sadly my only bottle and this is too young! should have waited as it has all the stuffing to age much longer..
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10/6/2017 - Piotr K Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious wine. Deep red color, nose overwhelming, red fruit, liquorice, violets. This is Saint emilion, so more Merlot than on left bank, which makes the taste fruitier. Tannins are smooth, alcohol is there, gives little sting in the long finish. Full body, very balanced. Love it.
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10/6/2017 - Mr T wrote:
PNP for family dinner on the fly. Wine was solid but clearly needed time and air to really open up and it never got that.91-92 last night but probably higher if done right
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9/10/2017 - sdrucker1000 wrote: 92 Points
Sadly my last bottle. Silky smooth and fully integrated. Should still last for a long time. No rush if you have them but it's in a happy place.
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9/9/2017 - pavel_p Likes this wine: 92 Points
Last bottle during a long dinner. Pnp. Still a fairly dark garnet. Wood spices, dark fruit and soups bois. Very smooth and silky. Very well integrated with good length. Easy drinking. Personally would have preferred a bit more grip and mid palate concentration but then this was the last wine and am much more a left bank drinker.
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7/15/2017 - DCHawkeye wrote: 94 Points
This wine defines sexy. The nose is gorgeous, the fruit and structure just lovely. At a beautiful point.
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7/7/2017 - candyman wrote: 90 Points
Dark Garnet color,Cherry nose, acidic with bright smooth finish ,burgundy like .
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6/26/2017 - Wine Warrior 1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tried this wine 5 years ago and thought it would improve and it has. Deep garnet color with a nose that gives great insight to the flavors to follow. Dark cherry, pencil, graphite and wrapped in cedar shavings. This wine has great fruit concentration with little to no weight. Plenty of life ahead. Bummed its my last bottle. Enjoy!
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6/25/2017 - rashcar Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nose of dark fruit spices earth. Medium texture and finish. Well integrated juice. Slow ox for two hours then decanted for two hours.
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6/1/2017 - fcxj wrote: 90 Points
Fresh, enjoyable now.
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5/13/2017 - Axelpeter wrote: 91 Points
18 (com, k’club) siehe 29.11.16 (etwas müder als der 2001 D'Aiguilhe, aber komplexer )
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4/29/2017 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 94 Points
Saint Emilion 2000 vintage: 15 years in bottle (Grill Room at the Rosewood): Wine #5 turned out to be a delicious and a relatively more economically priced edition when compared to the very big boys. Yes, Château Canon La Gaffeliere, which was promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé later, was but a grand cru classé in 2000. I recall enjoying it after it had been just bottled in 2003. And in 2017, I gave it one of my highest scores because it gave off minty fresh chocolate aromas and ripe plum, and effused impressive tannic grip. This wine has evidently more time ahead of it, but is delicious today. Bravo to Stephan Von Neipperg!
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4/19/2017 - dcwino wrote: 92 Points
Comprehensive 2000 St Emilion Blind Tasting (The Grill Room at the Rosewood DC): Wine 5 - Youthful and Intense but a bit straightforward nose displaying chocolate dipped cherry, red fruit and milk chocolate. Excellent concentration, unctuous yet silky, noticeable tannins towards to the end and a long cherry and milk chocolate driven finish. Really powerful and youthful wine but still need some time to gain complexity.
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4/15/2017 - Jdwinedrinker wrote:
another bottle from same case - this one drinking much better. Some bricking at edges. Nice secondary tobacco, wet leaves, with rich fruit. Medium bodied. Nice wine
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4/9/2017 - Sniffy-Sniff Likes this wine: 94 Points
Popped and let sit for 90 minutes. Kept tasting over the course of 4 hours. The last sips were the best. Classic aged Bordeaux, dusty leather, mushroom, perfectly resolved tannins, lovely minerality. A perfect toast to the Master's and Sergio's breakthrough victory on what would have been Seve's 60th birthday...I like where this is now but should hold up nicely for a few more years.
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3/17/2017 - _Xenon wrote: flawed
Corked. Third out of three bottles, which disappoint heaviliy. Not sure if it was a storage issue or if this year had significant quality issues at CLG.
