Our city Bordeaux group gathered at Riverpark for a look at the 2001 Bordeaux vintage at 15. I had a nice walk down from Grand Central to find most of the group waiting. Oops, and I was bringing the starter , the 2001 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc. Somm said it smelled good, but my first sniff was a bit advanced. Nose is quite nutty, a little caramel, it’s better on the palate but without the zip and vitality the ‘01 Bdx blancs had in youth. I thought this was drinkable, but at least as mature as the ‘83 DDC I’ve had several times recently. My premox rate with 1994 and after Bdx blanc is similar to white Burgundy. B-
On to the reds
St. Emilion flight
Two modern RBers, maybe most divisive flight of night
2001 Ch. Valandraud
Modern, but comparatively restrained, needs some time, very structured. B
2001 Ch. Pavie
Some quite liked this, I found pretty obvious and slutty, though not as OTT as say the 03. B-
My first course was quail with beech mushrooms & barley.
Pessac-Leognan flight
2001 Ch. Pape Clement
Modern, fruit driven, but with some structure. B/B+
2001 Ch. La Mission Haut Brion
Young, powerful, lots held back but still with a lovely core of fruit with a nice spice note. My WOTN. A-
Next I had cocoa spaccatelli with pork ragu and quince. Quite interesting, the pasta just had a little mole-ish touch of cocoa.
St. Julien Flight
,
2001 Ch. Leoville Las Cases
This could turn out to be best of bunch, but now a bit tannic and oak still showing. For now, B/B+
2001 Ch. Leoville Barton
Plodding, pedestrian, woody. B-/C+
2001 Ch. Leoville Poyferre
Way more open than the LLC, modern but not OTT, cassis and mocha. Drinking well already. I’ll probably crack another one for our 15th this fall. B+/A-
My main was rabbit with kohlrabi, carrots, and lentils
St. Estephe/Pauillac Flight
2001 Ch. Cos d'Estournel (from 2 375s)
Sweet, ripe, forward, good but surprising (maybe the halves?) B
2001 Ch. Montrose
Rich currant fruit, woodspice, plenty of tannin, needs time. B+
2001 Ch. Pichon-Longueville Baron
Young with plenty of fruit, needs time, but already some nice leather and pencil shaving notes. B+/A-
Then we went through 4 375s of Sauternes:
2001 Guiraud
Not a producer I really pay attention to, but my favorite of the bunch. Good acids, orange peel and creme brulee, long finish. A-
2001 Coutet
This seemed a bit less lively and complex than others, though still a nice wine. A slight disappointment only in context of vintage. B/B+
2001 Lafaurie-Peyraguey
Maybe a bit more advanced than others, but nice in a marmalade meets caramel style, with plenty of acids. A-/B+
2001 Rieussec
Rich, biggest, full and long with honied apricots. A-/B+
As we went through the stickies, we did our usual 3/2/1 voting on the reds. The results
2001 Ch. La Mission Haut Brion 18
2001 Ch. Pichon Baron 13
2001 Ch. Pape Clement 7
2001 Ch. Leoville Las Cases 5
2001 Ch. Leoville Poyferre 4
2001 Ch. Montrose 4
2001 Ch. Cos d'Estournel 2
2001 Ch. Pavie 1
Overall I thought the wines showed well, and younger than I expected. I wish we had had a better representation from the RB, would have been nice to taste what a more traditional RB producer had (I have a few, but all singles or twosies, and holding for future anniversaries). Fun night, Riverpark did a very good job, and a nice group of people.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.
