The 2000 Haut Bages Libéral has a superior nose to the 2001, featuring intense black cherry fruit laced with truffle oil and crushed violets; it seems very youthful. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and plenty of sweet black fruit laced with blood orange and white pepper, building gently to a nicely proportioned finish. Maybe this is the dark horse of the 2000 vintage, because it is aging very well. -- Neal Martin

 One of the best examples I have recently tasted from this estate the saturated blue/purple Haut-Bages Liberal offers up notes of incense licorice pepper and cassis. In the mouth it is fat juicy with a certain succulence low acidity and ripe tannin. This may be the best wine produced by this estate in many a year. In spite of its precocious showing in my tastings the wine actually needs 2-3 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2018.