Important Update From the Founder
Read message >
HDH '90 vs '00 BDX Comparative Tasting
Chicago, IL - Spiaggia
Tasted September 20, 2013 by Nutty08 with 1,194 views
Introduction
This was my first time at an HDH tasting. It was handled well, but it was essentially ~50 people rushing around a room in a competition to drink all the most expensive wines first. Still, it was a nice to compare such a fantastic group of wines. The small pours and the rather short period of time to complete the tasting (90mins) prevents any strong conclusions. These are merely my humble impressions. '00's were double decanted 2hrs prior, unsure how the '90's were treated. Written in the order tasted, and while I was spitting ~1/2 the time, nuance was hard to pick up by the end. Notes are roughly in the order tasted.
Flight 1 (6 notes)
Red
1990 Château Lafite Rothschild
Sheer class. That's all i can discern from my scribbled notes. Flint, subtle mint and cassis with a little darker fruit in the background. Seamless integration. Incredibly fine tannins, seductive mouthfeel. Fantastic wine early in its drinking plateau. A/A+
Red
2000 Château Lafite Rothschild
Much less expressive than the '90. Tannins are in the forefront and have the fine polish typical of a 1st growth. Fantastic pure red fruit note carries the palate. Nose was rather closed. Subtle fine mint/flint note carried through the palate to the finish. Really young and hard to gauge. A-/A
Red
1990 Château Mouton Rothschild
Slight step down compared to the Lafitte to me. Nose had more flint and less mint and a slightly darker fruit profile. Still it was polished, complex, and very long. Still quite youthful. Tannins slightly less fine than Lafitte. A-/A
Red
2000 Château Mouton Rothschild
Second time having this and similar impression. Funky (reductive? Or just barnyard?) nose, tannins are a little coarse and the oak is showing. Large scaled wine that needs tons of time. B+/A-
Red
2000 Château Lynch-Bages
Similar profile than '90, but tannins are much more prominent and the fruit a little less ripe. Still has a delightful mint character and a touch of smokiness on the palate. Should be as good as the '90 in a slightly more restrained style. I liked it better than the '00 Mouton. Oak still prominent. A-
4 people found this helpful
Comment
Red
1990 Château Lynch-Bages
Tough competition at this table, and while Lynch holds its own, it's a slight notch down. Profile shifts to more of a smoky nose, darker feel, and district lovely mint note that is really charming. Powerful palate, darker fruit profile than the Mouton and Lafitte, but luscious and coats the palate. Tannins are present and noticeably more course. I've loved this in the past and it's just a stop down in complexity compared to the Rothschilds. A-
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Flight 2 (6 notes)
Red
1990 Château Cheval Blanc
Maybe the best nose of the night with exotic cab franc notes really stealing the slow. The palate was very ripe almost pushing towards pruney, and was quite soft and round in comparison to the other '90's. Fantastic wine overall, but the softness and ripeness of the palate makes me wonder if it's at peak? I've had few CB's, so keep that in mind. A-
Red
2000 Château Cheval Blanc
Totally different profile than the '90. Brighter fruit, less ripe, much more structured. Dense and brooding, seems years away from it's drinking plateau. Hard to gauge but appears to have exceptional quality. Hold. NR
Red
1990 Château Clinet
On any other night this would be a great mature bdx to enjoy. Overshadowed this night. Merlot driven profile with plum dominated notes turning toward mature dried fruit notes, tobacco, and sandalwood. Lighter and less powerful than most of the '90's. B+
Red
2000 Château Clinet
My sample was a little cloudy with sediment. Chalky tannins vs sediment. I don't recall it being especially interesting. I wrote "B+"
Red
1990 Château La Conseillante
Second time with this wine and it did not disappoint. Certainly held it's own with Cheval Blanc, with a little pepper mixed in the cab franc dominated nose. Potentially a little less complex than the Cheval Blanc, but the fruit was a little fresher without the pruney/potentially over-ripe notes. Fantastic wine. A/A+
Red
2000 Château La Conseillante
More expressive than the '00 Cheval blanc, cab franc quite prominent, but a distinct primary plum note as well. Fruit shifts to more of a red fruit driven palate, quite young and fresh. Much less expressive than '90. Needs 5+yrs. A-/A
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Flight 3 (6 notes)
Red
1990 Château Cos d'Estournel
Great nose of roasted coffee and toast. Cherry fruit on the palate with a ripe profile. Moderate weight palate. Quite elegant, especially compared to the exotic and powerful Montrose A-
