Domaine de Thalabert 2000 (Jaboulet)

This is a Crozes Hermitage, and was once considered one of the very best examples of it's kind from the Northern Rhone - sadly I have read reports of it's demise and on this tasting I have to concur. To me, expecting a full, rich Syrah and finding instead a watery dull wine was a huge disapointment. Sure the pepper you'd expect was there, as was some of the fruit flavour - just not very much - Jaboulet can do much better and I think needs to if this wine is going to keep selling - customers will not be fooled for long into thinking this is the real deal. At best this was medium bodied, with a short length, too much acid and not enough fruit - an unbalanced wine with high pretentions. If you are tempted, then by all means give it a go - it may just have been this year - my advice would be to get hold of a 2003 and see what that holds and only then move into cooler years.