I was fortunate enough to serve as a last-second fill-in at a tasting of top-notch 2000 Bordeaux last night at the Four Season’s Hotel, moderated by Robert Parker. RP was not giving away any final ratings on the wines, but he did offer some general opinions of the wines as he sipped them.
First, he spent 20 minutes making the case that 2000 is probably the greatest vintage of Bordeaux ever. Supporting reasons:
· In the outstanding 1982 vintage, he rated only 3 dozen wines 90 points or higher. In 2000, he will give 90+P ratings to over 100 wines. He said that “on any given day up to 20 of these 2000 Bordeaux could approach perfection” (which I assume is a 100P score).
· Tremendous improvements have been made over the past 20 years in the vineyard, cutting yields, investing in cellar equipment, concentrating grape musts, bottling methods, new oak barrels, and weather forecasting.
· The influence of critics and well-informed consumers has forced Bordeaux to put their best wines in the bottle. For instance in 1982, there were 36,000 cases of Ch. Margaux produced. In 2000, there will be only 17,500 cases available, meaning the 2000 Pavillon Rouge Margaux is of extremely high quality (and in his opinion might be better than the ’82 Margaux).
· RP believes the finest wine today is being made in Bordeaux. They are drinking better younger and will still last 15 to 50 years, depending upon the chateaux.
· RP likes to open a bottle wine and taste it over the course of several days. He mentioned that for 2000 Bordeaux, they are best on the 2nd or 3rd day and can easily last 8-10 days before starting to decline due to oxidation. He called this extraordinary.
· 2000 is like a blend between 1990 and 1996. Lots of ripe fruit, but plenty of tannin and structure.
· The amount of depth in the 2000’s exceeds 1989 and 1990.
· These wines are loaded and everything is extremely well-integrated.
· The only drawback about the improvement in wine-making in Bordeaux is that legendary wines like the 1947 Cheval Blanc have zero chance to be bottled nowadays. That wine had too much VA and other so-called flaws, but taken as a whole is a magical bottle of wine.
Other miscellaneous comments he made:
The best bargains for the 2000 vintage are to be found in the Cotes-du-Castillon.
Magnums are the ideal bottle shape.
2001 Bordeaux is a “very good” vintage, and represents excellent value relative to 2000 prices.
Some people asked if 1986 and 1995 Bordeaux will ever lose their harsh tannins. RP urged patience and stated that he has not given up on them and thinks they will be great in 6-12 years.
He said he loves Chicago and couldn’t wait to get to the Weiner’s Circle (a notorious late-night hot dog stand in Chicago).
The wines were double-decanted about 5 hours before tasting. We tasted all of the first growths except Haut-Brion. They were all outstanding, except for the Cheval Blanc, which was completely shut down. Surprisingly, I was easily able to identify a clear favorite, the Chateau Pavie. It is one of the best wines I have ever tasted and blew me away with its power, depth, and intensity.
Here are my notes, with direct comments from RP in quotations, and prices from Sam’s who sponsored the event:
Ch. Quinault-L’Enclos St. Emilion (RP 92-94) (WS 91) (Otis Rating 92) $66
70% Merlot. Fresh fruit on the nose, mostly strawberry. Black fruits and licorice on the palate. “Some of the oldest vines in St.-Emilion” Well-done.
Ch. Cheval Blanc St.-Emilion (RP 98-100) (WS 93) (OR = ???) $600
“Early on, this was one of the most impressive ’00 Bordeaux I’ve tasted, but now it has shut down completely. The wine will gain a lot of weight with aging, but it is not showing well tonight.” 50% Merlot, 50% CF. I found it impossible to rate. Too tightly wound.
Ch. L’Evangile Pomerol (RP 96-98) (WS 96) (OR 94) $250
Pleasing aromas of candied cherries and rose petals on the nose. Blackberry flavors. 80% Merlot. “This is showing very well tonight. It has a luxurious wealth of fruit and a plush seamlessness.”
Ch. Canon-La-Gaffeliere St.-Emilion (RP 93-96) (WS 93) (OR 94) $”please inquire”
Earthy, forest floor nose. Velvety texture, with lots of expansive raspberry fruit. Delicious. “Lighter weight than the Angelus”.
