2000 Cos D'Estournel

I haven't opened any of my classified Bordeaux since release and I wandered around the cellar a long time before deciding to open a bottle of the 2000 Cos D' Estournel with dinner last night of grilled hanger steak. The wine was fairly dark purple in the glass showing no signs of age. The nose was typically young Bordeaux with tight black fruit and lead pencil notes with just a whiff of Brett but not much else to begin with. I was surprised by how approachable the wine was with plenty of cassis, black currant, ripe blackberry and espresso. I was surprised by the lack of overt oak or smoke however there was a slight touch of vanilla and an almost salty minerality and a faint herbal bitterness. The tannins were quite fine and smooth and there was a nice fresh acidity running through the wine. I think that the wine will continue to improve over the next 5-10 years depending on cellar conditions but I don't think that this is a 30 year wine. "A"