2000 Château Haut-Brion

The 2000 Haut-Brion has the upper hand over La Mission at the moment, and I don't see that changing. It's always been one of my favourite wines of the vintage. Blackberry and black olive, copious incense and terracotta notes almost hypnotize the senses. The palate is supremely well-balanced with finely sculpted tannins that frame the black fruit laced with white pepper and graphite. It's just entering its drinking window but has the substance to last many years. (NM)

From a year in Bordeaux that started out with poor weather yet finished under ideal conditions, the 2000 Haut Brion is a gorgeous, incredibly classic wine from this estate that everything you could want. Blackcurrants, plums, scorched earth, tobacco and lots of mineral and earthy characteristic emerge from this gorgeous, still youthful, elegant, yet powerful 2000. The blend is 51% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc, and while certainly beautiful today, it has another two to three decades of longevity.

Tasted from an ex-château bottle in Bordeaux, I was not surprised to find the 2000 Château Haut-Brion flirting with perfection. The nose is simply breathtaking - quintessential Haut-Brion with ebullient red berry fruit, roasted herbs, gravel, terracotta tiles on a warm summer's day...it is simply wave after wave of intoxicating scents that could bring even the most stoic person to tears of joy. The palate displays heavenly balance, pitch-perfect acidity, perhaps spicier than previous bottles that I have tasted, and what depth and dimension in this outstanding wine. That hint of graphite on the finish is a cheeky nod to Pauillac, as if to thumb its nose at the First Growths, because alongside Château Latour, almost by stealth, the Haut-Brion is one of the greatest Bordeaux in this millennial year. Tasted November 2014.