Red
2000 Château Cos d'Estournel
One of the few '00's that was accessible. Coffee notes on the nose, palate showing more of a merlot profile with the character leaning towards plums rather than cassis/cherry. Tannins are fine and polished. Great quality wine. A-
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Red
2000 Château Montrose
Despite the considerable tannins, the elegance and class of this vintage are apparent. Interesting that the mint note is there, can't say I've ever noted that in Montrose with the exception on the '90. Doesn't have the exotic fruit of the '90, but I might prefer this to the '03. Still needs another 10+ yrs though. Hold. A
2 people found this helpful
Comment
Red
1990 Château Montrose
Maybe a touch less expressive than a prior bottle, but clean and no brett. Similar profile to the Cos, but less roasted, fruit is pushed to the front and a mint note comes through on the nose and palate. Still has considerable tannin and despite the very ripe fleshy fruit, no hints of over ripeness. Elegance and balance are there. On par with the 1st growths for sure. A/A+
Red
2000 Château Calon-Ségur
I was excited to try this as I own some, and many online notes are rather concerning. Happily, this came across as a good quality St. Estephe just closed. Like the '90, a little funk on the nose. Otherwise shows a little red fruit and shunt down behind considerable structure. This will need lots of time. Tannins not of the same quality as Montrose/Cos, but I think this will be a fine St Estephe. Hold. B/B+ for now.
Red
1990 Château Calon-Ségur
Overshadowed today, but a solid bdx. Smokey and funky barnyard nose, with some sandalwood and tobacco notes. Seemed to be in a drinking plateau. Not as polished as Montrose/Cos. B+/A-
Flight 4 (4 notes)
Red
2000 Château La Mission Haut-Brion
Dense and structured, seemed to be completely closed. Tannins were of high quality. Impossible to assess. No enjoyment at this stage. NR
Red
1990 Château La Mission Haut-Brion
Such an enticing nose of tobacco leaf, smoke, and mature fruit. Lush and exotic palate, layered, with a finish that wouldn't leave the palate. Utterly compelling and a highlight of the night and would have been my wine of the night until the '90 Haut-Brion A+
Red
2000 Château Haut-Brion
Not as closed as the La Mission, showing great purity of fruit with a plum character along with coffee notes. Hold. A-/A
Red
1990 Château Haut-Brion
Nose was a little less expressive and complex than the La Mission, but the finish would not leave the palate. Utterly sensational finish that lasted minutes. Compared to the La Mission, this was a little more stately, where the La Mission was more lush and forward. Among the best Bdx I’ve ever tasted. Sadly, this was gone before a re-taste. A++
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Flight 5 (4 notes)
Red
1990 Château Latour Grand Vin
Another fantastic wine, maybe a step below Lafitte/Haut Brion, but that is splitting hairs. Fantastic purity of fruit, mostly cassis/cherry. Mixes in some tobacco and leather notes. Long finish. Still very young, maybe the youngest appearing of the '90s. A/A+
Red
2000 Château Latour Grand Vin
Powerful wine, very prominent tannins but very fine and polished giving it a rather light mouthfeel despite the fruit concentration. Hard to gauge, but among the best of the '00s. NR
Red
2000 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste
Another '00 that was approachable, this reminded me of the '05. Polished tannins. This was slightly scaled down compared to some other '00's, but fantastic purity of fruit and complexity. Very happy I own some and performing above its pedigree and cost. A-/A
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Red
1990 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste
Hard to be on the same table at Latour, but if you own it you'll be happy. Not as big or concentrated, but a fantastic core of pure red fruits, tobacco leaf and spice. Adds a little mint and flint on the nose. A step below Latour but really good. A-/A
Flight 6 (4 notes)
Red
2000 Château Palmer
Similar to a prior bottle, and none of the '90s herbal/leather/cab franc notes. This was clean pure blue and red fruits. Quite concentrated and lush palate(modern?). Very different style than the '90. More concentrated and fruit driven, and quite good. Needs time though accessible now. A-/A
Red
1990 Château Palmer
There's cab franc on this nose! I was quite surprised It was so apparent (though maybe it was the petit verdot). Very compelling nose, leafy and herbal with a hint a mint. Palate was a little lean, elegant, but properly structured. I think I prefer this to Ch. Margaux due to it rather unique expression. A-
