The 2000 vintage

by Julie Berteloot 14 February 2025

14 February 2025 1.3K views

The millennium ends in style. Quality and high standards define the 2000 vintage. It triggers a surge in prices and even exceeds the estimates given by economists. It’s the most successful vintage since 1990. It is a symbolic vintage with a diversification of wine styles, awareness of the importance of the harvest date and the notion of maturity which is no longer limited to sugar content and acidity levels but by integrating the phenolic load.

Bordeaux

Spring is difficult for the vines with lots of rain. Only May is hot but June and July follow with incessant rain. The sun only arrived at the end of July. Nevertheless, the sun is full for August and the mild weather continues until mid-October. The sweet wines suffer too much from the rains but the reds are undeniably successful in almost all the appellations. It is the Médoc that stands out the most. It is one of the most powerful vintages since 1961, dense, powerful and pure. The wines are tannic and lively with good aging potential. Slightly inferior to the reds, the dry white wines are very good both in their composition and their aromatic character.

As for the sweet wines, the poor weather conditions in October did not allow for a large quantity of botrytized grapes to be harvested. They are still of good quality and continue to improve.

The 2000 vintage is symbolic. Bordeaux can boast of having achieved one of the finest vintages ever made. The market will literally tear the wines apart. Prices reach new heights for this symbolic year.

Bourgogne

The weather is rather warm in May and June but July is rainy and cool. Flowering is early and very fast. The harvests are uneven in the region. This is the year of Chablis which reaches a remarkable level by its aptitude for aging. In volume, it is the second harvest in the entire history of Burgundy. Without being as exceptional as the reds, the white wines of the Côte d’Or are very successful. They are beautiful, rich, fruity with complex aromas. They keep well. The 2000 vintage exceeds the 1989 record in price. Aubert de Villaine expresses that the year can lead to paradise. The wines of the Domaine de la Romanée Conti are well colored, wise and harmonious.

Champagne

The year is an exceptional vintage for Veuve Clicquot. It is more reserved at Deutz for example. The rain did not help to obtain very firm wines. It is the September sun that saves certain vintages.

Rhône

The great success of 1999 casts a little shadow over the 2000 vintage. Reds are quite diverse, especially between the North and the South. The acidity is rather low for those from the South. They are still good but will not last until 2100.

Loire and Alsace

The results in the Loire Valley are mixed with a year more favourable to red and white wines than to sweet wines. This vintage is generally better than the two previous ones. The winners of the year are the dry whites in both Anjou and Touraine.

In Alsace, it is the year of Riesling, which produced some very fine bottles that can still be tasted today.