Cantemerle 2000: A good buy, but only at the right price

I tried the 2000 for I think, the first time last night with a friend.

We overpaid for it, in London's Planet of the Grapes wine bar (fair enough in a way; they have to make a living).

They charge £60 for it. Wine websites have it for around £40.

Fine and Rare has it for £32, before tax.

At the price we paid, I was a little disappointed.

The aged fruit taste was wonderful, and there was a hint of minerality and some lovely complexity, but it just didn't stick to the palate as I would have liked.

If you can get this for £30-40 a bottle, and can let it breathe (which may have been our problem, as it only got 30 minutes of breathing before we drank half of it), then I'd say it's worth it.

I'll keep an eye out for a bargain case of this. But at the plus £50 price range, when you can get a 2003 Gloria St Julien at less than £50, I'd say one could do a little better in terms of value elsewhere.