[ Home > Wines > Bordeaux > Graves & Pessac-Leognan > Chateau Olivier Red 2000 - Bordeaux ]
Pessac Leognan, Bordeaux A sexy, lush effort, this deep ruby/purple-colored, medium-bodied 2000 exhibits plenty of grapy, black currant fruit, smoke, tobacco, and spice box aromas. Rich, with excellent purity as well as low acidity and ripe tannin in the finish, it will drink well upon release and over the following decade. It is the finest Olivier in more than 25 years. Rated 88-89 Robert Parker Very fine. Gorgeous floral and berry aromas. Full-bodied, with a solid core of fruit and a long, long, silky finish. Almost 92-94. Score range: 89-91 Wine Spectator VINEYARD COMPOSITION/VARIETAL PROFILE: 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc HISTORY One of the oldest estates in the entire Bordeaux region, Château Olivier has been producing wines since the twelfth century. The current owners, the German Bethmann family, have been proprietors since the end of World War II. VINIFICATION Harvest is done manually. Red wine fermentations last 10-30 days at 77-86 degrees F. in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. After malolactic fermentation, red wines are transferred to oak casks (one-third new) for twelve months of aging before fining and filtering. The white wines are fermented in oak barrels, also one-third new. They remain on the lees for 12 months and are fined and filtered before bottling. The château has seen continued improvement since 1994, with the selection process becoming increasingly strict and wines correspondingly improved. In addition the winery has owned the modern vintner's most advanced tool, a reverse osmosis concentrating machine, since the 1998 vintage. STYLE Though Château Olivier wines are not "big," they are charming and elegant dinner companions. Made in a soft, approachable style with light tannins and relatively low acidity, the red Château Olivier has attractive blackberry, cherry and dusty mineral aromas. Supple and medium-bodied, these wines are at their best two to eight years after the vintage for red, and two to four years for white |
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