2000 Rhône Valley Vintage
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Great in the south, less brilliant in the north: Decanter's read of 2000, a dry season in the south and very high yields in the north.
Decanter rates 2000 for red Rhone 3 out of 5, great in the south and less brilliant in the north. In the south, the season was dry, picking from late August and healthy, thick-skinned grapes, with Decanter calling Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas and Cotes du Rhone Villages outstanding. In the north, a wet spring, some hail in Cote-Rotie and Condrieu, very high yields that Decanter said did not help quality, and a vintage it put below 1999 except in Condrieu, which beat it. Decanter's advice: drink now.
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Decanter's vintage guide is the only detailed source here, and it reads the two halves of the valley separately. In the north, a wet spring gave way to early flowering, but both Cote-Rotie and Condrieu had some hail damage. July was quite cloudy, then hot, dry weather set in during August. Heavy rain fell on 21 August, but the hot, dry weather resumed and continued through September. Decanter dates the northern harvest from 6 September in Crozes-Hermitage and 21 September in Cote-Rotie, with picking running until 9 October. In the south, picking began earlier as usual, in late August, and dry conditions gave very healthy grapes with thick skins and high tannin levels. On yields, only the north is addressed, where Decanter says very high yields did not help overall quality.
- North: wet spring, early flowering, some hail damage in Cote-Rotie and Condrieu
- North: cloudy July, hot and dry from August, heavy rain on 21 August, then dry heat through September
- North: harvest from 6 September in Crozes-Hermitage and 21 September in Cote-Rotie, until 9 October
- South: picking from late August, with dry conditions giving healthy, thick-skinned, tannic grapes
- Decanter rates 2000 for red Rhone 3 out of 5: great in the south, less brilliant in the north
- South: picking began in late August and dry conditions gave very healthy, thick-skinned grapes with high tannin levels
- North: a wet spring, early flowering and some hail damage in Cote-Rotie and Condrieu
- North: harvest ran from 6 September in Crozes-Hermitage and 21 September in Cote-Rotie, until 9 October
- South: Decanter called Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas and Cotes du Rhone Villages outstanding, with some wines expected to rival the 1998s
- North: Decanter says very high yields did not help quality, and put the vintage below 1999, except in Condrieu
North and south
Decanter rates 2000 for red Rhone 3 out of 5, great in the south and less brilliant in the north. It calls it a particularly successful year in the south, where Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas and Cotes du Rhone Villages were outstanding and some wines were expected to rival the 1998s. The Northern Rhone, in Decanter's view, did not reach the level of 1999, with Condrieu the exception, rated better than in 1999. Even so, Decanter names Cote-Rotie, Hermitage and Cornas as producing many of the top northern wines, and Decanter predicts producers who cut back the high yields will fare best. Its drinking advice for the vintage is simple: drink now.
- South: Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas and Cotes du Rhone Villages rated outstanding by Decanter
- North: Decanter puts it below the level of 1999, with Condrieu the exception
- North: Decanter names Cote-Rotie, Hermitage and Cornas for many of the top wines
- Decanter rates the vintage 3 out of 5 and advises drink now
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See the Pivot+- 2000 red Rhone (Decanter, 3 out of 5): great in the south, less brilliant in the north.
- South: picking from late August; dry conditions gave healthy, thick-skinned grapes with high tannin. Decanter called Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas and Cotes du Rhone Villages outstanding.
- North: wet spring, early flowering, some hail in Cote-Rotie and Condrieu; hot, dry August and September despite heavy rain on 21 August.
- North: harvest from 6 September (Crozes-Hermitage) and 21 September (Cote-Rotie) to 9 October; very high yields did not help quality, and Decanter put the vintage below 1999, but Condrieu beat it.
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