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3/5/2017 - Jdwinedrinker wrote:
Tried this after some positive notes. Decanter several hours. Color more evolved than notes below. Mine was more heavily oaked with leaner flavors. Maybe a bad bottle? Lots of sediment
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2/27/2017 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 96 Points
In the sweet spot right now. Gorgeous to look at. Still quite dark red, lightening a bit at the rim but not rusting. Still nearly opaque. Quite decent legs as well. The bouquet is something to behold, perfumed, flowery, with classic cedar and lead pencil as well. Very delicate, but very intense. All of tis follows through to the palate, where the wine is punching way above its weight class. Wow, the flavors are just lovely, and the wine is almost weightless. I'd swear on a stack that this was a first growth, but obviously I'd burn. The ONLY "flaw" in the ointment is a tiny bit of woody bitterness on the otherwise long, impressive finish. Saved the best bottle for last. 5-14-18-9: 96/100.
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2/14/2017 - vinhslee wrote: 94 Points
Had a few bottles in 2015, 2016 and 2017. This needs decanting for good 2-3 hours for sediments to precipitate and flavours to develop.
The colour is dense deep ruby.
On the nose, it gives cherry, plum, earth, spice, herbs, leather and tobacco.
On the palate, it gives generous and complex flavours of plum, earth, coffee and cedar. Tannins are mature and soft. Acidity and flavour intensity are just right. Medium(+) body and medium (+) finish.
With sufficient aeration, this wine is open for business and drinking nicely now. It is also intriguing to see how the flavours develop throughout the night.
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12/7/2016 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
Now drinking, this wine was well worth the wait. A floral nose underpinned by cherry and plum is beautifully deep. On the palate the fruit continues but with subltle hints of apple. The tannin has softened but retained enough muscle to perfectly balance the wine giving a wonderful smoothness which continues right through to the finish. A complete wine and the best Canon La Gaffeliere I've tasted since the 1990 was in its prime. The only criticism would be that the finish is a little short and could have merited an even higher score.
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11/29/2016 - Axelpeter wrote: 93 Points
18+, chap, toll (2001er (!) noch ein wenig besser)
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11/29/2016 - Mike V wrote: 93 Points
Pop and pour. I really like this wine. Dark purple with a nice fruit driven character. 2000's starting to strut.
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11/5/2016 - dbg wrote:
Excellent
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11/4/2016 - Lipsman wrote: flawed
Corked.
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10/29/2016 - aagrawal wrote: 88 Points
K&L 2000 Bordeaux Tasting (K&L, San Francisco): Lovely nose with aromatic herbs, blackberry, notable cab franc at 30%; palate is medium-full bodied, integrated tannins which are slightly harsh, simpler palate; medium finish. Very nice nose but the palate falls flat. 88-89
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10/19/2016 - lmbernstein Likes this wine: 93 Points
Didn't decant for long enough. Don't fall prey to anticipation. Phenomenal in every respect.
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8/24/2016 - Wineguy76 wrote: 95 Points
Wow this is intense. The 2000 Canon La Gaffeliere is a magnificent prime time blockbuster boasting a tantalizingly youthful dense ruby appearance and an explosive aromatic bouquet of cassis, burnt tar, lavender, herbes de Provence as well as subtle hints of old leather saddle. There is outstanding depth and laser-like precision here as this medium to full bodied beauty pleases the palate with its delicate texture, unleashing layer upon layer of Kirsch, raspberry coulis and shiitake mushrooms. Equally irresistible is the long lasting velvety finish loaded with lush, well rounded tannin. It's all there! This wine making tour de force is in its youthful prime now but should continue to provide hedonistic pleasure for at least another decade. We had the pleasure of drinking this with dinner at Per Se, which made it even more decadent. Bravo!
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8/21/2016 - cephomer Likes this wine: 92 Points
I had this wine very recently and my notes are consistent, though I thought this time around the wine had a bit more weight and substance than at the last tasting (likely bc the 2000 Quinault that I had right before this was a lighter, thinner wine). Dark purplish color, generous nose of tobacco, coffee and cedar, medium bodied. Pleasant plummy smoothness, with nice complexity and very long. Lots of woodsy forest floor here too.
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8/13/2016 - cephomer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank at Cape with J$ and others. I had this wine last appx. 2 years ago in the same locale, and my notes are very consistent. Decanted for appx 30 minutes, which was just about right. Dark purplish color, generous nose of tobacco, coffee and cedar, medium bodied. Pleasant plummy smoothness, with nice complexity and very long. Lots of woodsy forest floor here too. The fruit tasted slightly green & might be fading a tad. A generally lovely example of a mature right bank Bdx that has hit its height.
