Ch. Caronne St Gemme (Bordeaux) 2000
I am absolutely thrilled that this wine from the great 2000 vintage, and one of my favourite Crus Bourgeois from the Haut-Medoc. For Bordeaux’s left bank, 2000 really is a great year (one of the top half dozen of the past 100 years), and the class of the vintage shows in this fantastic little wine. I say ‘little’ given the extravagant prices of Bordeaux, but this will drink well for 15 years if you have the patience to cellar it. It has a solid, vibrant ruby colour, and a truly lovely nose of blackcurrant, minerals, cedarwood and a little perfume of violets and ripe plums. On the palate it is authoritative with its crisp, elegant tannic structure and lovely cherry acidity, but a great sweep of ripe, burstingly sweet black fruit powers through the mid palate. The wine is elegant and poised, with a long, pure finish that shows terrific class. £10.99 Majestic
