Bordeaux 2000s – every vintage rated
2000★★★★
The pressure was on for this to be a stellar vintage, and for the most part it delivered, although not without a few stress points along the way. Harvest began on 18 September, lasting right through until mid-October, and you can find wines from both Right and Left Bank that are still delivering.
The sweet wines were affected by rain on 10-15 October. But for the most part 2000 performed the much sought-after trick of delivering quality and quantity, with yields high in most places, and wines that were rich, tannic and deeply coloured.
This was certainly the most consistent vintage since 1990, but it needed patience. Only in the last few years have I really started to find large numbers of 2000s that have opened up. Today they are starting to come into their own, and if you pick a big name from a good appellation, it’s hard to go wrong.
Château Canon, St-Emilion 1GCC 2000 95
£123.34-£146.67 (ib) Berry Bros & Rudd, Farr Vintners, Montrachet
A beautiful moment to be drinking this wine as it edges towards tertiary flavours. Beginning to soften around the edges now, with waves of brushed leather, walnut, dried roses and earth, together with the fresh acidities of its limestone soils. Supple tannins, finessed and fine, with juicy raspberry puree and blackberry fruits. 75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon; 55% new oak. Drink 2022-2032 Alcohol 13%
1 Château Montrose, St-Estèphe 2CC 2000 95
£141.67 (ib)-£260 Berry Bros & Rudd, Bibo, Cru, Farr Vintners, Goedhuis & Co, Jeroboams, Millésima, Montrachet, Salusbury Winestore, Tanners, The Good Wine Shop, Wineye
Just beginning to open after a stubborn few decades. Tobacco and crushed mint leaf sit against blackberry and bilberry fruits held by a firm frame of tannins. A stately Montrose with a long future ahead, packed with the power and finesse that is a signature of this estate. First year in the new stainless steel vat room. 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Drink 2022-2035 Alc 13%
2001★★★★
A vintage that was undervalued for a long time and has now become something of a cult year, offering elegant, classically styled wines with great aromatics. Particularly impressive for Sauternes and Barsac, with Château d’Yquem legendary.
The best reds also offer an unusual combination of elegance, freshness and delicate fruits, and the majority are in a sweet spot right now.
It’s less consistent overall than 2000, although the gap between the two is only just starting to become apparent as they click into their third decade. Most will not be as long-lasting as the 2000s, but offer tons of pleasure and there are real spots of brilliance. Château Figeac, St-Emilion, has long been one of my favourite wines of this vintage, as has Château Haut-Bailly, PessacLéognan. In terms of price rises over the 20 years since launch, Carruades de Lafite, Pauillac 2001 is in the top spot, up 1,733% according to Liv-ex data.
2 Château La Conseillante, Pomerol 2001 94
la-conseillante.com
A finessed and balanced vintage, this is full of soft bramble fruits, tobacco and campfire notes, with sculpted fine tannins at 20 years old. Bernard Nicolas was the owner and winemaker at the time, with no outside consultant, so a very different set-up at the château from the one you’ll find today. 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc; old-school and utterly charming. Drink 2022-2034 Alc 13%
Château Léoville Poyferré, St-Julien 2CC 2001 94
£85 (ib)-£147 Amathus Drinks, Crump Richmond Shaw, Montrachet, Richard Kihl, Wilkinson Vintners
The finesse of St-Julien comes through clearly in the glass, heightened by both bottle age and the character of the 2001 vintage itself. Expect cured leather, baked earth and cigar-box spice, with softened blackberry and bilberry fruits. Totally moreish. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot; 80% new oak. Drink 2022-2036 Alc 13.5%
2002HH
Mixed quality overall, with a difficult spring and a summer that refused to get going. A beautiful September proved to be the saviour of wines that were able to take advantage of the late harvest that lasted through to mid-October, and today you can find plenty of classically balanced bottles, particularly on the Left Bank.
Overall, Cabernet Sauvignon did better than Merlot, and you’ll find lots of classically styled wines that are ready to begin drinking. On recent tastings, look out for St-Julien and Pauillac wines, with Mouton Rothschild a particular success.