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7/30/2016 - 70Tondonia Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep garnet in color. Double decanted. Dark fruit, bell pepper, earth, and graphite on the nose. Full bodied, medium tannins, medium acid and just a touch of heat. Cassis, plum, and tobacco on the palate. Medium finish. Nice overall intensity, still youthful. My red wine of the night, tasted against three other Bordeaux and an Hermitage. The most complete package at this point in time. Drinking well now, can definitely hold for the medium term.
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6/11/2016 - steinersing wrote: 93 Points
pretty open and drinking well now - not a super star, but nice wine
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6/10/2016 - Collector1855 wrote: 95 Points
Medium-dark ruby, garnet rim. Very nice showing after some decanting. Beautiful tertiary nose with dark berries, earth, forest and a whiff of tobacco. Medium+ bodied palate with good structure. Very nice balance.
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6/9/2016 - rossi.wine wrote: 94 Points
Tasted next to 2000 Branaire Ducru and 2000 Haut Bailly. Rich, generous, with ripe fruit notes, spices, undergrowth, sweet tobacco. Very expressive and open on the palate; lots of succulent fruit, but at the same time fresh and vibrant, slightly spicy. The tannins are soft and give structure without being obtrusive. Very well balanced and harmonic. A great bottle. My favourite in this mini-horizontal. Drink or hold. 93-94+
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4/27/2016 - Ocean676 wrote: 93 Points
Opened at home and slo O at 1pm. Decanted at 3:00 pm. Back into bottle at 5 pm. Opened again at restaurant at 6 pm and served with Beef Wellington 1 hour later. This wine had a nice bouquet on opening but was very closed on the palate. After double decant it was beginning to open and when served it was nearing peak. This wine was lush with black fruit, complex structure, balanced with silky smooth tannins, and showing really well tonight. Will keep for several years but no need to wait.
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3/3/2016 - Percy_K Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wonderful bouquet of black fruit and earthy (almost farm-like) tones. Decanted for ~2 hours -- smooth, silky tannins and overall balance and harmony of finish improved meaningfully after the hour mark after opening. Drinking well now.
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3/2/2016 - Frank Schneider wrote: 94 Points
Great nose ! Fruit , woods , tannic and acid !! This will age well !!! Wait a minimum of 5 y for the next try !
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2/16/2016 - dbg wrote:
Cellared since release, perfect cork and fill. Dark red to rim. Lush, smooth, full-bodied and well-balanced with cherry, plum and earthy notes, good finish. Drinking very well but no significant tertiary complexity yet. The stuffing is there if you're willing to wait for it. Excellent now with potential for increased complexity.
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1/5/2016 - Golf_Wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
A nice mature Bordeaux. Smooth silky and all is well integrated.
Did not decant, although no hurry to drink it I don't think it is going much further.
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11/20/2015 - Enfantterrible wrote: 93 Points
well well well. this was easily the best bottle of the batch. opened for the truffle dinner, but drank most of it for the dessert course :) too many bottles for tasting notes. this was rich and lush and right in the zone
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10/18/2015 - oliverz Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice bottle, spicy....
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7/14/2015 - Marc wrote: 94 Points
Stunning showing at early maturity. Exotic nose lifted camphor spice and pencil shavings. Plummy fruit but very, very focused. In the mouth, a wine of stunning balance that drinks like a glass of water. Everything is in equilibrium - plenty of flavor but the overall effect is one of being a point. Long and savory finish adds up to a near-profound wine. This feels much younger than its 15 years and I am not sure if this will improve (because it is already so good) but if it does, this will become a profound experience.
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7/11/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Soft, silky, smooth and complex, with its ripe, fresh, sweet, plums and cherry notes coupled with licorice, truffle and hints of flowers. This is ready to drink, yet there is no rush to pop a cork. Drink now, or wait a while, either way, you'll be happy.
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7/9/2015 - fastcar888 wrote: 96 Points
This is a classic full-throttle Bordeaux that is a classic. It has a beautiful, delicious, highly complex, rich, long lasting wine with a round finish. The only other 2000 wine that exceeds this wine, in my judgment, is the St. Julien Leoville Poyferre. I have tasted at least 20 different 2000's from Bordeaux ( some are too early). This will not disappoint, and it is ready.
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6/5/2015 - RayOB Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank at Canon-la-Gaffelière
Fully open and displaying a wonderful nose of violets, plumbs, earth and spice. Rich deep smooth palate.
