2000 Chateau Margaux 750 ml

Parker: “A Colossal Example of Château Margaux”

Attention, hedonists and collectors! When Robert Parker first tasted the 2000 Château Margaux out of bottle, he declared it to be a 100-pointer. A “tour de force in winemaking.” Seven years later, the wine was still perfect, and easing gracefully into its prime drinking window, which Parker sees stretching to 2060. Now, nearly two decades after the historic vintage, the 2000 Château Margaux is a unicorn: the mythical 100-point wine that is ready to drink now, or ready for a long stint in the cellar as investment. Only 12 bottles of this legendary wine from one of Bordeaux’s great vintages will be delivered from the cool cellars at Margaux in perfect condition with perfect provenance to extremely eager — or extremely patient — Wine Access clients.

Opening and delighting in a perfectly-aged 100-point from one of the greatest Bordeaux vintages ever is an all-but irresistible prospect. Then again, the Liv-Ex Margaux Index is up over 21% over the last year, and laying down a 100-point Premier Grand Cru Classé Bordeaux is as safe an investment as there is in the wine world. Even Robert Parker predicted that “prices for this vintage will only get higher and higher, given its greatness and extraordinary potential for longevity.” Only the handful of Wine Access clients who claim this wine can make the determination whether to savor, or to cellar.

Despite its heritage and sterling reputation, only a handful of wines grown in the deep gravel soils at Château Margaux have ever been declared perfect by Robert Parker. Some have started with limitless en primeur potential, but it was the the 2000 Margaux that caught the wave of perfection — and is getting better and better.

Parker tasted it the spring after harvest, thinking it might be a 96. A year later, he revised his score to a 99. Finally, out of the bottle, Parker said it had “turned out to be a colossal example of Chateau Margaux,” essentially concurring with the late legendary Margaux winemaker Paul Pontallier, who thought the 2000 might be the greatest vintage ever made on his watch.

Those who purchased the 2000 en primeur are glad they did. Those who missed out then should be happy now — or for as long as 12 bottles last.

Matt Deller MW

Master of Wine

Chief Wine Officer, Wine Access