Chateau Pichon Comtesse de Lalande 2000

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Sitting next to my former colleague, Pierre Antoine Rovani, at one of the tastings, he commented that he didn’t like the striking green note in the aromatics of this wine, which I didn’t detect at all, and a subsequent bottle at another tasting did not reveal it either. I do think there is a hint of bay leaf and a meatiness to it. In short, I find this to be a spectacular Pichon Lalande. Dense purple in color, with loads of coffee, mocha, creme de cassis, and chocolate notes, this is a somewhat unusual blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and a whooping 10% Petit Verdot, with a little bit of Cabernet Franc. The Petit Verdot certainly gives the wine more of a tapenade, floral note, which I think can be interpreted by some as herbal. This is a rich, opulent, stunning Pichon Lalande that is beginning to drink beautifully, yet should continue to improve for at least another 10-15 years and last 30 or more years."

DECANTER: "Of all the 2000s tasted in the line-up, this was the one that was most evolved, with melted tannins and exotic saffron spice notes. It’s a beautiful wine, very classic Pauillac, full of tertiary hints of truffle, soft menthol and undergrowth - signatures of an older Bordeaux wine that is wonderful to drink now. It’s probably the most perfect of the five for cracking open over the next few years but may not have the staying power of the others. Interesting to note how much higher the pH is here (3.85) than Leoville (3.5) considering it’s practically next door. 10% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Harvest 21 September 21 to 9 October. Drinking Window 2019 - 2038"

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "Madame de Lencquesaing's estate has produced a stunner in 2000. The perfumes, delicate and sensuous, give it class, style and make it very memorable. It is delicious now, but there are tannins there, and deep, intense fruit flavors, waiting to develop slowly and surely."

FALSTAFF: "Sehr dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe. Zart animalisch unterlegte dunkle Beerenfrucht, mineralisch, schwarze Kirschen, tabakige Nuancen. Stoffig, elegant, frische Kirschenfrucht, lebendige Säurestruktur, wirkt etwas schlank und zitronig, bleibt gut haften, ungemein jugendlich, rotbeeriger Nachhall. Lagern/trinken +30 Jahre;"

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Splash decanted, it took only 20 minutes before all the gorgeous, black currants, chocolate mint, cigar wrapper, tobacco, spice box and cassis to shine through on the nose and palate. Rich, full-bodied, and concentrated, some tannin remains. The wine finishes with spice, fruit, olives, pepper and herbs. Drink now or wait a decade."

WINE SPECTATOR: "This has pronounced bay and cassis bush aromas that impart lots of peppery and herbaceous lift, but this is hardly on the lean side as there's a well of gorgeously pure currant and blackberry fruit notes at the core. The finish is sleek and glistening as an iron note takes over.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2028."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Lot of currants and berries with a slightly stewed-fruit character. It’s full and round with soft tannins and a fruity finish. Needs to be decanted an hour or two before serving. Succulent wine."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Bluer than the Pichon-Longueville by quite a margin. A hint of herbaceousness. Pretty. Not excessively ripe. Neat and vibrant but it may disappoint those looking for mass and ripeness? Certainly very 'fresh'. Maybe just a bit too much so for expectations of this vintage and this appellation."