St. Louis Saturday Group -- 2000 v 2001 Bordeaux Tasting

Jim Dove's home
Tasted Saturday, August 16, 2008 by BordeauxNut with 1,657 views

Introduction

This Saturday, our weekly group decided to compare several red Bordeaux wines from the 2000 and 2001 vintages. We were shooting for an ‘educational experience’ with the tasting and, modeling our process very loosely after the GJE tastings, we attempted to collect some data points about the wines and vintages in as objective a way possible. To accomplish this, my wife and Geri Fanning helped organize the wines, each of which was placed into identical, numbered, odor-free decanters based on an order established by drawing the names of wines from a bucket. At the beginning of the tasting, all wines were at 58 degrees. Almost all were decanted two hours prior to the tasting.

Wines were served in flights of two, based on the numbering established by Rasha and Geri during the random drawing. No one else knew the totally random order. We served the wines one flight at a time and observed a six minute period of total silence to review the flight. At the end of the period, I asked our tasters to record three things on an index card.

* Score
* Vintage guess
* A single word or phrase that stands out when thinking about the wine

While this may seem like a waste of wine or an afternoon to some, it proved to be both entertaining and a great education. Here’s what we tasted – unless identified as a ‘mystery wine’, the noted wine was understood by all tasters as being represented in the tasting. I selected the mystery wines, but, like the others, did not know the order of placement.

From both vintages:

Chateau La Conseillante, Pomerol
Chateau Pavie, St. Emilion
Chateau Montrose, St. Estephe
Chateau Pichon Baron, Pauillac
Chateau Leoville Barton, St. Julien
Chateau d’Issan, Margaux
Chateau Sociando Mallet, Haut Medoc

Mystery wines:

2001 Chateau la Tour Carnet, Haut Medoc
2001 Chateau Barde Haute, St. Emilion
2000 Chateau Fougas Maldoror, Cotes du Bourg – from magnum, inserted into two flights

Attending the tasting were Saturday regulars Craig Fanning, John Mann, John Joyce, Tim Delaney, Joel Pulver, Paul Goldblum, Todd Snyder, Larry Zeid, and guests Steve Zang and Geri Fanning. Several members of this group have been blind-tasting wine weekly for many years – so, on balance, the tasting group can fairly be described as quite experienced.

The notes that follow are my best effort at objectively representing the tasting commentary of the group. At the same time, my own notes do factor heavily into the overall picture. For several of the wines, I’ve also commented on my impression of the wines on day two. The scores and vintage average are simple data points. Scores reflect removal of the single highest and lowest score, and represent a simple average from the event.

Some interesting summary observations:

* The 2001 vintage average was 0.35 points higher than 2000 for the wines tasted. This includes the bottom rated wine, la Conseillante, which was an off (and quite possibly fake) bottle.
* Under the conditions we tasted, it is very hard to reliably distinguish 2000 from 2001. I think the inclusion of wines from the right and left banks compounded the difficulty.
* Somewhat to my surprise, the GJE performance of La Tour Carnet was repeated in our tasting. The wine showed brilliantly in this format, despite being paired with 2000 Montrose, which was also scored highly.
* 2001 Chateau Pavie, the wine of the tasting by over one full point, performed much better than the 2000 Chateau Pavie, which placed 8th, just behind the $12 2000 Fougas du Maldoror from Cotes du Bourg. Having had the 2000 Pavie from many sources, many times, I can say with confidence that this was a representative bottle.
* Producer was often easier to spot than vintage, with the herbal, currant bush aromas of Sociando Mallet and, to a lesser extent, Leoville Barton, standing out.
* The bottle of 2001 la Conseillante was not representative. After opening a bottle from my cellar today and tasting them side-by-side, I believe the wine we tasted was a fake or was cooked. Interestingly, our tasting bottle sounds very, very similar to the bottle problem experienced in the EWS tasting.
* Two wines stand out for fooling the group as to their vintage – both 2001 Montrose (a favorite of the EWS tasting) and 2001 Pavie were nearly unanimously guessed to be 2000s.
* The 2000 Pichon Baron was consistently guessed to be a 2000. Otherwise, all bets are off.
* It's very tricky to host and participate in something like this.

Before I go on with notes, I want to offer a big thank you to my friends from the Saturday Club for indulging me this past week. I hope they found it to be as fun and educational an experience as I did.

Flight 1 (2 Notes)

  • 2001 Château La Conseillante Flawed

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    Surprisingly ripe for Bordeaux and a very strong aroma of eucalyptus that dominated the wine and was thoroughly out of place. Odd. Poor showing here. Note: I opened a bottle from my cellar the next day and shared it with a friend who was at the event. We tasted it side-by-side with the leftover wine from the tasting and concluded that these were not the same wine or, at the very least, that the sample for the tasting was cooked. Rank: 18/18 Vintage: 2001.00

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  • 2000 Château d'Issan 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    Very floral, pretty nose, something mentioned repeatedly by tasters. Awkward, austere, and big tannins were also noted. I found the wine to be tight and there was an odd natatorium (swimming pool) scent to it initially. Some potential here -- needs time.

