Far better from bottle than cask, this wine has turned out to be sleeper of the vintage. A product of the philosophy of Jean-Luc Thunevin, which emphasizes considerable lees contact, micro-oxygenation, and little or no racking, the 2000 has a deep purple color accompanied by copious quantities of jammy blackberry and cherry fruit intermixed with smoky espresso and sweet leather aromas. Impressively pure and textured, with medium to full body, low acidity, ripe tannin, and a thick, glycerin-imbued finish, it will be at its apogee between now and 2015.