I’m missing a few fancy french accents in the name of the wine. So sue me. 
It’s from the Cotes de Castillon and claims to be 12.5% alcohol. I bought it from wine library in November.
This wine has been disappointing to me so far. It is very tight, both on the nose and the palate, and I can’t tell if that’s because it’s just young, or if it is over the hill, or just not very well made. If I warm it up in my hands, I get a little bit more fruit out of it, but in general it just doesn’t have much going for it. Today I put it in the decanter about around noon, and I’ve been trying a little bit every hour or so, hoping that it will eventually open up. I will update as I go.
Update: So…it’s now almost 6 o’clock. 6 hours after I opened the bottle. I think that it is just starting to open up. I’m getting a little bit more on the nose and a tiny bit more fruit on the palate, too. Interestingly, it also seems like the tannins are getting more expressive as well. Strange stuff. I will continue to sample through the evening and see how it goes.
Update #2: I’m not really sure that this wine is going to get any better. 8 hours in to it and it’s got a lot of acid, some tannins and very little fruit. I think this wine is past it’s time. I have a little left in the decanter which I will try after work tomorrow. I’m not sure what I should do with the 4 remaining bottles. I’m thinking of contacting Gary V. and leaving some feedback on this wine that he recommended.
Update #3: I left a little bit of the wine in the decanter overnight, just for the heck of it, and I’m sure glad that I did! It was delicious! It was also full of sediment and kind of gritty, but it had fruit! And flavor! I did contact Gary, and his team was great. They were willing to take the wine back, paying for shipping both for the return and replacement wine. I’m going to hang on it to the remaining 4 bottles, though and see how they turn out. Maybe 6 months from now, you’ll see another post on the 2000 Chateau Cote Montpezat.
Not at all happy with this wine that was highly touted by wine library. No character but a few bitter vegital notes. Have decanted which didn’t seem to help but haven’t left open decanted over night.
Comment by Roland — May 12, 2009 @ 6:10 am
I totally agree. I’ve bought 7 bottles (including one from a secret pack), and none of them were delicious. It’s really made me think twice before buying something from WL at this point.
Comment by John Watson — May 12, 2009 @ 6:37 am
I agree. This wine is BAD. Not worth the less than $20 price.
Are Gary and Ian losing it? Come on. Over the hill wine they are trying to unload.
A stain on Wine Library.
Comment by earnophile — June 2, 2009 @ 5:30 pm
Anyone want the 3 or 4 bottles I have left in my cellar?
Comment by John Watson — June 2, 2009 @ 6:49 pm
Interesting.. I opened another bottle tonight (gotta do something with it, eh?), and it was fantastic! Not the best old wine in the world, but certainly acceptable and enjoyable with some cheese and salami while watching MythBusters with my daughter. They are not all bad. But, most of them have been.
Comment by John Watson — June 26, 2009 @ 8:06 pm
its a very big wine. agree re decanting but it may also settle down with a bit more time in the bottle!
Comment by sohony — July 24, 2009 @ 8:35 am