Decanted off of moderate sediment. Suggest letting this aerate for several hours minimum; I double-decanted about an hour before drinking and it showed much better at lunch the next day. This benefits from cool service temperature, maybe 60-65 range.
Clear garnet, bit of bricking at the rim.
Nose has a bit of tobacco/herbal character; pencil; black cherry; earth.
Palate is silky; medium bodied; medium- acidity; medium+ tannins (+ on day 1, tamer day 2); alcohol not noticeable. Flavors generally follow the nose with black cherry fruit and a little herbal complexity, bit of leather, pencilly wood. This may be a few years past prime as the fruit was a bit quiet, but all told drinking nicely.
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Birthday Party (Princeton, NJ): I have had excellent bottles of this wine and vintage, but alas this was not one of them. Some red fruit, earth and herbs- but the bottle seemed tired and did not sing. Sic. A WineBid purchase of unknown provenance and storage.
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Wonderful expression of a value, classic right bank from 2000. In a great spot if you like wines with age, still a bit of fruit left. But great complexity and minerality.
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This wine is ageing very well and I would say it has 2-4 more years or more to peak. I had it with duck confit and it needs the fatty dish to mellow the tannins. Is a subtle wine now but with a few more years I think the barn yard grass, black cherry. slight liquorice and hint of mint will blossom into a more bold and, without a doubt, velvety wine with a long, refined finish.
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Solid Bordeaux, that is approaching maturity. Still quiet dark in the glass, good nose, and hood fruit on the palate. A long, slightly dry and herbal finish. Very nice!
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Drinking quite well. Black cherry, coffee and chocolate flavors wirh a little sandalwood. Mature drinking/ at peak. Incredible value for $15 on release. We paid $22 and this was a deal, too. A tasty pairing with the herbal roast rack of lamb (with sage, rosemary and thyme).
Drink now.
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Very dark in the glass, limited nose, nice fruit on the palate and a reasonably long, slightly dry finish. Solid Bordeaux and drinking nicely, in an early stage of it’s drinking window.
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Quite similar notes to my 2014 post. Still dark with no bricking. Impressively dense for a right bank. Considerable sediment. Coffee and black cherry dominated. Good length. Excellent showing! probably at peak, although has staying power for several more years at this level.
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Wine had a medium ruby color with very slight brown tent edge. Moderate sediment and well formed legs. Mixed fruit and dust aroma, medium body. Long finish, medium acidity. Decanted two hours and still had light tannin, still nice fruit. Drinking well with some life left.
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Drunk fro a magnum bottle - decanted for 3 hrs - dark ruby color with long legs - fruity nose with cassis and blueberry - flavor very balanced between fruit and earth - long finish
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The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are slow. There is heavy sediment in the bottle. It smells like black currant and sandalwood with some fig and molten butter in the background. It tastes incredibly fruity with black currant. The body is medium. The wine has juicy texture and finishes long. It has medium acidity. This 2000 vintage is so much different than the 1999 vintage. The 1999 is flat but balanced and with a hint of sweetness like a port wine. It has a very strong microbiological nose and taste. The 2000 instead is incredibly fruity and with the fruit a little of the smoothness is lost. Both equal not in taste but in pleasantness of in their finish. In both cases it is long and enjoyable. Bottom line I greatly prefer the 2000 vintage over the 1999.
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Decanted for 30 minutes. No signs of bricking. Reserved, classy notes of cherries, cocoa and spices. Good balance and length. I think the wine has not yet reached its full potential. I will try again in a couple of years.
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The wine is a bright ruby red color with absolutely no brick in sight. The very nice nose has cherries, cassis, dried herbs, cigar box, baking spices, fresh ground espresso, and dried flowers. This has medium body, fairly integrated tannins, and very good acidity. The palate has nice, spicy, cherries with some dried herbs coming in late. The finish has good length with the fruit and spice lingering nicely. This is in a perfect drinking window right now but should hold for a year or two.
