Chateau Gruaud Larose 2000

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "A very strong effort for Gruaud Larose, possibly eclipsed by what they have done in 2009, this is a pure, full-bodied Gruaud Larose with plenty of new saddle leather, cedar wood, black currants, cherries, licorice, and Provencal herbs. Spicy, earthy, full-bodied, and rich, it has hit its plateau of full maturity, where it should stay for another 20 or more years."

WEINWISSER: "Sattes, dichtes Granat-Purpur, zart oranger Schimmer. Würziges Zedern- und Pflaumenbouquet, fein korinthige Spuren, Teer, grossartige Terroirtiefe anzeigend, ein bisschen Rhône-Charakter in der Nase. Saftiger Gaumen, wiederum warmes Extrakt zeigend, sogar ein Hauch Feigen, Lakritze, starke Adstringenz, superbe Konzentration, maskulin, nach Flaschenreife verlangende Tannine. Ein atypischer, nicht mehr so feingliedriger Gruaud wie in den letzten Jahren. Nur wirklich geduldige Weinliebhaber werden sich in etwa 12 Jahren erstmals an diesem Wein erfeuen können. Parallelen zum Gruaud 1982."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe. Intensive Beerenfrucht, zart nach Mandarinen, exotische Nuancen. Frisch, komplex, feine Schokoladenote, bleibt ausgezeichnet haften, ein Wein von überzeugender Länge, bereits zugänglich,tragende Tannine, Riesenzukunft."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "This is developing quite nicely. The tobacco, cassis, herb and spicy cassis nose pairs perfectly with the classically styled, full bodied character, leaving with a blend of cassis, blackberry, earth and a touch of green tapanade in the finish. While this is nice now, it should get even better with a few more years in the bottle."

WINE SPECTATOR: "There's nice richness here, with velvety-textured blackberry, fig and boysenberry confiture flavors rolling through, edged by a graphite note that slowly takes over on the finish. This has serious spine, with tar and ganache echoes hanging in the background, boding well for continued development.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015)."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Fully mature (yet I'd say in the early stages of its drink window), the 2000 Château Gruaud Larose offers a ripe, powerful, medium to full-bodied style as well as lots of currant and darker fruits followed by cedarwood, tobacco, iron, and assorted meaty, spicy nuances. It's a rich, almost chunky effort with a great mid-palate, still present yet ripe tannins, and a great finish. It lacks some of the purity and precision of today's wines yet is a satisfying, rich, impressively textured Saint-Julien to drink over the coming 15-20 years."