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6/5/2015 - Vitisvinifera Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fantastic complexity. All flavour categories delivered something esp towards end: floral - violets, nutty - Brazil, matured fruits, mushrooms. Everything that is great about a Bordeaux!
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5/16/2015 - Enfantterrible wrote: 91 Points
Opened in the morning, let breath in the bottle for a few hours, then re-corked and brought to dinner. Still has the bright fruit and spice elements on both the nose and the mouth. Held up quite nicely, though I don't have the impression it will improve. Drink up!
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5/13/2015 - Sundbyberg wrote: 90 Points
From a bottle that had been opened 24 hours earlier. Had a glass over 1,5 hours.
Lots of back and forth and I never quite understood which direction this wine is taking. Could go either way. Had the 99 some years ago and liked it. The 2000, however, did not quite convince.
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3/15/2015 - Purple Tooth wrote: 93 Points
Better showing than last time...The finish was longer and this bottle seemed to have just been entering its secondary phase. Lots of tobacco and barnyard notes in this bottle...possible to mistake it for a fat CDP...good acidity and nice structure. Tannins and finish help up through the bottle. Enjoyed...Will try one more soon it make decision on how far back in the cellar to stash the rest...
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2/15/2015 - kmforster Likes this wine: 93 Points
Barely into the drinking window for us, but it was lovely. Decanted for about three hours. Should've taken notes!
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1/17/2015 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 94 Points
This wine was firing on all cylinders tonight. Dark ruby, with garnet at the edges. A slowly evolving nose of black cherry, currant, barbecue smoke, bacon fat, crushed rock, and espresso. The smokiness of the nose was evident throughout. Rich and silky mouthfeel. Nice medium-plus finish. Silky tannins that balance nicely. This wine is clearly in its drinking window, but it probably still has a decade to do. Don't hesitate if you want to drink this now.
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1/12/2015 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 94 Points
I've been through a case of this wine in the past 18 months. It is consistently smooth, soft, and complex, very sexy with a soaring aroma that follows through in the long and lingering taste. I doubt this will improve--it is drinking so well now it has nowhere to go! Open a bottle and enjoy. A lovely bottle of St. Émilion.
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12/31/2014 - sdrucker1000 wrote: 94 Points
Super Bordeaux. Drank after 3 to 4 hours open. Very smooth. Exactly what one should expect from a peak st Emilion.
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12/13/2014 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 wrote: 93 Points
Opaque ruby color turning crimson at the rim with a nose of rich earthy nose of blackberries, currants, dried rosemary, bay leaf, and pepper spice. The palate is medium-bodied, dry with a silky texture on medium but bright acidity. Flavors of black currant, smoke, graphite, toasted oak, vanilla, and hanged meat. Delicately balanced and elegant. Finishes long with hints of spice and herbs. At its peak already. Drink now.
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12/13/2014 - LIE-user wrote: 94 Points
Another great "meeting" with this one. Same impression as last time, consistent performance. Unfortunately just four more to go in my cellar.
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11/17/2014 - Ibetian wrote: 94 Points
My last bottle of a case bought EP. Might have been the best yet. Modern style, rich, ripe and smooth. But not overripe, with the balance and complexity of great Bordeaux. This wine wild hold for years, but I think it is at or close to its peak now. Delightful wine!
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11/10/2014 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 93 Points
Another sexy supple bottle of Canon-la-Gaffelière. Velvet spices with some smoke, cherry, and just a hint of licorice. Lingers on the palate with intriguing complexity. One of the finest early-drinking 2000s.
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11/7/2014 - _Xenon wrote: 88 Points
I have to agree with Merzbow on this. Low performance. Although the cork was ok, the wine seemed to be corky from opening to drinking 2 hours later.
I had this experience already on previous occasions, so I guess it's either above average bottle variation, or just a corky year for ClG.... (However beside that, the nose is quite sexy with sweet fruits which are still there. The color of the wine was ok, so I don't think it's about a closing drinking window).
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10/18/2014 - Enfantterrible wrote: flawed
Just corked enough
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10/2/2014 - Enfantterrible wrote: flawed
Decanted about 90 minutes. Good but not great. Bit musty, so probably not the best example of what this wine should be
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8/20/2014 - cephomer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank with J$s at the Cape. Decanted for appx 30 minutes, and wish I had opened it earlier. Dark purplish color, generous nose of tobacco, coffee and cedar, medium bodied. Silky smooth with nice complexity and very long. But, this time around, the fruit tasted a bit green or perhaps a bit faded. As the wine sat in glass, it opened and improved but then, toward the end of the bottle, slipped backward once again. I enjoyed this wine but not nearly as much as the last time I had it a few months ago. Hopefully, it's just this bottle.
