(includes 76% cabernet sauvignon, the highest percentage ever at Lagrange) Deep, saturated bright ruby-purple. Brooding aromas of cassis, violet and cedar ("hibernating now," says Ducasse). Very densely packed but very closed and extremely backward. Nearly painful flavors of black fruits, violet and menthol. Finishes very firm and very long, with powerful tannins supported by the wine's flesh. Forget this wine until 2015. The petit verdot was left out of the blend, notes Ducasse, "because it was too strong, too muscular, not elegant. " Only time will tell if this wine surpasses the 1996.

An impressive performance by Lagrange, the 2000 possesses a saturated ruby/purple color with obvious notes of melted licorice, creme de cassis, and toasty new oak. This ripe, dense, full-bodied St.-Julien is chewy, thick, high in tannin, large-bodied, and impressively long and dense. As always, it is less expressive than some of its peers, but it is loaded as well as reasonably priced. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2030.