Our Bordeaux group (or at least a contingent) met at Bobby Vans for a look at 2000 Bordeaux. I had a great wedge salad, my ribeye was perfectly cooked but strangely fatty. We started with the 2002 Piper-Heidsieck “Rare” Champagne, which showed really well. Plush rich style but with an acid backbone, apple , Meyer Lemon and rye bread. Really enjoy. A-
We were blinded with a bottle that clearly had seen better days, but Chris actually got Bordeaux blanc. Cider, mushroom, goodbye. 1974 Dumontet Bordeaux Blanc C-
We were drinking the reds blind. We knew what 6 of the 7 were (LLC, Pichon Baron, Montrose, GPL, Lynch, Magdelaine), Paul brought a bonus bottle. I did terrible at guessing,but so did everyone else. None of us has been drinking our 2000s, so guesses were on house style. Taking notes on phone, need to go back to paper.
Lighter tannins, black plum with minty/eucalyptus herbs. I thought about Magdelaine, but then wondered if Paul had brought a Figeac, which was a wine he had originally offered.
Big structured rich , needs time, big cassis fruit, firm tannins.
Opulent, lush fruit, some mocha oak noted, again I wondered if this could be Paul’s extra, because I thought it Pomerol.
Cassis and vanilla, most ready other than maybe #3,
Oak and tannin, extracted, hard, needs time? I’m thinking LLC.
Still tannic structure but aromatically ready with leather and cigarbox.
Lean and tight, herby.
1)2000 Magdelaine B/B+ (B+/A- potential)
2) 2000 Leoville Las Cases B (A-)
3)2000 Lynch Bages A-
4)2000 Grand Puy Lacoste B/B+
5) 2000 Pape Clement B/B-
6) 2000 Montrose B+
7)2000 Pichon Lalande B- (A-?)
Fun night. I don’t have as many classified 2000s as some other vintages(on release I was just married, looking to buy a house, and accepting I’d be paying for college in a few years), these showed well, but not enough for me to search for.
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.