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8/17/2014 - Purple Tooth wrote: 93 Points
Right at opening, this wine was a stunner. The nose was a stunner one of tobacco, mocha, and cedar. The first sip showed a cedar driven mature flavor with non existent tannins, followed by a tobacco and cedar finish that stayed in the mouth for a good minute. We were WOWED!
As the night wore on, the wine wore down allot. The finish seemed to fall off a cliff right at 10 seconds or so...The wine hollowed out, and left the moth with almost no goodbye!
Im afraid that this bottle lived fast, and is dying young (Maybe storage conditions from previous owner) Seems to me that this one is starting its decline...So, drink now, don't decant, and drink fast, cuz its beautiful.
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6/5/2014 - cephomer Likes this wine: 95 Points
Westchester Wine School - Premium Wine Tasting (Bar Lees, Mamaroneck, NY): I supplied, and drank at WWS tasting. Drank alongside 2004 Valandraud & 2000 Certan De May. The wine was decanted for a solid 90 minutes before drinking. Dark ruby color, generous nose laden with coffee & earth. Medium bodied, silky smooth tannins, nice freshness and great length. Classic example of a well-aged bordeaux in its prime drinking stage with tons of cigar box, smoke, spice, & earth, yet still showing excellent fruit and acidity levels--all in perfect symmetry at the moment. Wonderful complexity & structure, and just a pleasure to enjoy--especially with many who appreciated this wine for what it was. Easily voted the WOTN by a landslide. I'm loving that I still have several bottles left in the cellar.
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5/7/2014 - rnellans wrote: 93 Points
Decanted. Quite nice. Good structure and fruit. Dark fruits, nice mid-palate depth. Lingering finish. No hurry to drink up, but very enjoyable now.
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4/11/2014 - Ibetian wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured, but let it sit in the glasses 30 minutes before dinner. Drinking very well now, and though I'm confident it will hold a few years, I doubt it will improve. I'll finish my last bottle this year.
Nice, complex nose. Rich, modern style. Good finish. A wine of pleasure.
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4/6/2014 - LIE-user wrote: 94 Points
Simply great. Very classic Bordeaux. The Cabernet Franc shows.
Already great with some 2-3 hours of decanting, but I expect it to become even slightly better in three or four years.
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3/9/2014 - m_arcon wrote: 90 Points
"Best bottle for about 100 Euro" (Daniels Home): Colour: Medium-dark ruby, garnet rim.
Nose: A LOT of espresso/mocha then cassis, blood, steel and a hint of black olive.
Palate: Still young, tannins are present. Medium acidity & finish.
Again, not my style of wine. Till now I have no sweet spot for BDX.
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2/8/2014 - Lipsman wrote: 94 Points
This is a sexy bottle of wine. Complex flavors woven into a deep and silky palate-saturating glass. It is showing better and better. The flavors are long lasting, medium bodied plus. Highly recommended.
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1/16/2014 - Collector1855 wrote: 93 Points
Medium-dark ruby, garnet rim. This wine has been closed for quite some time and is now just starting to open up. Nose of dark berries intermixed with earthy notes and a touch of wood. On the palate medium-full bodied with pronounced tannins. Good they did not go further with the extraction here. Solid length. Decant 2h or wait for another 2-3 years.
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12/20/2013 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 94 Points
Delicious! Slight orange cast to the garnet wine. Dark aromas of alluring spice. Drinking silky smooth, with licorice, black cherries, and dark fruit. A really nice glass of Bordeaux.
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12/14/2013 - gsquireh Likes this wine: 94 Points
Flashy, fleshy and fun this is aromatic perfection. The 2000 vintage is beginning to show its brilliance. The royal purple sweet black fruit is laced with licorice, caressed with cassis, roasted with coffee. This is perfectly balanced, textured, silky smooth, and excitingly rich. A sensual experience from mid palate though the finish.
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8/31/2013 - MicklethePickle wrote: 91 Points
Solid garnet all the way to the rim. Good viscosity and legs. With a little air the nose emerged nicely with graphite and mulberry fruit. Feminine and fragrant. Still tight but fruit is there on the palate, very nice. Good structure and grip. Just beginning to hit its stride, many years of life ahead. Beauty. Long finish. 4-13-16-8: 91/100.