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It was closed in first hour. After decant for an hour and half, it opened up. Dark ruby red. Blackberry, currant and cinnamon nose. Mid palate is silky smooth, medium weight, forest floor, dark fruits, balanced with fresh acid. Aftertaste is lengthy, harmony. A typical Bordeaux.
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First few hours it was a bit muted, but after 3-4 hours it is shining. Dark dry red fruits with a bursting potpourri of violets layered with tea leaves.
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Openned and poored immediately. Better then the earlier bottle which we may over decanted. Longer finish as for the others appreciation mark. See my earlier notes
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consumed over two nights, with and without food. Deep rich maroon color. Lots of spice and fruit on nose, with some coffee in the background. Medium-bodied on the initial palate, with nice fruit intermixed with fairly benign tannins. The fruit gradually faded, however it wasn't replaced with any secondary notes of complexity, it just went away. The initial finish was warm and rich, but as the fruit faded the finish became more tart and clipped. Bought the bottle from online auction, so it could just be a poorly stored bottle, or it might just be getting old. Decent bottle, paired well with basic dinner fare, but nothing magical or remarkable.
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Popped and poured a glass, then let it sit for about an hour or so. Was very surprised, lots of red fruit up front with a little (although not much) grip on the back end. Likely could go for another year or two easily, but drinking great right now.
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This wine surprised me. Beautiful berry and plum aromatics--certainly had the softness, lambency that one expects of Saint Emilon. But this wine had a length, depth, and a tautness that surprised me. It even began to shut down after being open for awhile--muscular tannins began to flex. This wine needs time.
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Still very very tight. I'd say it was closed if the mineral flavors on the midpalate didn't come shining through. Medium texture with a short finish. A lighter style. Good, but I don't know if this is a style that appeals to me.
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right out of the bottle I picked up crushed stones and muted fruit. After about an hour a light to medium texture emerged with heavier notes of black fruit and spice box. The finish was slightly short, but all in all a good everyday wine. Reminded me more of a Penfolds 389 than a bourdeaux.
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($20) Deeply colored in the glass. Aromas of smoke and peat. Medium-bodied with slightly gritty tannins and a somewhat lean, hard finish. The nose also clearly shows some mocha and stems that give away the main varieties. 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Just okay.
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9/17/2023 - jdp89 Likes this wine:
Decanted off of moderate sediment. Suggest letting this aerate for several hours minimum; I double-decanted about an hour before drinking and it showed much better at lunch the next day. This benefits from cool service temperature, maybe 60-65 range.
Clear garnet, bit of bricking at the rim.
Nose has a bit of tobacco/herbal character; pencil; black cherry; earth.
Palate is silky; medium bodied; medium- acidity; medium+ tannins (+ on day 1, tamer day 2); alcohol not noticeable. Flavors generally follow the nose with black cherry fruit and a little herbal complexity, bit of leather, pencilly wood. This may be a few years past prime as the fruit was a bit quiet, but all told drinking nicely.
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5/21/2023 - TashNYC wrote: 89 Points
Birthday Party (Princeton, NJ): I have had excellent bottles of this wine and vintage, but alas this was not one of them. Some red fruit, earth and herbs- but the bottle seemed tired and did not sing. Sic. A WineBid purchase of unknown provenance and storage.
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11/10/2022 - Jd6725 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wonderful expression of a value, classic right bank from 2000. In a great spot if you like wines with age, still a bit of fruit left. But great complexity and minerality.
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1/28/2022 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 90 Points
At its peak... very good merlot based wine. Some smokiness but otherwise textbook.
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5/9/2021 - paulmanwaring wrote: 88 Points
This wine is ageing very well and I would say it has 2-4 more years or more to peak. I had it with duck confit and it needs the fatty dish to mellow the tannins. Is a subtle wine now but with a few more years I think the barn yard grass, black cherry. slight liquorice and hint of mint will blossom into a more bold and, without a doubt, velvety wine with a long, refined finish.
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3/17/2020 - vinero Likes this wine: 90 Points
Solid Bordeaux, that is approaching maturity. Still quiet dark in the glass, good nose, and hood fruit on the palate. A long, slightly dry and herbal finish. Very nice!
