2000 Chateauneuf du Pape

A textbook Châteauneuf, the 2000 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape exhibits copious garrigue, rusty iron, earth and black cherry fruit on the nose. It’s showing solid complexity but there’s still fresh, ripe fruit. In the mouth, the wine is medium to full bodied with solid underlying structure, a superb texture and a long, quality finish. This should continue to drink well over the next 10 or more years.

The 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape represents an educational tour of the southern Rhone, in particular, Chateauneuf du Pape. It possesses all the appellation's classic components ... underbrush, garrigue, licorice, pepper, lavender, sweet black cherries, and incense. Extremely perfumed and heady, this full-bodied, moderately tannic offering comes close to matching the mass and blockbuster power of the 1998. Firm tannin in the finish suggests a long aging curve. Given my experience with Vieux Donjon, most of the classic vintages hit their peak at 7-8 years, where they remain for 5-6 years. Around age 15-16 they begin a slow decline. The 2000 should follow that path. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2016. One of the classic Chateauneuf du Papes of the appellation, the proprietor (the Michel family) makes an uncompromising, long-lived wine that is remarkably consistent from vintage to vintage. My buying history with this estate goes back two decades, and I have enjoyed virtually every vintage I have purchased. At present, I'm working my way through the last of my 1985s and 1990s, and then I'll attack the 1995s, and in a few years, the extraordinary 1998s. Given the realistic pricing of Vieux Donjon, this wine should be purchased by the case. Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France, Mountainside, NJ; tel. (908) 654-6173

The 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape represents an educational tour of the southern Rhone, in particular, Chateauneuf du Pape. It possesses all the appellation's classic components ... underbrush, garrigue, licorice, pepper, lavender, sweet black cherries, and incense. Extremely perfumed and heady, this full-bodied, moderately tannic offering comes close to matching the mass and blockbuster power of the 1998. Firm tannin in the finish suggests a long aging curve. Given my experience with Vieux Donjon, most of the classic vintages hit their peak at 7-8 years, where they remain for 5-6 years. Around age 15-16 they begin a slow decline. The 2000 should follow that path. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2016. Feb 2003, www.robertparker.com