Ch. Angelus St.-Emilion (RP 93-96) (WS 97) (OR 93) $174
Darkest colored wine of the night. Reticent nose. Powerful, dense, with huge tannins. 50% Merlot, 50% Cab Franc. “If you don’t like this one, you can leave now.”
Ch. Pavie-Macquin St.-Emilion (RP 93-95) (WS 92) (OR 96) $87
WOW! Great nose. Ripe fruit and concentration. I loved this one, and will probably purchase a few. “An up and coming superstar. Delicate, but with an inner core of great strength and intensity. Tremendous persistence on the finish. A serious wine.” IMO, this surprisingly outclassed the next wine, the Monbousquet. A show of hands at the tasting also affirmed it.
Ch. Monbousquet St.-Emilion (RP 94-96) (OR 93) $114
Mint on the nose. Smoky, spicy, with very ripe fruit. “Flamboyant, but not superficial. From some of the least respected terroir in St.-Emilion, this wine reflects extraordinary human effort.”
Ch. Pavie St.-Emilion (RP 96-98) (OR 98) $225
MAGNIFICENT! Very dark color. Charcoal nose reminiscent of a thick shiraz. Huge fruit. Huge tannins. Huge finish. “This is a monument to classic Bordeaux. In my 25 years, I have come across very few wines as impressive as this one. There is a terrific liquid minerality. Like if you took stones and put them in a cuisanart, added black cherries and a touch of toasty oak.” Hands down WOTN for me.
Ch. Haut-Bergey Pessac-Leognan (RP 93-95) (WS 86) (OR 89) $”please inquire”
I found this wine to be somewhat closed and not overly compelling. “Earthy cassis and plum. Dark, deep, almost gothic. An up and comer, with new owners and renewed commitment to making great wine.”
Ch. Pichon Baron Pauillac (RP 93-96) (WS 93) (OR 93) $98
Sweet cassis. Unbelievable texture, so soft, smooth and lovely. This is the third time I’ve had this wine. It’s very very good. “More civilized than the Lynch-Bages. A high-fashion wine.”
Ch. Lynch-Bages Pauillac (RP 93-96) (WS 96) (OR 95)
A bit funky on the nose, but complex, dancing fruit on the palate. Satiny mouthfeel. Long finish. A classical style of Bordeaux. “A more beastly animal than the Pichon Baron”.
Ch. Leoville-Poyferre St.-Julien (RP 92-94) (WS 94) (OR 92) $90
After starring at the trade show I attended in January, this one came across a little round and simple in this lineup. Still, it possess a ton of sweet black currant fruit and lots of power. Still glad I bought a case at $66 a bottle. Afterwards, I grabbed an empty bottle and asked RP to sign it. Very nice guy.
Ch. Margaux (RP 96-99) (OR 97) $”please inquire”
“Aromatically the most compelling of the 1st growths on the table. This is like an unformed infant. An amazing wine. Supple and elegant, with extraordinary depth.” I could not believe how active this wine was in the glass, a veritable changeling. One minute smoky dark fruits, the next minute hazelnuts and seaweed. A great tasting experience.
Ch. Mouton Rothschild Pauillac (RP 96-98) (WS 93) (OR 97) $“please inquire”
Another fantastic wine. Mushrooms and smoke on the nose. Pure silk, with a lengthy tunnel of tightly focused currant and cassis flavors and the longest finish of the night. “Pretty tight, but this is a gorgeous Mouton. Rugged and a little closed. Showing a lot of oak.”
Ch. Lafite Rothschild Pauillac (RP 96-100) (WS 100) (OR 94) $347
I found this wine to be somewhat closed. Graphite on the nose, and an obvious core of intense fruit. “ A linear wine with high intensity, like a tight girdle holding taut. Fabulous.”
Ch. Latour Pauillac (96-99) (WS 100) (OR 93) $”please inquire”
Quite perfumed on the nose. Perhaps my palate was fatigued at this point, but I did not note anything spectacular about this wine, although it was certainly classy and full of depth. “Rather civilized for a young Latour, reflective of a stylistic change at the winery. Great balance and purity. Tremendous concentration.”
As the event came to a close, I realized that this may be my only chance to ever taste some of these first growths (due to the incredibly high prices). But today, thoughts of buying a bottle of Mouton, Margaux and Pavie are creeping into my head. Maybe this event wasn’t so “free” after all!
Cheers,
Otis