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12/28/2019 - TashNYC wrote: 92 Points
Drinking quite well. Black cherry, coffee and chocolate flavors wirh a little sandalwood. Mature drinking/ at peak. Incredible value for $15 on release. We paid $22 and this was a deal, too. A tasty pairing with the herbal roast rack of lamb (with sage, rosemary and thyme).
Drink now.
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4/10/2019 - guribh Likes this wine: 91 Points
Confirming and repeating my notes from (almost exactly) a year ago. Lovely. Shows its mettle almost immediately upon decanting.
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2/19/2019 - vinero Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very dark in the glass, limited nose, nice fruit on the palate and a reasonably long, slightly dry finish. Solid Bordeaux and drinking nicely, in an early stage of it’s drinking window.
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4/13/2018 - guribh Likes this wine: 91 Points
Quite similar notes to my 2014 post. Still dark with no bricking. Impressively dense for a right bank. Considerable sediment. Coffee and black cherry dominated. Good length. Excellent showing! probably at peak, although has staying power for several more years at this level.
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12/25/2016 - wesrob Likes this wine: 89 Points
Wine had a medium ruby color with very slight brown tent edge. Moderate sediment and well formed legs. Mixed fruit and dust aroma, medium body. Long finish, medium acidity. Decanted two hours and still had light tannin, still nice fruit. Drinking well with some life left.
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11/10/2016 - wine&roses wrote: 89 Points
Pretty good, always factoring the WineBid degradation quotient. Needs 3 hours of air. This bottle was pretty close to the end of its life.
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10/23/2016 - thomasjjackson Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drunk fro a magnum bottle - decanted for 3 hrs - dark ruby color with long legs - fruity nose with cassis and blueberry - flavor very balanced between fruit and earth - long finish
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12/16/2015 - ChevalduVent Likes this wine: 90 Points
The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are slow. There is heavy sediment in the bottle. It smells like black currant and sandalwood with some fig and molten butter in the background. It tastes incredibly fruity with black currant. The body is medium. The wine has juicy texture and finishes long. It has medium acidity.
This 2000 vintage is so much different than the 1999 vintage. The 1999 is flat but balanced and with a hint of sweetness like a port wine. It has a very strong microbiological nose and taste. The 2000 instead is incredibly fruity and with the fruit a little of the smoothness is lost. Both equal not in taste but in pleasantness of in their finish. In both cases it is long and enjoyable. Bottom line I greatly prefer the 2000 vintage over the 1999.
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1/29/2014 - guribh Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted for 30 minutes. No signs of bricking. Reserved, classy notes of cherries, cocoa and spices. Good balance and length. I think the wine has not yet reached its full potential. I will try again in a couple of years.
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11/27/2013 - nytiger Likes this wine: 91 Points
my last of 12, the best, fine nose flavors and finish, sorry they're gone
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7/22/2013 - nytiger Likes this wine: 90 Points
Really, quite nice, fine thick color decent nose nice flavors and fine finish
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3/21/2013 - STEVEN@WINECELLARCLUB.COM wrote: 88 Points
Earthy, lacking fruit. One dimensional
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2/10/2013 - cbbrown3 wrote: 90 Points
The wine is a bright ruby red color with absolutely no brick in sight. The very nice nose has cherries, cassis, dried herbs, cigar box, baking spices, fresh ground espresso, and dried flowers. This has medium body, fairly integrated tannins, and very good acidity. The palate has nice, spicy, cherries with some dried herbs coming in late. The finish has good length with the fruit and spice lingering nicely. This is in a perfect drinking window right now but should hold for a year or two.
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8/17/2012 - Hawk94 wrote: 90 Points
It was closed in first hour. After decant for an hour and half, it opened up. Dark ruby red. Blackberry, currant and cinnamon nose. Mid palate is silky smooth, medium weight, forest floor, dark fruits, balanced with fresh acid. Aftertaste is lengthy, harmony. A typical Bordeaux.
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11/11/2011 - rougeamore wrote: 89 Points
Let sit for a couple of hours. Red berries, some mineral with medium mid palate and nice finish. Paired great with a chicken and pasta dish.
