Wine enthusiasts rejoice with this collection of Bordeaux wines donated from the private collection of Peter Crowley '81.

Included are 4 bottles each of:

• 2000 Chateau Cos d'Estournel - 93 Critic Score


• 2000 Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste - 92 Critic Score


• 1996 Chateau Latour 'Les Forts de Latour' - 90 Critic Score

2000 Vintage - Bordeaux
Vintage quality: Legendary
Current condition: Ready to drink

The 2000 Bordeaux vintage was brilliant.

The winter was mild but a warm, wet spring created a fleeting problem with mildew. However, from July onwards, a spectacular summer dominated with hardly any rain until mid-September when the heavens opened, although it was likely welcome in some areas. Sunny weather then returned for the October harvest only broken by a single day of rain, a boon to parched vines. The producers who picked early risked unripe wines and others who picked later risked jammyness. However, for the majority who picked at the right time, the vintage offered some fantastic rewards.

The resulting wines were rich and ripe with great structure, depth, complexity and tannin. The Médoc was arguably the most successful with Margaux, St Julien and Pauillac all offering lovely wines but on the right bank, St. Emilion and Pomerol also performed very well.

There should be a wealth of wines still drinking well now to choose from.

1996 Vintage - Bordeaux
Vintage quality: Legendary
Current condition: Ready to drink

The 1996 vintage for Bordeaux was extremely good.

A mild winter and moved to a warm spring with March bringing significant heat. May was cool heating up again in June before taking another dip in early July. Late July, early August saw temperatures pick up again before cooler temperatures set in towards the end of the month. A heavy rainstorm also struck, drenching most of the Right Bank and Margaux but leaving much of the Left Bank unscathed. Drought had been hard on much of the Cabernet Sauvignon so rain in some appellations was welcome, however Merlot suffered, particularly in Pomerol and St. Emilion. A warm, dry September helped ripen the grapes, particularly benefitting Medoc. It has also been said that the winds that blow through the vineyards were crucial for keeping the vines disease-free.

The harvest was a success across the board. Cabernet Sauvignon, particularly from the Médoc, produced tannic, structured, deeply concentrated wines with the ability to cellar. The left-bank was the star of the vintage having had one of its finest years in recent times, the wines of St-Emilion and Pomerol were still good but didn’t match the dizzying heights of their neighbors across the Gironde and its tributaries.

Many of the finer wines will carry on evolving well into the early decades of the 2000’s. The top-performing appellations for eds included the Médoc, Pauillac and St. Julien and, although more variable, some very good examples could also be found in Margaux, St. Estephe and Pessac-Léognan. Graves was excellent for whites.

Many of the top reds will not only be drinking well now but are likely to be coming into their own.