2000 Berry Brothers

[Alex Bridgeman]

Smith Woodhouse produced. I bought and tried this wine to put to the test my personal theory that the 2000 VP's are now shutting down. This wine is a deep and inky red, intense colour even into the rim. A nose of blackberries and a touch of spirit, but mostly "full on" sweet, ripe fruit. The first impression in the mouth is the acidity, this is hugely acidic, but the fruit is sweet and ripe and counterbalances the acidity well. Alcohol is integrated but the acidity is clearly in control. There is a tannic structure that mostly becomes apparent at the start of the aftertaste, which is moderately long and a lovely balance between fruit and chocolate. This is a very pleasant wine, very extracted and extremely fruity at present but and has not shut down yet. It is drinking well now and will develop for many years to come. On the Tom scale I would put this at the median of this year's drinking experience but with the potential for it to be close to or in the top quartile in years to come. 5-7 or 89/100. Drunk 18 November 2006.