2000 Marjosse

A great buy as well as a sleeper of the vintage, this delicious over-achiever is made by Pierre Lurton, the manager of Cheval Blanc. From his home estate, Marjosse exhibits a surprisingly saturated ruby color in addition to a knock-out nose of jammy cherries, black currants, and underbrush. A big-time effort from a humble appellation (a generic Bordeaux), it is neither complicated nor long-lived, but this is what Bordeaux so rarely does ... provide delicious, hedonistic, impeccably made wines at a low price.