TN: 2000 Fougas Maldoror

WINE TALK
1

I bought a bunch of this wine from Cote de Bourg after release for a modest tariff. It leans toward the fruit forward style yet is clearly recognizable as Bordeaux. It paired well with stir fried eggplant, enoki mushrooms and ground lamb in a brown sauce.

The nose reveals scents of violet, blueberry and earth. The flavors consist of blueberry, earth and cigar ash with sneaky tannins and good acid on the moderate finish. Hinting at leafy development and enjoyable now with more evolution ahead.

2

Thanks for the note Glenn!

It certainly sounds like a great investment if you purchased on futures for $10-15/bot

3

It was a futures purchase Brent. Still have 2 left.

4

Part of my first ever futures purchase. I have 5 left. This is the least compelling of the seven or so wines that I bought at the time. Not a bad wine, but I was hoping for something better after patiently waiting for 13 years. maybe I’ll open another and look in on it.

5

Jay,
We all kind of scratched our heads when this wine was tied to other purchases but we sent 2 guys to taste the 2000 en premier and they liked it. Bottles on delivery 03-04 were a bit rustic. Perhaps not to your taste, but no doubt a value in your cellar.

6

Jay,
We all kind of scratched our heads when this wine was tied to other purchases but we sent 2 guys to taste the 2000 en premier and they liked it. Bottles on delivery 03-04 were a bit rustic. Perhaps not to your taste, but no doubt a value in your cellar.

7

As one of my partners often says, “There’s no there, there.” It seems to lack any sizzle, it factor, excitement, whatever you want to call it. I got a bunch of others and Like I said, not a bad wine, just nothing to write home about. I just checked my notes on 2000 Bordeaux and my favorites were D’Issan, Grand Mayne and Close Rene.

PS - I did not like the 2000 Pavie but I think Mr. Pomegranate Smoothie put Simard in the bottle before he gave it to me.

8

I also bought a case of this on futures but they were so cheap and so good I couldn’t resist consuming all 12 within 2 years of release. I guess I could have saved 1 or 2 in the interest of Science but I doubt they ever got better.
BTW, my all time favorite producer name. Fougas Maldoror.

9

This wine has held up well. It must have been real heavy on the fruit when younger.

10

I bought a case of this wine and a case of Bellefont-Belcier just after release, for somewhere between $15-$20 a bottle. I had forgotten about them until I saw this thread and will need to open some up. I recall buying these to drink while the deeper wines were sleeping, but I guess I fell asleep and forgot about them. From Cellar Tracker reports, the Fougas may be on its way out while the Bellefont-Belcier is still hanging tough. Time to open more up.

11

Fougas is not even at peak from my cellar.

12

I hate to think where the Fougas is from mine!

13

Cool. I went thru a bunch of this but have none left. Enjoyed every bottle though. Great value.

14

I took my own advice and opened one this evening. I agree with a previous comment that these are not on the way out. Here are my notes:

  • 2000 Château Fougas Maldoror - France, Bordeaux, Côtes de Bourg (4/20/2015)
    Still in excellent shape. Medium red in color. Lots of black fruit with drying tannins. Much better than expected. Drink within the next five years to make sure it’s within the prime drinking window. (90 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

15

I opened my last of three bottles today, and it was even better than it was in 2013. There have certainly been value 2000 Bordeaux that have disappointed me, but this is one of the best ones. For those with more bottles: This will go for at least a few more years, though it is great now.

  • 2000 Château Fougas Maldoror - France, Bordeaux, Côtes de Bourg (6/3/2015)
    Coravin 6/3/15: Deep ruby color with minimal bricking appropriate for its age; nose has high intensity, complex aromas with blackberry, blackcurrant (ripe but not overripe), some sweet asian spices, even a slight rustic meaty component like northern rhone wines; palate is medium-full bodied, red cherry fruit that persists through most of the midpalate, tannins well integrated but also a bit drying; finish is medium length and some red fruit. This is similar to when I tried it at the end of 2013, though perhaps even more complex on the nose and still just as balanced on the palate. Not a world-class wine, but a fantastic value bordeaux and certainly worth the $20 and 15 years cellar time. I’m sorry this is my last bottle…this would have gone another few years. 90-91
    Update: With air, the palate picks up a bit of black fruit as well. The asian spices on the nose really remind me of a Pomerol. Very, very nice. (91 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

16

I opened one of mine last weekend after reading this thread. I agree with Ashish’s note - except for the Northern Rhone comment. I thought this was a Bordeaux flavor profile all the way. I was not sure of the blend, but I guessed predominantly merlot, which according to their web site turns out to be correct - 50% Merlot, 25% Cabernet, 25% Cab Franc. I popped and poured. It could have used an hour or more of air. The nose became very expressive after some air. Mine had no noticeable bricking and was obviously still either on the upswing or at it’s peak plateau. Definitely not on the downslide.

17

Had another one a few weeks ago with non wine geeks and it was quickly drained.