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7/2/2013 - Libiamo! Likes this wine: 95 Points
Served at the Chateau with 2006 and 2002 for lunch. Looks much younger than the 02. Nose a bit close at first (dumb phase?), then slowly evolved into rose petal, leather, truffle, meat, dark chocolate. Plenty of ripe and supple tannins. Well-balanced. Needs at least another 5 to 10 years to realize its full potential.
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6/3/2013 - MattTM wrote:
La Commanderie de Bordeaux: Les Cinq (Five Sails - Vancouver, BC): Great nose showing tons of lead pencil shavings on the nose, along with some rich black cherries, cassis, plenty of spice, and bright red currants hiding in the background. Shows a lot more spice on the palate in the form of clove and black pepper, along with plenty of cedar, graphite, and fresh mint. Nice richness with slightly sweet dark fruits yet not extracted in the least, finishing with a hint of menthol. Great lead pencil profile all the way through here showing nice restraint yet holding plenty of power in the background. Very young and tightly wound at the moment but clearly there is plenty of potential here and this should be put away for at least 5 years. Fantastic
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4/12/2013 - Rich.Herbs Likes this wine:
Open and fragrant, classy and elegant, this wine was a balanced pleasure from start to finish, complementing a delicate and tasty dinner. It didn't seem to last as long as others in the glass, but while it did, it was very enjoyable.
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3/18/2013 - Enfantterrible wrote: 92 Points
2 hour decant, then back in the bottle, and drunk 4 hours later. Much more going on in this bottle than the last one. Huge nose of spice, tobacco and dark fruit. Well balanced and full in the mouth. Fine tannins. Delicious stuff. Would have been better with a longer decant
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3/12/2013 - sawira wrote: 94 Points
Brilliant. Slow-oxed for 10 hours (yes, you read that right) then double decanted for 1 hour. This was beautiful in its graphite laden, plum oriented, tobacco infused elegance. Excellent balance of fruit forward attack with depth, subtlety, silky texture and especially length. Nice secondaries developing. One to savor over the coming decade plus.
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2/3/2013 - johnh1001 wrote: 93 Points
Decanted and drank over 3 hours. Great nose and palate of sexy black cherry fruit, coffee, some old wood as the only secondary characteristic. Very dense, yet silky with some licorice. Opulent medium++ finish. Really nice.
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1/1/2013 - j30 wrote: 92 Points
Upfront impression of a savory and herbal nose, followed by blackcurrant and blackberry fruit. Mellow and integrated in the mouth, with great balance and very fine tannins. Medium finish with a bit of spice. Aged well and ready to go.
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12/24/2012 - _Xenon Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very nice wine. Perfect age for drinking. However, not as much in harmony as the 1998, which I enjoyed more. But I have to mention that these two in the end are both perfect wines. Not on the strong side, more with elegance and fruit.
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9/29/2012 - Bordeauxman wrote: 92 Points
Young nose of cassis, leather & fern. I look forward to drinking more of this wine in 3-15 years.
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9/23/2012 - Enfantterrible wrote: 86 Points
First night impressions. Drank 2/3rds of the bottle over 3 hour period, no decant. Everything's on the nose, which is lovely. The mouth is largely mute, except I now understand what glycerin means. Last third of the bottle is much improved and balanced. Still can't rave about this wine but I see the potential. Strongly recommend decant. Luckily I have 6 more bottles to experiment with
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7/14/2012 - paulst wrote: 94 Points
Nice rubber blackberry nose; Smooth soft and silky texture; round with elegance; smooth soft sweet tannins; very nice; still feels young so wait some more.
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5/19/2012 - Flavito wrote: 93 Points
Getting better and better with time. I am sure I'll finish all my bottles well before it peaks...
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2/24/2012 - Flavito wrote: 93 Points
Starting to drink well, verybalanced and refined, still long years ahead
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12/24/2011 - johnnyo wrote: flawed
Overpowered by Brett
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8/2/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Minerality, coffee, black cherry, spice, floral and earthy aromas show this St. Emilion to be developing nicely. Lush, concentrated and round, the wine ends with black licorice and cherry liqueur flavors.
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5/4/2011 - vespasian wrote: 93 Points
Developing colour - hint of garnet at rim; quite a rich leathery bouquet. Hints of spice and a core of sweet fruit; lovely flavour. Very elegant now but still has power. Mineral iron notes as well on finish.
