Saint-Émilion Grand Cru (2000)

About this wine

This is a fully mature right bank Bordeaux from the outstanding 2000 vintage, based mostly on Merlot with a good share of Cabernet Franc. On the nose it shows evolved aromas of blackcurrant, red cherry and cooked plum layered with black pepper, truffle, subtle animal tones and gentle cedar from barrel aging.turn2view1 With time in the glass you can expect more tertiary notes to emerge, such as damp earth, dried violet, tobacco leaf, mushroom, licorice, vanilla and sweet spice, which are typical of well aged Saint Emilion wines from this terroir.turn0reddit14 The palate is warm and ample, with rounded texture and tannins that started out firm in youth but have now become softer and more velvety, giving an impression of polish rather than power.turn2view1 Château Gaillard is a long standing family estate in Saint Hippolyte on sandy and clay soils, with old vines dominated by Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and the wine is traditionally fermented in tanks then aged in barrels, which helps explain the balance of ripe fruit, spice and discreet oak in the glass.turn4view0turn2view1 Even though the official drinking window suggested it would peak within a decade, well stored bottles today can still offer a complex, mellow and savory expression of Saint Emilion Grand Cru, with a long, harmonious finish.

About the grape

Merlot has been the dominant grape in Saint Émilion for centuries, valued for ripening earlier than Cabernet varieties and thriving on the regions limestone and clay, and at Château Gaillard roughly half the vineyard is planted to Merlot to form the core of this grand cru blend. Cabernet Franc has roots in the Libournais area around Bordeaux and was already being moved between Bordeaux and the Loire by the seventeenth century, and at this estate it is planted alongside Merlot on gravel and clay rich soils to bring structure and aromatic lift. In this 2000 Château Gaillard Saint Émilion Grand Cru, Merlot from older vines provides the main volume of fruit and concentration, while Cabernet Franc from cooler parcels contributes freshness and fine tannins that help the wine age gracefully. The organic farming introduced by the current generation at Château Gaillard, with lower yields and careful bunch selection, is particularly suited to these two traditional right bank grapes and aims to express their character clearly in the finished wine.

Quick facts

• 🏰 Chateau Gaillard has been in the same family since 1787 so your 2000 Saint Emilion Grand Cru is part of a wine story that is well over two centuries old
• 🌿 The Merlot and Cabernet Franc vines here average about fifty years of age so the 2000 vintage comes from seriously old vines that were already mature in the last century
• ⏳ Today the estate is fully organic but the 2000 vintage captures the taste of Chateau Gaillard just before its big organic transformation a kind of time capsule of the old style
• 🕵️ Wine merchants in Europe often describe Chateau Gaillard as an insider secret tip which makes the 2000 Grand Cru feel like a hidden gem rather than a famous label
• ⭐ The year 2000 is legendary in Bordeaux so this Saint Emilion Grand Cru was born in a so called vintage of the century and has had a quarter of a century to develop complex mature aromas

Palate profile

Producer

Château Gaillard is a family owned estate in Saint Hippolyte near Saint Emilion, with roots that go back to the late eighteenth century. The property has remained in the Nouvel family for more than two centuries and today belongs to Catherine Papon Nouvel, an oenologist who took over from her father in the late nineteen nineties. Under her direction the vineyards were converted to organic farming and the cellar was modernized while keeping traditional concrete vats and careful aging in barrels. The estate now covers about twenty hectares on sandy and clay soils and produces Saint Emilion Grand Cru wines based mainly on Merlot with a significant share of Cabernet Franc. Visitors can tour the vineyards and cellars and taste several vintages on site by appointment.