Extremely well-done. Beautifully aromatic, with coffee, cedar and blackberries on the nose. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a mineral, blackberry aftertaste with medium fine tannins. I haven't had a Lagrange of this quality in years. Best after 2010. 25,000 cases made.

An impressive performance by Lagrange, the 2000 possesses a saturated ruby/purple color with obvious notes of melted licorice, creme de cassis, and toasty new oak. This ripe, dense, full-bodied St.-Julien is chewy, thick, high in tannin, large-bodied, and impressively long and dense. As always, it is less expressive than some of its peers, but it is loaded as well as reasonably priced. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2030.