You really haven’t. And, that’s not necessarily a good thing. The 2000 Eldorado Gold is the older cousin of one of the best white dessert wines I’ve ever had. But it couldn’t be less like its relative.
Everything about this place is visually stunning. Moving on.
OK, you know how sometimes siblings look nothing alike? My brother and I don’t look much alike, at least at first glance. Billy and Alec Baldwin look hardly similar. And the girl in that 90s doo-wop longhaired pop outfit “Hanson” looks very little like her brothers.
Same here. While the 2007 Eldorado Gold bellows out its message of world peace, goodwill towards all, and honey and vanilla, the 2000 has an entirely different agenda.
Peppers.
The wine is a tawny gold in the glass, more than a shade darker than its younger. On the nose are–and no, I’m not making this up–pimento, manzanilla olive, and jalapeno. Yeah, I thought I was crazy too, but try it and see.
The palate offers up those same notes, but with at least an appearance of the sweetness one expects from a botrytized, Sauternes-style dessert wine. Think pepper jelly, which is really quite nice.
Of all the wines I’ve had, this one as much as or more than any other comes off as “I might like it, but others will not.” Maybe you’re one of those others, maybe not. It’s worth a shot if you can get your hands on it. Just be prepared.
It’s like nothing else you’ve tried.
Verdict: 85/100