Wine Advocate
byRobert Parkerthe4/30/2001
The 2000 is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot, and the wine comprises 80% of the production, which averaged 35 hectoliters per hectare. A potentially immortal wonder, Mouton's 2000 is so thick, it almost needs to be drunk with a spoon. At the same time, it has brutally high tannin.
There is a lot going on in this backward effort, including phenomenal concentration and extract, and a huge nose of smoke, creme de cassis, truffles, and new saddle leather. A wine of enormous constitution and awesome power, but neophytes and readers unwilling to invest twenty years of cellaring should look elsewhere. If the tannin becomes more integrated, and the wine increasingly seamless, it will merit its lofty rating. However, if the tannin becomes more abrasive, or the wine totally shuts down, the score will drop.
This is a long-term prospect for prospective purchasers given the fact that most Moutons made with this level of extract and tannin need 15-20 years of cellaring (look at the still infant 1982 and 1986). Nevertheless, this is a fabulously pure, brilliant achievement, perhaps destined for your children's children. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2060. P.S. Don't be surprised if the proprietor, the creative Baronne Philippine de Rothschild, does something dramatic regarding the label or bottle in celebration of 2000.