Château Larmande 2000

Make no mistake about it, this is a good wine, but I had expected more of this impeccably run property. A deep ruby/purple-colored effort displaying notes of dried herbs, licorice, black fruits, and toasty oak, the medium to full-bodied, elegant 2000 is not complex, but is well-made and savory. It possesses low acidity as well as noticeable tannin. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2014.

Well-crafted. Blackberry and dark tobacco, with hints of dark chocolate, follow through to a medium- to full-bodied palate, with firm, yet silky tannins and a fresh, citric finish. Best after 2006. 5,830 cases made.

This chateau shows continual improvement, and 2000 is a triumph. The wine is in a modern style, although at this stage its tannins are still firm and dry. Red fruit flavors and blackcurrants promise huge drinking pleasure to come.

Mid-purplish crimson. Very low-key simple fruity nose. Bit of zap and savour on the palate. Palate-gripping tannins. Definitely chewy. Even a little gassy at this stage which is worrying but this wine has something... even if not much of a finish. (JR)

Fully mature, medium bodied, correctly made, but lacking in excitement on the nose and on the palate. Pleasant is a fine descriptor. No faults, just ho hum.

Dark ruby-purple. Jammy cherry and raspberry bouquet, with notes of leather and Dominican tobacco, peppery and heady. On the palate, malty notes, again a stewed-fruit character, plum, with a rough, extracted feel.

01: Deep ruby-purple. Jammy cherry and raspberry bouquet, underpinned by leather and Dominican tobacco notes; peppery and heady. On the palate, malty notes, again that stewed fruit note (plum), rough-edged and extracted. When will the great Larmande days finally return? 16/20 2006 – 2016

Beautiful deep color, aromas of prune, a powerfully built wine with generous, if not particularly fine, tannins. But the wine is flavorful and ready to drink.

The attack reveals ripe fruit, with tannins that are still very present on the finish, giving a full, expressive palate.

Deep red color. Good intensity. Moderately intense nose. Subtle. A note of blackberry jam with aeration. Pleasant, rounded and easy-going, the palate becomes juicier on the finish and ends on a woody note. It’s good, but it lacks pedigree—no more than an unclassified Saint-Emilion.