I was back in Boston for one night and attended a small 2000 Bordeaux tasting hosted by friend. Everyone was suppose to bring a 2000 bordeaux but we had a few 90's that were more than welcomed. Overall, I am impressed with the 2000's. In general, lower level wines are now ready to be consumed at the 10 year mark, especially those from the Right Bank. Left Bank and higher level wines have a great future ahead of them....if you can keep your hands off them!
Night started off with a couple fo Quincy's (lovely but ripe and grassy and it is consistent with other Loires I've tried).
2000 Chateau Destieux, St. Emilion: Very open nose, actually the most attractive part of the wine, cedar, notes of leather, and tobacco. On palate, the wine is medium plus bodied, meaty, good acidity backbone, soya sauce, tannins still rough but much resolved from first bottling. Merlot lush but is peaked and I would consume this in the near future.
2000 Chateau Grand Pontet, St. Emilion: On opening, much darker in colour than the Destieux. Purple with red rim. On nose, very ripe fruit, barnyard, dense, smokey. This is a fully bodied wine, ripe, much of an improvement over the Destieux. More new world then Bordeaux and there is still some stuffing to allow this to go at least a few more years. Good structure and finished slightly hot still. Not completely integrated even at the 10 year mark, will revisit in 5 years.
2000 Troplong Mondotte, St. Emilion; Wow, Nose is slightly reserved but very elegant for this wine, completely different league than the first two wines and shows them to be definitely one clear step down. Tannins are smooth and velvety, but still a brut. Massive but elegant, but plenty in reserve. What a wine! So much depth, complex, and now where near open, crunch red and black fruit, black tea, complex but not yet showing everything.
2000 Clerc milon Paulliac: clean red fruit nose, step down from Troplong Mondotte, pencil shaving, medium plus body, black & red berries, elegant, very cab, gained weight and smoothness with air but is close to being ready. Perhaps lacking some focus in this group.
2000 Gruard Larose, St. Julien:. Very smooth, floral nose. Very deep purple still, open ripe, very young, red and black fruit fruit, soya, dense, tannic, very very tight and tannic, graphite, little barnyard, slightly sweet, needs a lot more time! More time, moire dense, pencil shavings, great acidity, nice balance. Finish is very long.
2000 Chateau Pontet Canet, Paulliac: This was perhaps the most closed wine of the night. Owner had the foresight to open this one up and double decant this an hour before going and then it was not served for another two hours. The nose like the palate is still very tight but it is obvious that there is a lot of stuffing behind it. The structure is very apparent. Dark cherries, round, very nice palate. Again, this one will have quite some ahead of it.
1990 Montrose, St. Estephe: I could smell this when it was being opened. The nose on this wine is incredible. Super smooth, maturing, very elegant nose, some slight secondary, reticent, reserved still. It is a very pretty but suggested strength underneath. I could sit and smell this wine all night. The depth was wonderful. Dark red cherry/berry with cassis and earthy. Cedary, slightly barnyard, pencil, very youthful, very very balanced. Tobacco leaf, lingering, great backbone! and leaves on the nose. There is a wonderful texturem, good high toned acidity and the finish lingers and lingers, until well after I arrived home…. ***** yes *****
1990 Smith Haut Lafitte, Graves: Nose is like walking into a humidor, clean very focused, higher toned, mature, good structure, noticeable acidity, tobacco, good structure but fruit is disappearing, especially tasting this after the Montrose. Nonetheless a very interesting wine that will need consuming in the coming years.
1988 Chateau lamothe Guignard, Sauternes: Very bright colour for a 22 year old wine: Very clean and fresh still, nose of apricot, tea, honey, and crisp. Seemed to be very low in botrytis content, orange maralade, and with air, became noticeably thicker and sweeter. Nicely traveled but lacking in complexity.
My preference of the wines of the night were
(1) 1990 Montrose
(2) 2000 Troplong Mondotte
(3) 1990 Smith Haut Lafitte
(4) 2000 Gruaud Larose
(5) 2000 Pontet Canet
(6) 2000 Grand Pontet
(7) 2000 Clerc Milon
(8) 2000 Destieux
).