This was a remarkable bottle from what would seem to be a fairly average 2000 vintage. Yet the wine delivered such a breakthrough that it would be hard to call it old.
Wines from the turn of the 1990s and 2000s, in most cases, do not look the way one would wish today. There are exceptions, but they only prove the rule. In this case, however, the wine was not merely excellent – it was, unlike most, incredibly youthful. On the nose, an abundance of ripe raspberry, blackberry, sweet plum, dried roses and red pepper. And it all evolved in the glass in a spiral! On the palate, silky balance and a juicy texture. This wine seemed immortal, as if it had not lived 25 years at all.
Bottles like this once again make you reflect on the evolution of wine and the factors that influence it. Just when you think everything is already well understood, you come across surprises like this…
Text and Photo by Greg Somm
