91+ 2000 Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal 9/15/12 ($20 on futures, $32 retail)
12.5% alc
Color: Very deep garnet, no clearing. (3.5) Bouquet: Rich, sweet cassis fruit, black ink and some gray clay with subtle forestal and coffee grind nuances. (3.5) Body: Light heavyweight with significant smooth tannins, excellent acidity and very good fruit. Coats the mouth. (3.0) Flavor: Forward tannins hold it back at present, adding bitterness, but these start to resolve after 3+ hours of air. (3.0) Finish: Fruit, cedar and slightly bitter tannins linger. (3.0)
Overall: This is developing slowly. A fine classified growth Pauillac with excellent structure and fruit. Has tannins to resolve, making it slightly austere, but these should resolve with 2-4 more years bottle age. Very enjoyable even now with a steak. (16.0)
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