3 Château Lafleur, Pomerol 2002 95
£376.68 Justerini & Brooks
Always one of the most aromatic of Bordeaux wines, the 2002 effortlessly overperforms and is on its way to becoming a classic Lafleur. It’s seen as a Cabernet vintage, and certainly even at 17 years old the Cabernet Franc (40%, with 60% Merlot) is taking the lead in this wine. The austerity of the young wine has now softened but it’s still showing plenty of structure, tannic hold and fresh acidity, with tons of bracken, grilled rosemary and violet-edged florality. You can drink now but it will very happily – and beneficially – wait another few years. This was the first year in which Jacques and Sylvie Guinaudeau were sole owners, making things official after renting from Jacques’ aunt for 15 years. Drink 2022-2040 Alc 13.5%
2003HHH
Undoubtedly the 2000s vintage with the most column inches written about it, for both good and bad reasons, 2003 saw a heatwave across Europe that lasted throughout the growing season, with temperatures regularly climbing up to 40°C. Bordeaux joined many other regions by recording some of the earliest picking dates on record for both white and red grapes – the veraison colour-change was 20 days in advance of average over the previous 50 years and many estates recalled their staff from their August holidays to begin bringing in the scorched grapes.
The result was high alcohols and low yields, and a year when terroir counted if estates were to avoid cooked or dried fruit flavours. Overall, Cabernet Sauvignon withstood the extreme summer heat better than Merlot, but rather than grape variety, I would suggest looking instead for fresh terroirs, such as limestone on the Right Bank and the clays of St-Estèphe, or those along the Gironde in the Médoc – I have recently tasted a good number of Pauillacs that are still delivering, from Lynch Bages to Latour. Excessively dry or hot soils had more issues with water stress and blockages, and sugar concentration was exacerbated by evaporation due to high temperatures.
Overall I would say 2003 has survived better than I expected, but start drinking up now.
Château Beauregard, Pomerol 2003 91
chateau-beauregard.com
A hot vintage that is showing well now, with a highly attractive spice character and still plenty of tannins, giving the fruit something to lean on. Easy to approach, this wine has traces of black chocolate and the lovely tobacco character that is so Pomerol. The fresh edge of Cabernet Franc (25%, with 75% Merlot) helps add a little lift and structure. Not as much persistency as some vintages, but full of pleasure and one that’s good for drinking today. Drink 2022-2038 Alc 13.5% ▶
2004HHH
A vintage that you often hear described as ‘classic’, and it’s a favourite with a number of old-school Bordeaux lovers for its understated charm, and generally for its good-value wines.
Yields were high as the vines made up for their low yields the year before. Good weather at flowering, and at harvest, but more challenging in between – meaning once again that it’s the top estates of Bordeaux, who could afford the time and effort in the vineyard, that really shone. Among the star risers of the vintage, up 640% from release between 2004 and 2022, is Château Beychevelle, St-Julien, according to Liv-ex figures.
Château Pichon Baron, Pauillac 2CC 2004 94
£102.50 (ib)-£180 Bordeaux Index, Bowes Wine,
Lay & Wheeler, Montrachet, Shrine to the Vine
Tasting great right now. Still muscular and a little bit foursquare, but with concentrated cassis and blackberry, waves of fresh mint leaf and eucalyptus on the finish. This is juicy and enjoyable. Jean-René Matignon was technical director and Eric Boissenot consultant. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc; 80% new oak. Drink 2022-2045 Alc 13%
2005HHHHH
One of the greatest vintages of the past 50 years, with near-perfect weather conditions across the region and Bordeaux University’s Faculty of Oenology remarking how it would ‘remain long in the memory for its quality’. The wines have proved more stubborn to get going than many initially thought, because although they were not exuberant when young, they had a high tannin count and needed time to soften. Many are starting to really blossom: balanced and nuanced, yet full of fruit. Easily my favourite vintage of the past few decades, and although it was hot and dry, it was less intense than 2003, as cumulative temperatures over July and August show – a total of 760°C in 2003, with six days hitting 40°C, compared with 632°C in 2005, and only two days over 35°C.
