2000 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reserve

A spectacular wine, the 2000 Le Clos du Caillou Châteauneuf-du-Pape Domaine du Caillou Reserve is a blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvedre and exhibits ripe, smoky and dark fruit driven aromatics. Along with stunning garrigue, grilled meat and charred earth notes, there’s a touch of graphite and noticeable new wood. The palate is full bodied with perfect structure, awesome purity and richness, sweet fruit and a blockbuster finish. Borderline perfection in my book.

Possibly the wine of the vintage is the 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve Le Clos du Cailloux. I tasted this wine four times from bottle, and it has blown away some tough competition. A wealth of fruit, power, and balance, amazing purity, and a sumptuous, 65-second finish are the stuff of legends. As usual, it is a blend of 45% Grenache, 40% Mourvedre, and the rest Syrah as well as miscellaneous varietals. The Mourvedre must be picked incredibly ripe as there is never any of that grape's astringency or toughness. However, being an anti-oxidant varietal, I am sure this is a sign of how much aging potential these wines possess. This is an enormous, well-delineated, superb wine. Anticipated maturity: now-2020+. Readers lucky enough to find any should not hesitate to buy as much as they can of the flagship wine, the Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve Le Clos du Cailloux. Over the last four years, every vintage has flirted with perfection. Importers: David Hinkle, North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 848-8910, and a Christopher Cannan Selection, various American importers, including: Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300 and Diamond Wine Merchant, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 567-9897