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Flight 2 (2 Notes)

  • 2000 Château Pavie 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    Finding a strong, Amarone-like note, Craig guessed this to be the 2000 Pavie. Very modern was my phrase. Porty -- alcoholic and a bit of volatility -- but, the aromas coming forward are exotic. Long finish with some bitterness noted. Rank: 8/18 Vintage: 2000.44

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  • 2001 Château Barde-Haut 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    This split the table, with some really loving the lush, blackberry fruit and fine tannins and others thinking it was headed off toward being over-ripe or one-dimensional. I landed in the middle, really liking the plushness on the palate and the wine's balance. Rank: 10/18 Vintage: 2000.44

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Flight 3 (2 Notes)

  • 2000 Château Fougas Maldoror 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Côtes de Bourg

    From Mag. Very little dissent on this wine in this flight with positive comments from almost everyone. People suggested it 'should be a keeper' and really liked the balance of the wine and the pleasant green notes layered over the ripe red and black fruits. An interesting foil to the Montrose it was served against. Held up very well on day 2. Rank: 7/18 Vintage: 2000.67

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  • 2001 Château Montrose 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

    Quite a big wine. Very aromatic -- a bit oaky with some licorice and a light green note mixing with dark berry fruit. I found some green wood tannins on this wine that I didn't much care for and scored it a couple of points lower than anyone else, so, the noted score reflects the higher consensus. Consistent with the EWS tasting, a very good showing for most tasters. RANK: 6 Vintage: 2000.22

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Flight 4 (2 Notes)

  • 2000 Château Sociando-Mallet 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

    Sociando Mallet's signature green dominates with a huge currant bush aroma taking over the glass. Craig thought Peter Cottontail might find it heavenly. Green was mentioned by 5 of 11 tasters as a primary element to the wine -- yet, despite this, it was universally praised for its balance and depth of fruit on the palate. My rating is noted. Very long finish. Rank: (t) 2/18 Vintage: 2000.33

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  • 2000 Château La Conseillante 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    Caraway, coffee, cassis, and flowers on the nose. Some, like me, found it fresh and energetic -- others found acid. Lingering finish. A very elegant, refined wine. This has much room for improvement. Rank: 5/18 Vintage: 2000.33

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Flight 5 (2 Notes)

  • 2001 Château La Tour Carnet 96 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

    I've always liked this wine, but at the same time I've been puzzled by it's top-wine performance at the GJE 2001 tasting. So, I inserted it here and it came in (tied) second. Very ripe cassis and toasted coffee soar from the glass. One taster thought it a California ringer. I thought it showed very well. It's balanced with a really nice mouthfeel and a long finish. Proves its worth as a QPR champion here. Still solid on day 2. Rank: (t) 2/18 Vintage: 2000.44

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  • 2000 Château Montrose 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

    Very pretty berry, cinnimon, and cognac-like oaky note on the nose. Quite masculine -- a brooding, wound-up wine. Dense fruit is covered by fine-grained tannins -- lots of them. Lingering, elegant, fresh. Seems to need much time. Rank: 4/18 Vintage: 2000.44

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Flight 6 (2 Notes)

  • 2001 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Scored in a very narrow range from 92 - 95. Minty green notes, coffee, and Christmas spice on the nose. A solid performance here -- balanced, with a good, deep core of fruit. Should last. Hard to find a fault with this one. Rank: 9/18 Vintage: 2000.50

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  • 2001 Château Sociando-Mallet 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

    Comparing this with the 2000 Sociando Mallet the next day, while still showing green notes, it's not nearly as strong or one-dimensional as the 2000 from that perspective. At the same time, on the palate the fruit lacks the power and the finish lacks the persistence you get from the 2000. Several tasters found it a bit backward. Lacks the depth of the 2000. Rank: 14/18 Vintage: 2000.50

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Flight 7 (2 Notes)

  • 2001 Château Léoville Barton 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    This wine split the tasting evenly -- some liking it very much and others finding it a bit green and angular. I very much liked the herb-tinged coffee notes on the nose. It's fresh and energetic with plenty of stuffing. For me, a surprisingly good showing. Rank: 11/18 Vintage: 2000.7

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  • 2001 Château d'Issan 88 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    This wine was scored consistently by the group (and higher than me). I found it not especially complex -- a nutty note on the nose. A bit unfocused and not especially concentrated. Not among my favorites. Rank: 13/18 Vintage: 2000.4

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Flight 8 (2 Notes)

  • 2000 Château Léoville Barton 98 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    This was my wine of the tasting -- but, I was alone in that sentiment, with the next highest score a couple of points behind that. Some found it spare and acidic. Beautiful lead pencil and black cherry / cassis fruit on the nose. Some coffee. Very much like the 2000 Montrose -- dense and wound up. A massive core of fruit to this wine. Solid. Rank: 16/18 Vintage: 2000.4

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  • 2000 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 96 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Soaring, slightly volatile nose. A lot of coffee/toffee/caramel with a tarragon note that keeps things fresh. Deeply fruited and long. My score is an outlier on the high side with some as low as 89 points, feeling that the tannins were too hard. Rank: 12/18 Vintage: 2000.2

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Flight 9 (2 Notes)

  • 2000 Château Fougas Maldoror 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Côtes de Bourg

    From Magnum, second take. 6 of 11 tasters scored this within 1 point of the first half of the bottle much earlier in the tasting. I again very much liked this -- though some were captivated by the 2001 Pavie it was paired with and I think it suffered as a result. Notes are consistent with earlier flight. I was, arguably, overly infatuated with this one. What a great QPR wine -- at least in this magnum format. Rank: 15/18 Vintage: 2000.5

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  • 2001 Château Pavie 96 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

    The color shows more age than most of the other wines we've tasted. Consistently scored 95 - 98 by all of the tasters (except me), this easily was the favorite of the tasting, beating the next wine by nearly 1.5 points. Apart from me, there were a couple of other comments about raisins and volatility -- but, every other comment was a crude (but somehow effusively positive) sexual reference or some drooling comment about how sexy fruit can be. I dissented because I thought it just wasn't appropriately 'Bordeaux-like' -- being a bit too sweet, hot, and volatile. I can appreciate all of the love it was offered though. This was the only wine that was finished, so I couldn't check in on it the next day. 2 of 11 tasters scored the 2000 higher. Rank: 1/18 Vintage: 2000.1

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Closing

As always, thanks for reading.

BordeauxNut

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