4 Château Trotanoy, Pomerol 2005 98
£175 (ib) Corney & Barrow
From the first great vintage of the new era: by this point there were smaller tanks, allowing more precision between harvesting and the winery, and fine-tuning of sorting (separating out parts of plots they weren’t happy with). The 2005 is on the cusp between tight young fruit and a more complex array of ageing characteristics – and it’s gorgeous. It has rich, sweet fruit, wonderful balance and liquorice alongside olive paste, chocolate and cassis puree, embraced by firm but flexible tannins. If you’re a fan of classic Pomerol seduction, you’ll want to get hold of this wine. Merlot with 3% Cabernet Franc. Drink 2022-2040 Alc 14%
5 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac 5CC 2005 97
£93.75 (ib)-£165 Christopher Keiller, Cru, Frazier's, Hedonism, Montrachet, Richard Kihl, The Oxford Wine Co
The 2005 is taking its time to fully come around and this will still improve over the next five to 10 years, but it is starting to live up to expectations. Packed with truffles and tar, together with cigar box, soy, black tea, campfire smoke and smoked earth. A classic Grand-Puy-Lacoste from an effortlessly balanced vintage. 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot; 70% new oak. Drink 2022-2040 Alc 13.5%
2006HHH
Another classic vintage, plenty of good-quality wines starting to come into their sweet spot at just over 15 years old. The weather was variable, with hot spells in July and September, a cool August and storms in mid-September that threatened rot. The weather was fine through the last two weeks of September, although rain in October put pressure on many Médoc estates that did not have early-ripening terroirs. The Faculty of Oenology commented that ‘Merlot planted on clay and Cabernet on the finest gravel soils withstood the weather conditions of this vintage better than those planted on sandy or silty soils’ – this means you should look at both Pomerol and Pauillac for wines that are tasting good today.
Château Cantenac Brown, Margaux 3CC 2006 93
£46.25 (ib)-£89.99 Crump Richmond Shaw, Frazier’s, Majestic, Montrachet
Subdued on opening, but after 30 minutes in a carafe it spills out rich pencil lead and liquorice notes, with blackberry fruits and smoky vanilla spice. A classic Margaux 2006, with fairly high acidity that emphasises a floral character, alongside refined tannins. Just beginning to evolve towards an older wine. An unusual vintage at Cantenac Brown, where only 30% of the harvest was used for the first wine, reflecting a new regime of greater precision in harvesting and sorting. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot; 60% new oak. Drink 2022-2040 Alc 13.5%
6 Château Nénin, Pomerol 2006 92
£42 (ib) Crump Richmond Shaw, Montrachet
The 2006 vintage is not always generous, but it is now beginning to be fully open with Merlot-dominated wines such as Nénin – and this is at a sweet spot for drinking. With expansive blackcurrant and bilberry fruits, held firmly in place by still well-structured tannins, this is enjoyable and well balanced, if less sleek than you find in more recent vintages from this estate. 76% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc; 20% new oak. Drink 2022-2035 Alc 14%
2007HH
A classic example of why you shouldn’t dismiss the less-media-friendly vintages in Bordeaux. It was a difficult vintage weather-wise, with a damp summer that meant lighter-styled wines in the main, and an early-drinking year. But the best spots delivered delicious, sculpted wines. Some of my favourite bottles in recent years, perfect for unfussy sharing with friends, have been from this vintage – I can particularly point to a brilliant Château d’Armailhac, Pauillac 2007. Some excellent white wines also, still going strong in most cases, particularly from Pessac-Léognan, and one of the best years for Sauternes and Barsac in the new millennium, comparable to 2001.
Château d’Yquem, Sauternes 1CC 2007 97
£223 (ib)-£380 Berry Bros & Rudd, Bordeaux Index, Cru, Crump Richmond Shaw, DBM Wines, Hennings, Honest Grapes, Millésima, Montrachet, VinQuinn, Vinum, Wineye