2000 Calon Segur

Deep, lively crimson with a narrow, clear rim. Big, ripe, and even a hint of coarseness on the nose. Certainly very ripe. Big, rambunctious, almost New World ripeness. I'd mistake the nose for Napa, but there is lots of acidity and chew on the finish. Lead pencils. Very slightly short. Certainly not big in weight. Finishes a little short.www.jancisrobinson.com, 16 Oct 2003

Back when my bottle reports came out in 2003, I urged extreme patience for this wine, which is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc. I projected a maturity curve of 2012-2040, but based on this tasting, I would say the wine needs another 5-6 years, so call it 2016-2040+. One of the most unyielding wines in my tastings of the 2000s, the wine still has a very healthy, deep, dark ruby color, and earthy hints of herbs, licorice, and black currants. Medium to full-bodied, the hard, elevated tannins give this wine a certain austerity, but its outstanding weight, richness, and that very classic style argue for further discipline. Forget this for another 3-4 years and drink it over the following three decades. Wine Advocate.June, 2010

Tasted from an ex-chateau bottle at BI Wine & Spirits Calon-Segur dinner in London. The 2000 Calon Segur is one of those wines that reminds you how great the millennial vintage could be. Now at fifteen years old, it has a brilliant, vivacious red berry nose infused with ash and cigar box aromas. The detail here is a beguiling and it just "sings" Saint Estephe. The palate is medium-bodied with dense, firm tannin that provide a rigid backbone, but it is swathed in copious tobacco-drenched black fruit and a superb line of acidity. It finishes with a twist of bitter cherry on the finish that completes what is a deeply impressive Calon-Segur; it might just outclass the 2005. Tasted March 2015. Oct 2016, www.robertparker.com