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10/16/2011 - ml1 wrote: 91 Points
First few hours it was a bit muted, but after 3-4 hours it is shining. Dark dry red fruits with a bursting potpourri of violets layered with tea leaves.
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8/4/2011 - nytiger wrote: flawed
slightly corked
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6/23/2011 - frankyB Likes this wine: 87 Points
Openned and poored immediately. Better then the earlier bottle which we may over decanted. Longer finish as for the others appreciation mark. See my earlier notes
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4/30/2011 - frankyB Likes this wine: 85 Points
The wine looks Ruby colored.
It smells like and Blackberry.
The body is Light/Medium.
The wine is textured Smooth.
The wine finishes Short.
Drink now
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11/3/2010 - oldgrowth45 wrote:
consumed over two nights, with and without food. Deep rich maroon color. Lots of spice and fruit on nose, with some coffee in the background. Medium-bodied on the initial palate, with nice fruit intermixed with fairly benign tannins. The fruit gradually faded, however it wasn't replaced with any secondary notes of complexity, it just went away. The initial finish was warm and rich, but as the fruit faded the finish became more tart and clipped. Bought the bottle from online auction, so it could just be a poorly stored bottle, or it might just be getting old. Decent bottle, paired well with basic dinner fare, but nothing magical or remarkable.
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10/3/2010 - The Drunken Cyclist wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured a glass, then let it sit for about an hour or so. Was very surprised, lots of red fruit up front with a little (although not much) grip on the back end. Likely could go for another year or two easily, but drinking great right now.
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8/22/2010 - nytiger wrote: 89 Points
fine color nose flavors and finish
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7/10/2010 - Fredpug Likes this wine: 93 Points
really enjoyed, refined tannins, long finish
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1/1/2010 - Pour Boy wrote: 89 Points
Decent St Emilion comprised of 80% Merlot. Took 30 minutes to open up. Classic Bordeaux nose, velvety finish. Bottle #2 in at New Year's.
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8/27/2008 - FieldingYost wrote: 91 Points
This wine surprised me. Beautiful berry and plum aromatics--certainly had the softness, lambency that one expects of Saint Emilon. But this wine had a length, depth, and a tautness that surprised me. It even began to shut down after being open for awhile--muscular tannins began to flex. This wine needs time.
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12/28/2007 - frankyB wrote: 85 Points
Decanted over 45 min. And was still evolving as we drink it. Light body, medium to short in the mouth... this wine can still age a few years.
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12/8/2007 - nytiger wrote: 90 Points
Very nice mature bordeaux
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6/26/2007 - Armando B wrote:
OK, but not great. 84 points.
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5/14/2007 - marc d wrote:
Blackish fruit, but a bit too much oak in the nose. Kind of thick bodied, without much style or elegance. Decent structure. Drinkable but just barely.
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6/23/2006 - DBerryman wrote: 89 Points
blackberry and licorice on the nose. rather slow to open up, but fantastic 2 hours after decanting. tannins come on strong but finish was nice.
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4/2/2006 - Old_Winyards wrote: 87 Points
Still very very tight. I'd say it was closed if the mineral flavors on the midpalate didn't come shining through. Medium texture with a short finish. A lighter style. Good, but I don't know if this is a style that appeals to me.
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4/19/2005 - WStucker wrote: 89 Points
right out of the bottle I picked up crushed stones and muted fruit. After about an hour a light to medium texture emerged with heavier notes of black fruit and spice box. The finish was slightly short, but all in all a good everyday wine. Reminded me more of a Penfolds 389 than a bourdeaux.
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2/5/2005 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
($20) Deeply colored in the glass. Aromas of smoke and peat. Medium-bodied with slightly gritty tannins and a somewhat lean, hard finish. The nose also clearly shows some mocha and stems that give away the main varieties. 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Just okay.
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1/17/2003 - Vino Me wrote: 88 Points
Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux (2000 Vintage) (Intercontinental Hotel Chicago): Inky black color. A toffee filled nose. This full bodied wine was tight with very firm tannins. Cassis and cherry notes. 88.
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