WCC 2000 Bordeaux Blind Tasting
Dorato's Restaurant, Guilderland, NY
10/3/2013

My regular Albany area group met for a blind tasting of 2000 Bordeaux. The first flight made up of Margaux and Cali ringers was nice, while the 3rd flight of St. Juliens was lovely. The 2nd flight of Pauillacs was surprisingly backward. I never had any 2000s show like this before. Quite interesting if less enjoyable.

Dinner began a little before 7:30pm. Decanting regimen is given for each wine below.

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The Wine Fairy said I should take bottle photos before the tasting.

Flight 1: Wines from Margaux and California
Someone bringing another Margaux canceled late, so Bob inserted a 2nd California ringer. The Phelps stood out as very Californian.
With Raghu of Escargot, White Beans, & Mushrooms.
  1. 2000 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley
    [Double decanted at 1pm.] Big, ripe black berries with licorice and cardamom in the nose. Thick, tannic, ripe, and juicy. Once I found it it was a 2000 from Napa, I was quite impressed. Should drink well for another decade. (91 points)
  2. 2000 Château du Tertre - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
    [Decanted at 3:30pm, then back in the bottle at 5pm.] Black plums and tobacco in the nose. Silky, long and delicious. A terrific wine to drink tonight. Long finish. Excellent. My #2 and group #2 WOTN. (93 points)
  3. 2000 Château Giscours - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
    [Double decanted at 5:30pm.] Metallic nose of wet stones. Green in the mouth. A bit corked or a bad wine? (84 points)
  4. 2000 Joseph Phelps Insignia - USA, California, Napa Valley
    [Double decanted at 1pm.] More flamboyant and fruit-forward nose. Silky and soft in the mouth. Appealing but short compared to #2 (2000 du Tertre). This ringer didn't fool anyone. Lots of folks guessed it was from California. Tied for #3 Group WOTN. (92 points)


Flight 2: Wines from Pauillac
All but the PLL were quite backward, not giving much pleasure at this point.
With Pâté de Foie Gras on Garlic French Toast, with Arugula and Balsamic.
That last part was (not surprisingly) bad for the wine.
  1. 2000 Château Haut-Batailley - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
    [Double decanted at 5:15 pm for 45 minutes.] Dark smoky nose. Sour black cherry in the mouth. Tart and tannic. Really shut down. Will it come around? I think so. Will be good, not great. (88 points)
  2. 2000 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
    [Double decanted at 8am.] Muted smoky nose. Tart, but more balanced than the previous. Needs more time. Really tight and backward now. May be quite a bit better in 8-12 years. (90 points)
  3. 2000 Château Lynch-Bages - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
    [Double decanted at 8am.] Geez, what happened to this flight? I can't believe how much these 2000 Bordeaux have shut down. This one is giving up nothing. (89 points)
  4. 2000 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
    [Double decanted at 7am.] Sweeter and longer than the previous wines in the flight. Showing better but still tight. (91 points)
  5. 2000 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
    [Double decanted at 7am.] Much more open than the rest of this flight. Almost showy relative to those. Easily WOTF for me, but it's the one-eyed wine in the land of the blind. Coming back to it later, it is really pretty damn good. (93-95 points)


Flight 3: Wines from St. Julien
These showed very well.
With Ribeye with Mushroom and Goat Cheese, Bordeaux Reduction Demi-glace, and Duchess Potatoes.
  1. 2000 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
    [Decanted at 1pm and put back in the bottle at 6pm.] Sweet red fruit. Quite a relief after the last flight. Good tannic structure but quite drinkable tonight. My #3 WOTN. (93 points)
  2. 2000 Château Gruaud Larose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
    [Decanted at 8am and put back in the bottle at 6pm.] Big smoky nose. Leather and black fruit. Sweet and appealing. (93 points)
  3. 2000 Château Léoville Poyferré - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
    [Double decanted at 11am.] Smoke and chocolate nose. Interesting but something metallic in the mouth that puts me off. Group WOTN. Go figure.
  4. 2000 Château Léoville Barton - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
    [Double decanted at 11am.] Beautiful on first opening. Next time I might pop and pour, but at 9pm, it is terrific. Complex nose of cedar and smoke. Gorgeous in the mouth with a super long finish of black fruits and licorice. (95 points)
  5. 2000 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
    [Double decanted at 7am.] Short and tannic at first, not showing much. Over time (and with steak) showing much better. Rich black fruit with plenty of tannin and licorice. This is a very serious wine that may eventually rate a much higher score. Tied for group #3 WOTN. (93-95 points)


Conclusion

Another lovely evening, even though some wines were disappointing. I really thought 2000 would evolve like 1982, never shutting down, but the Pauillacs (save PLL) were tight and tannic even with a good decant.

Notes posted from CellarTracker



WOTN Voting (3pts each for #1, 2pts for #2, 1pt for #3)

RankPts#Wine
118122000 Château Léoville Poyferré
21422000 Château du Tertre
3(tie)942000 Joseph Phelps Insignia
3(tie)9142000 Château Léoville Las Cases
55132000 Château Léoville Barton
6412000 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate
7(tie)232000 Château Giscours
7(tie)2112000 Château Gruaud Larose
9(tie)172000 Château Lynch-Bages
9(tie)192000 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
9(tie)1102000 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)



People Photos

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Chef/Owner Mike Dorato comes out for a visit and a bow.
Chef/Owner Mike Dorato chats with Joel.

 

 

 

All original content © Ken Vastola