'00 Chateau Beaulieu

My first '00 Bordeaux. While certainly a cheapie, a much better first impression than our '00 Cal Cabs last week. Suckling called this wine 'austere', obviously he hasn't tasted any '99 Cal Cab.
$10.99 at Trader Joes. A densely colored, deep ruby, that borders on purple. Nice fruity nose of dark fruit, with minor earthy Bordeaux nuances. In the mouth it is just shy of full bodied, as it coats the mouth the way it coats the glass, in deep viscous red layers. Deep, ripe fruit showcases a overall nicely balanced wine with very smooth tannins. It has a rough edge or two that you occasionally notice, but grab a piece of cheese, a piece of sausage, or a chunk of tri-tip, as we did last night, and this little guy just sings. WS 80-84, me 87-88. Would definately buy again.
Side note, had the '99 d' Armhailac as well last night, first time in 6 months I think, coming along quite nicely. Not the fruit by anymeans of the Beaulieu but much more complex showing nice tobacco, cedar, and earth notes. Also finished very nicely with well integraged tannins. This was a good little buy. I don't think I'll be buying any more '99 Cal Cab, with few exceptions, complete waste of money IMHO.