Château Chasse-Spleen 2000

Very muscular with currants, mineral and nutmeg character. Full-bodied and chewy, with a long and lively finish. Best after 2008. 29,165 cases made.

With a nose packed with earth, black plums, tobacco and cassis, this powerful, tannic, deep wine could easily pass for a Classified Growth. If you're going to open it now, leave it in the decanter for an hour or more. Otherwise, give it a few more years to allow the firm tannins to soften. As the 1989 is still going strong, this should continue to age for a long time.

Dark violet-purple, dense at the core. Strongly roasted bouquet, coffee, black olives, smoke, dark caramel. Firm, compact on the palate, muscular build, still tight, bourgeois astringency, sandy contours, lots of power, an excess of tannins, therefore very little finesse.

01: Dark violet-purple, dense at the core. Strongly roasted bouquet with notes of coffee, black olives, smoke, and dark caramel. Firm, compact palate, muscular build, still tight with a bourgeois astringency, sandy contours, plenty of power, but somehow an excess of tannins and therefore very little finesse. (17/20). 08: Tasted during a lunch at the estate. Shows plenty of character, still needs bottle age. Unfortunately one of the few truly great Chasse-Spleen of the “new era.”

Spicy, delicately off-dry bouquet, red berries, wood, herbs, subtle green nuances. Fine palate with delicate fruit, bourgeois structure, light finish. 16/20 to drink

Flavorful on the palate, with beautiful substance and great fruit ripeness. A very fine wine with remarkable length.

Plenty of flavor in this wine with a well-built body and rich aroma, but a slightly firm finish. Suitable for aging.

Round, generous and full on the palate, with a pleasing yet easy-to-drink character, this supple, enjoyable wine charms with its elegantly fruity profile.

Under any new classification, this should certainly be a classed growth. Today it is among the leaders of the crus bourgeois. The 2000 is opulent, generous, stylish. The tannins are ripe and sweet, the fruit is finely balanced. It will develop well over the next 10-15 years.