2000 Château Bellefont-Belcier- France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (2/18/2013)
Needed about 45 min. or so to open up. Ruby/garnet in color with a complex nose of worn saddle, warm fruit compote, autumn leaves, and cedar. Medium bodied and unmistakably Bordeaux in profile. Cranberries, red currants, faintly smoky wood, and a stemmy element that is more appealing than it probably sounds. Nice touch of acid on the somewhat abbreviated close. This was pretty tasty and a good QPR. (90 pts.)
I just tried one within the last month or two and thought it was excellent. One of the better affordable 2000s that I’ve tried. I have more, and I’m in no rush to finish them.
My guess would be yes based on when I tried it last (12/31/2012).
My note from then:
Deep ruby color; complex nose of medium intensity with exotic spices, slight cedar, red fruits, some vanilla; palate is full bodied, well integrated tannins, juicy red simple fruit, palate lacks complexity, has a little spice; finish is short. The nose on this wine was superb: modern-styled with notable oak but well balanced, varietally correct, complex, intriguing. In contrast, the palate was simple and enjoyable but a bit of a letdown. Still a fantastic value at the purchase price based on the nose alone, and these are still early in their life (although ready now with well integrated tannins), so I will be interested to follow them over the next 5 years.