| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Chateau Quinault L'Enclos
While not performing nearly as well as I had hoped, the 2000 Quinault l'Enclos is, nevertheless, an outstanding, fully mature St.-Emilion. Raspberry, black currant, and floral characteristics are accompanied by striking elegance, but less richness and intensity than I noted seven years ago. This wine is evolving quickly, and needs to be consumed over the next 5-7 years.
The powerful, multilayered 2000 should rival 1998 as the finest Quinault produced. It boasts an opaque purple color as well as glorious aromatics of crushed blackberries, blueberries, and black currants intermixed with violets, licorice, and subtle smoky oak. It cuts a broad swath across the palate with an expansive chewiness in addition to terrific concentration, purity, and overall equilibrium. In spite of that, it is remarkably light on its feet. Altough it will probably close down, it will still be drinkable within 2-3 years of bottling, and will evolve nicely for 15-18 years. Last tasted, 1/03.
Only the fourth vintage for proprietors Francoise and Alain Raynaud, this wine comes from an old vineyard (the vines are among the oldest in St.-Emilion) within the city of Libourne. A cutting edge vinification with cold maceration and aging sur lie, stirring of lees, and an obvious respect for the terroir and the goal of capturing the essence of a vineyard have all been lofty goals of the Raynauds. The powerful, multi-layered 2000 should rival 1998 as the finest Quinault produced. It boasts an opaque purple color as well as a gorgeous concoction of crushed blackberries, blueberries, and black currants intermixed with violets, licorice, and subtle smoky oak. It cuts a broad swath across the palate with an expansive chewiness in addition to terrific concentration, purity, and overall equilibrium. In spite of that, it is remarkably light on its feet. It is hard to find fault with this wine, making the cascade of local criticism of Raynaud all the more difficult to comprehend. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2018.
