2000 Bordeaux Vintage

January to March ran slightly warmer than normal, with the sum of mean daily temperatures 10 percent above normal, and rain was light at 186 mm against a normal of 237 mm. April was close to normal in temperature but very wet, with 173 mm of rain against a normal of 70 mm, and May was warm (2.3 C above normal) and moderately rainy. A warm, humid spring had growers holding their breath, and the Medoc and Graves had a hot, rainy spring and early summer that brought considerable problems with mildew. A very early mildew attack at the start of the season raised fears of the worst, but it was stopped quickly, with any crop loss confined to very limited areas. Mid-flowering in the Faculty of Oenology's red reference vineyards fell on 3 June, 11 days ahead of the 45-year average and level with the 1990 to 1999 average. The last ten days of May and the first ten of June were damp and cool, and the weather then turned hot and dry. Some coulure and millerandage showed, especially in fairly old Merlot vines, and a few of those plots lost a notable share of their crop. July was slightly cooler (0.7 C below normal) and wetter (36 mm above normal) than usual. August was warm (1.5 C above normal) and dry (30 mm below normal). Mid-veraison came on 6 August. The rains of April to late June, added to the winter's, had built large water reserves, but a few very hot days in July and hot, dry weather in August slowed the vines, and in most cases growth stopped at the right moment for sugars and phenolic compounds to build in the red grapes. September carried on where August left off: the mean temperature was 1.4 C above normal, the maximum passed 25 C on more than half the days, and three days topped 30 C. Rain was below normal and fell as heavy showers on three days, one day of 18 mm at the end of the second ten days of the month and two consecutive days (22 mm) at the end of the month. In the Medoc and Graves, heavy rain on 19 and 20 September did no damage and in some places rescued vines affected by stress, and it was heavier in the Medoc than in the Graves. Young, shallow-rooted or overloaded vines suffered from the heat and the relative drought of August and September, and ripening stalled in those cases, but the Faculty found that most vineyards came through perfectly and brought their grapes to excellent ripeness. July to September was sunny and dry, often in heatwave conditions.

The harvest was spread between September and early October and brought in very healthy grapes. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and most of the Cabernet Sauvignon were picked progressively in good conditions as each reached ripeness; a few vineyards were exceptionally early, and in some cases picking had to wait a little. Heavy rain between 10 and 15 October brought a gradual loss of quality in the last Cabernet Sauvignon, but by then most of the best Cabernet Sauvignon was in, and overall quality did not suffer much. At the last sampling before picking, the reference Merlot (18 September) carried 245 g/l of sugar, a probable alcohol of 13.6 percent and total acidity of 3.5 g/l, and the reference Cabernet Sauvignon (23 September) carried 220 g/l, 12.2 percent and 3.8 g/l. These high potential alcohols were not confirmed everywhere. Alcoholic fermentations ran without particular problems beyond the usual ones of high sugar, while some malolactic fermentations were fairly slow. In the Medoc and Graves, harvesting took place over three weeks until 11 October.

Decanter calls 2000 possibly the finest vintage in the Medoc and Graves since 1990 and marks the wines drink now. In its assessment the classic areas fared best, with a consistently high level of quality in Margaux, Saint-Julien and Pauillac; more northerly areas such as Saint-Estephe were marginally less successful, as were Moulis and Listrac, and the Graves had a few disappointments, though its top wines are excellent, with La Mission Haut-Brion a star in the Graves, Margaux, Latour and Leoville-Barton stars in the Medoc, and many less well known properties, crus bourgeois included, making superb wines. A handful of properties picked too early and may show unripe tannins, and another handful picked rather late and may show overripe, jammy flavors.

The red harvest was rich in sugars and phenolic compounds, with color very easy to extract. Writing in January 2001, the Faculty of Oenology described the reds as showing remarkably well with a general success: very colored and very tannic, but with flattering fat and charm, well balanced without excessive hardness, and with good fruity freshness. It placed 2000 among the great successes of recent vintages but judged it too early to call it exceptional. The CIVB calls the reds concentrated, deep and refined, with fleshy fruit, ripe tannins and a solid structure for ageing. The Faculty called the dry whites a classic success: good Sauvignon, perhaps favoring sugar over aroma, and Semillon that was pretty and fruity in the first pickings but lost some brightness later. The CIVB calls the dry whites elegant, complex and fruity, with great freshness. The sweet wines had a harder time. After a few good pickings, the weather from 8 October was unfavorable to botrytis, and the last grapes had to be abandoned; serious selection could give satisfactory quality, but in limited volumes. Heavy rain during the sweet wine harvest limited volumes of great sweet wines.