2000 Don Maximiano Reserve

The 2000 Don Maximiano Founder's Reserve has a lifted nose of kirsch, mint and licorice that is reminiscent of Australia. The palate is medium-bodied with a rather pinched entry. The tannins are rather hard and the finish austere and uncompromising. Drink now. It was a pleasure to spend two or three hours in the company of Eduardo Chadwick at his estate and undertake verticals of his wines. Few have done more to promote Chilean wine than him, most notably with his blind comparisons with First Growth to demonstrate that Sena stands shoulder to shoulder with Old World icons. As you might guess, we had a long debate about that! But also, we engaged in a long discussion about viticulture and the philosophy behind his portfolio. Readers may remark on my relatively mean scores. I thought long and hard about this. But I firmly feel that recent vintages from Errazuriz completely outshine the older ones and speaking at length with winemaker Francisco Baettig, there is a sense of a winery changing tack and in my opinion, what this estate will produce in the next twenty years will completely surpass the previous twenty years. Importer: Vintus Wines, Pleasantville, NY; www.vintuswines.com

Very complete and sophisticated answer to claret. Not yet released. Palate-filling and extremely well balanced. (JR)