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4/30/2011 - docvino wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Very nice aromatic bouquet on the nose. Dark inky ruby color. Integrated tannins with nice complexity. I get pencil lead, spice box, some crushed rocks again and a hint of leather. This vintage is drinking very well right now. Wish I had about 12 more bottles.
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3/3/2011 - MicklethePickle wrote: 95 Points
This an awesome wine. Massive and very concentrated, powerful. Almost a black ruby color with very thick legs in large numbers. Amazing nose is filled with gorgeous black fruits and is extroverted and totally exotic. Despite a massive concentration of fruit and copious amounts of tannins, this is a fleshpot of a wine, with a cornucopia of rich, mouthfilling flavors. Wow! One of the best I've tasted from the vintage for sure. It's 11 years of age and it's still a baby! Amazing! What a great vintage! Makes me believe all of the hype about the quality of the 2000s, and their ability to age, especially. 5-13-18-9: 95/100.
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2/7/2011 - cubswinws wrote: 93 Points
Just a great wine. Drinking very well now. Big fruit but great nose cedar,cigar box.
Really in a nice place.
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12/26/2010 - docvino wrote: 93 Points
Deep ruby red/purple color. Nice aromatic nose of leather and vanilla, hints of spice. Well structured and full on the palate with a long finish. I got barnyard and leather with spice box some crushed rocks. Very classic Bordeaux. I enjoyed this good wine
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12/19/2010 - Bordeauxman wrote: 92 Points
Deep saturated purple color. Incredible nose of wild flower, rasberry, blackberry and a little vanilla. Taste of crushed dark fruit with a sweet berry component. Long finish and showed very well immediately after decanting. It was served single blind to me, but double blind to the rest at the table and it was interesting to note that the two French people at the table thought that it might possibly be a Napa Valley wine thrown in as a ringer - before calling it a St. Emilion. Drinking well now with plenty of life left in it. I'm not sure it will last 20+ more years like the 2000 Pichon Baron that we consumed side by side with this.
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10/15/2010 - Ibetian wrote: 93 Points
Very dark red/purple.Tasted, then decanted before flank steak dinner. Nose is like a big bowl of ripe fruit, red and black cherries, blackberries, plums, etc. If you like your bordeaux with barnyard and dirt (which I do my self sometimes), this is not the wine for you. Some will call this "new world," but it seems very Bordeaux to me, nicely balanced, and the ample fruit is elegant, not overly sweet or alcoholic. This will probably benefit from another year or two in the cellar, but with a bit of air it is terrific now. This is just a highly enjoyable wine, a crowd pleaser that will delight hard core winos as well as casual drinkers.
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9/26/2010 - JJA wrote: 95 Points
Wow. This was beautiful. This wine is ready for drinking.
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7/17/2010 - jeff nowak wrote: 92 Points
13.5% alcohol. not decanted, consumed over 5 hours. great nose and well rounded tannins. i am liking my right bank 2000s at the ten year point because of the lingering primary fruit as some secondary nuances float into the mix. very nice. drink or hold.
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6/26/2010 - paulst wrote: 95 Points
Tar and leather nose; well structured and well balanced, broad and textured, smooth with rich sweet tannins; long fine finish with just a hint of heat.
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5/1/2010 - docvino wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Fantastic bouquet of fruits/spice engulfed the table. Actually the table next to us mentioned the aroma. Great deep purple color. mostly spice box, leather and black fruits. Subtle tannins an not overwhelming.
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4/15/2010 - audicfa wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Intense cigar box on the nose, leather, spice. Old world taste, nice finish. Something lacking in the middle. When I say cigar box, I mean man cave smokiness. Somewhat overwhelming in the flavour too.
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3/5/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Licorice, blackberry, dark cherry, spice and fresh herb aromas is pleasing to smell. The wine is round, opulent and lush with ample fruit to keep you interested.
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1/31/2010 - MichaelB wrote: 96 Points
This wine really knocked us out last night. Wonderful color, and bouquet of toasty oak, deep and rich on the palate with notes of mocha, smoke, black and red fruits, chewy and delicious. Great finish. It will be interesting to see its evolution. From magnum.
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1/23/2010 - Zweder wrote: 91 Points
Regular dinner group (@ CdW Bordeaux 2000 vs 2001.): Very tempting, creamy bouquet with red and black fruits. Same on the palate. Round tannin. Needs another 2 - 3+ years of cellaring.
