A vintage of contrasts. The Piedmont vintages are among the winners. A prolonged heatwave from mid-August to mid-September produced outstanding Barbera and, above all, Nebbiolo wines with excellent acidity and great aromatic expression. The Rhône vintages diverge more widely than in almost any other year. In the north, drought stress blocked ripening, and many wines seem thin today, while the south yielded opulent, velvety wines with overripe Grenache. The Brunello vintages resulted in soft, round wines with low acidity. Any remaining bottles should be drunk now. Among the Champagne vintages, 2000 is considered good. Most of these ripe, easily accessible wines are now at their optimal drinking window.
Only a few wines from this vintage are still available: from the Wachau, the Vinothek Riesling trocken 2000 by Nikolaihof, also as a magnum, and from Alsace, the Pinot Gris Rotenberg Sélection de Grains Nobles 2000 by Domaine Zind-Humbrecht. Older vintages come and go in small quantities; the neighbouring vintages can be reached via the vintage bar below this text.