Red
2000 Château Margaux
from Magnum. Leafy tobacco herbal quality. Clear red fruits and still showing some oak. Mostly closed. Will probably be better than ’90. NR
Red
1990 Château Margaux
Not sure I get any "Margaux" elements, but that may just be me at this stage of the tasting. Great expressive nose, light and elegant, of mostly red fruits. Great length on the finish. Larger scaled and riper fruit on the palate than I expected--a bigger wine than GPL and almost on the scale of Latour. Didn’t really separate its self from the pack. A-
Flight 7 (4 notes)
Red
1990 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron
What a delightful mix of pure red fruits, pipe tobacco, flint, and leather. Another compelling, fantastic ’90. A
Red
2000 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron
Less expressive than the '90, but similar flavor profile and great quality. On par with a prior bottle this year. Red fruits, with a liquor quality to the fruit. Very young. A-/A
Red
2000 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
This was pretty closed but showing a typical flavor profile of Lalande, with a clear elegant herbal character. Red fruit on the palate, quite concentrated and powerful, need lots of time. On par with PB, maybe slightly preferred by my palate, though both are great. Will be fun to watch. A-
Red
1990 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Scaled back compared to the Pichon Baron. More herbal with a leafy tobacco slightly green character. Palate slightly thinner than the PB, but maybe more complex. I think this is a step down from the PB, but I prefer the flavor profile. A-
Flight 8 (6 notes)
Château Gruaud Larose was also at this table, but I skipped it as I was overwhelmed at this stage.
Red
2000 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
Less expressive than a more recent bottle, but showing great. Black currant and cassis core, slight eucalyptus, and fine polished but prominent tannins. Delivers as expected, and begs for some more time. A-/A
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Red
1990 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
Quite disappointing. Weedy, herbal, dried fruit nose. Palate was thin, mostly tertiary and lacking fruit compared to it’s peers. Clipped finish. Not a bad wine per se, but in this tasting it was probably the worse of the night. B-
Red
1990 Château Léoville Las Cases
Having never had a mature LLC, this was quite a treat. While approachable, still youthful. Showing great purity with a core of cassis and cherry fruit, it mixed in some sandalwood and leather. This had an elegant nuanced feel. Could still use some time. A
Red
2000 Château Léoville Las Cases
Another quite closed ’00, but the purity is there, with a bright red fruit core and very [polished fine tannins. Again, elegance and polish. Some resemblance to the ’00 Latour. NR
2 people found this helpful
Comment
Red
2000 Château Léoville Poyferré
Not at closed as the LLC, as this was showing a nice core of fruit, but it was still backward with plenty of tannins. Not quite as polished as the LLC, but probably on same quality level as the ’00 Ducru. A-/A
Red
1990 Château Léoville Poyferré
More advanced than the ’90 LLC but in a great place. Lots of mint and leather mixed with a fleshy palate that coats the mouth. Doesn't quite have the concentration of the ’90 LLC but is really good. A-/A
Flight 9 - After Party (3 notes)
Ended up a champagne bar with some nice bottles bought by a generous burgundy fan. We finished with a completely unnecessary bottle of bdx.
White - Sparkling
2000 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut
Has that nutty bready profile of Krug, but is tightly coiled on the palate. Really nice balance and nuance, but is probably a decade out of opening up and delivering on it’s potential. Still a great glass of wine now though. A/A+
Red
2004 Château Quinault L'Enclos
Oaked, coarse tannins, quite extracted, and lacking nuance or elegance. Probably a fine wine, but clearly the weakest of the evening. B-/C+
Closing
-I was surprised how far away the '00 vintage is from its drinking plateau. To over generalize, it's at least a decade away as many were quite closed.
-'90's are ripe and fleshy, and hard not to like. Most are in their drinking plateaus, though some need a little more time.
-While the 1st growths do have a quality advantage over the "lesser" growths, this difference is rather small and not worth the 3-4x increased cost. That being said, none of these wines were cheap and most all of them showed very well.
-Well done tasting for what it is, though I would much prefer fewer bottles, larger pours, and enjoying the wines over dinner with more time to appreciate them.