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1/1/2010 - rmartin031 wrote: 91 Points
Still a little young in my opinion, decanted for well over an hour. I have had better for less money, still some tannins but a very nice wine overall
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6/25/2009 - SimonG wrote:
'Vintage Pairs II' Offline (The Ledbury, London): Fuller and fresher than the other in this pair (66) but of a similar style. Still a little young but very approachable now. Lovely. ****1/2
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3/27/2009 - momoisan wrote: 89 Points
still overcome by tannins
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3/19/2009 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 94 Points
Caroline Wine Shop - Capaia versus Right Bank Bordeaux (Carolines Wine Shop): Mid to deep bright ruby red colour. A delightful restraint slows pulls open to reveal complex and spicy notes with those classic cedarwood aromas reminiscent of Bordeaux with red fruit from the right bank. The mid-palate is rich, whilst the tannins
are yielding and slightly powdery. Good but not that long in length; there is a subtle power here, along with breadth and intensity, to suggest a good producer. Closes with a touch of melted chocolate, medium acidity and coffee grinds. Not massively structured, this was most enjoyable. Developed nicely in the glass. CF is just less than 50% of the blend. Age of vines average is 45 yrs old with vines starting at 20-25 years.
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1/2/2009 - choule wrote: 90 Points
Beautiful nose although simple ... the acid seems way too high.
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12/18/2008 - Niagara wrote: 85 Points
Full, round, ripe-to-overripe, and very sweet and soft. A wine in the 'international' style without much nuance and very imbalanced toward the ripe, sweet fruit without enough acidity to scrub the sugar off the teeth. Indistinguishable from La Mondotte. Far too expensive for what's in the bottle.
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12/31/2007 - pgm wrote: 89 Points
Neither the nose nor the palate was giving up much tonight. There's definitely some good blackberry and plum fruit in there somewhere, but it's just a whisper. This is not the luscious, primal, oaky, delicious wine I last tasted two years ago and still remember very well... (probably, in my memory at least, a 94-95 pt wine)... I'm not going to try again for another year or two.
Drank next to the 2000 Figeac, which is drinking better than ever, by the way.
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2/3/2007 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
HDH Pre-Auction Tasting (Tru): Getting better! Full ruby purple color. Big spicy purple fruit nose. Still youthful and tight, but starting to give up a bit more. Black fruit with some sweetness. Long finish with coffee notes.
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8/4/2006 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
At Social Miami with Paul & Arlene Rogoff, and Bob Muraro. Bob's wine, which he decanted for 2-3 hours before dinner. Drinkable now, but will improve w time
I slightly preferred the 93 Fisher Lamb V to this. Good merlot fruit, not especially intense and still tight.
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5/23/2006 - JJA wrote: 91 Points
Soft and uneventful on the first and second nites. Opened up on the third nite. Nice aroma, full bodied, but just a bit acidic. While this is a very young wine, it drinks reasonably well now. Time will soften this up a bit and then the wine will see its full potential. I enjoyed this.
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3/30/2006 - EBoyer wrote: 93 Points
Very nice fruit, but still very primary (surprise). will wait a few years.
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1/19/2006 - Eric wrote: 89 Points
St. Émilion (and Pomerol) offline at Kaspar's (Seattle, WA): Much tougher to evaluate and enjoy than the 1999 right now. Reticent nose although with a riper profile. Nice mineral, chocolate and smoke on the very tight palate. Very closed. Hands off.
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11/1/2004 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
Opaque red-purple color. Forward aroma of black tar, chocolate, and cassis. Focused and concentratred with rich mocha fruit and hinds of black cherry. A hint of bell pepper on the finish. You can certainly discern the Cab Franc character. Tannic but fairly round. Drinking OK, but will certainly improve with age. 11/04
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2/22/2004 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 94 Points
Deep, dark red appearance. A strong bouquet of licorice, peppar and other spices. Ultradense and concentrated with great intensity on the palate. Large bodied and powerful - almost brutal - this wine is for keeping. For 15 plus years. It is somewhat hard today, but the structure, density of fruit, and balance is there. Long aftertaste.
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1/21/2003 - R2-D2 wrote: 93 Points
2000 Bordeaux Tasting (Chicago, IL): Super rich red currant and tobacco aromas. Notes of licorice and vanilla, but, yet again, very deep tannin structure. Number 6 wine of the tasting.
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