WCC 2000 Bordeaux @ Yono's Restaurant, 1/30/2025

WCC 2000 Bordeaux
Yono's Restaurant, Albany, NY, 1/30/2025

My local group got together to taste 2000 Bordeaux at Yono's. Chef Ian O'Leary once again knocked it out of the park with some original and inspired dishes that were so delicious and beautifully matched to the wines.

The wines were from the group members' cellars. The tasting was blind to everyone but me (though at my age, I easily forget which is which). Dinner started at 7pm and lasted till about 10pm.

Click on any image with a border for a larger view of that image, and in some cases more image.

The Menu:

Amuse Bouche
Grilled Lamb, Brie, Whole Grain Mustard, & Brioche Toast:

Flight 1: Médoc
Roasted King Oyster Mushroom with Seared Brussels Sprouts, Creamed Kale, & Shaved Radish:

2000 Château Cantemerle - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
[Double-decanted for 40 minutes at 5pm.] Big bright nose of blackberries. Still has some rough tannin, but enough fruit to cover it. (88 points)
2000 Château Meyney - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
[Double-decanted for 1 hour at 4:30pm.] Muted nose of red fruit and slate. Open, complex. Lots of cherries. One of the more ready wines tonight. (91 points)
2000 Château Palmer - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
[Double-decanted for 1 hour at 4:30pm.] Nose of red fruit and flowers. Silky and expansive. I think it has more to give, but still a pleasure now. Really stunning. Margaux magic. (95 points)

Flight 2: St. Julien
Confit Duck Leg with Porcini Mushroom Risotto made with Chèvre & Lavender:

2000 Château Talbot - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
[Double-decanted for 45 minutes at 6am.] Bright black fruit nose. Long and delicious. A joy to drink. (92 points)
2000 Château Lagrange (St. Julien) - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
[Double-decanted for 3 hours at 2:30pm.] Big nose of red and black fruit. Long and silky. A lovely wine. (92 points)
2000 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
[Double-decanted for 1 hour at 2:30pm.] Muted black fruit nose. Rich and very classic. (92 points)
2000 Château Léoville Las Cases - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
[Double-decanted for 6 hours at 12:30pm.] Stunning, vibrant nose of red fruit and spice. Hugely complex and expansive in the mouth. A wow wine. Clearly the WOTN so far. Great future. (96 points)

Chef Ian O'Leary came out to tell us in detail about his brilliant creations:

Flight 3: Pauillac
Overnight Braised Angus Short Ribs with Pommes Fondant, Grilled Castelfranco Radicchio, & Sauce Bordelaise:

2000 Château Haut-Batailley - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
[Double-decanted for 2 hours at 3pm.] Big smoky black fruit nose. One of the more ready wines in this tasting. Lovely. (91 points)
2000 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
[Decanted from midnight to 6am the night before.] Muted smoky nose. Something is off here. I would say it was cooked or corked, but others who are more sensitive to TCA say no. I'm calling bad bottle. (NR/flawed)
2000 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
[Double-decanted for 1.5 hours at 1pm.] Stunning black fruit nose. Rich, balanced, complex long. I would wait another 10 years on this. (95 points)

Dessert
Selection of cheeses: R&G Goat Cheese Camembert, Rivoire Jacquemin Comté, Ossau Iraty Valle Daspe:

2001 Château Suduiraut - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
[Pop and pour. Served cool.] Wow, incredible nose of honeyed botrytis. This is a brilliant wine. A great château in a great vintage. A joy to drink now or over the next 20 or more years. (96 points)

Conclusion

Every one of these wines could use more time, but all were quite pleasurable to drink tonight.

My notes posted from CellarTracker.

Here are Salil's notes from this dinner which are more detailed than mine.

We had another 2000 Bordeaux dinner back in 2013 with some of the same wines. Here is my write-up from that dinner.

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

Rank	Pts	#	Wine
1	14	3.3	Pichon Baron
2	12	1.3	Palmer
3(tie)	6	2.4	Léoville Las Cases
3(tie)	6	3.1	Haut-Batailley
5	5	2.3	Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
6(tie)	3	1.1	Cantemerle
6(tie)	3	1.2	Meyney
7	2	3.2	Pichon Lalande