Bordeaux Horizontal – 2000 vintage with Jane Anson
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Tasted June 13, 2020 by NickA with 216 views
Introduction
JA comments that the weather in 2000's growing season was very similar to 2019's! But picking then was based just on sugar rather than phenolic ripeness, meaning more solid tannins. On the other hand, all of tonight's wines were 13% ABV or lower.
I poured about 30 minutes before the presentation started and let the wines open in the glass.
Flight 1 (6 notes)
Red
2000 Clos Fourtet
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
90% Merlot 10% Cabernet Franc. Dark colour. Lovely lifted nose, some menthol and oak, trending to red fruit. Very savoury and, though certainly ready to go, still pretty grippy on palate, with dark berry fruit, liquorice, and pretty good length. Understated and classy. No rush here.
Red
2000 Château La Conseillante
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
80% Merlot 20% Cabernet Franc. Still pretty dark with only a pale trace at the rim. Very soft but bright nose, with graphite and seductive fruit. Mellower than the Clos Fourtet, but retains some (silky) grip on the finish. Interesting and nicely balanced combination of high acid red fruit and savoury meaty notes on the palate. Long chocolatey finish.
Red
2000 Château d'Issan
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot. Much gamier nose than the two Right Bankers, with cigar box. Feels more mature. Super deep. Refreshing and rather stately on the palate. Lovely savoury tannins. Delicious menthol on the finish. Classic Claret. Totally ready but lots remaining in the tank.
Red
2000 Château Cos d'Estournel
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot. Really dark colour. More darkness on the nose - coffee, graphite and just a hint of game - super classic. Dark chocolate and burnt ends on the palate, but tannins are pretty soft. Completely ready. Would be brilliant with a steak.
Red
2000 Château Léoville Barton
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. Feels the least ready so far - plenty of tannin even after air. Slightly green nose - evident it has the highest percentage of CS tonight. Earthy nose, tangy palate - more redcurrants than blackberry. I didn't think this showed particularly well tonight.
Red
2000 Château Lynch-Bages
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Yum, yum, yum. Welcoming nose, with wood smoke. Loads of power, but absolutely a point (JA says Bages since 2010 is more concentrated and modern and the ageing profile has changed). Really long and the flavours delightfully intermixed between fruit, chocolate and game. My, JA's and the group's WOTN.
Closing
As the scores show, a very solid collection, and the 2000s seem pretty much ready to drink.
Issan and Lynch Bages showed some gorgeous tertiary notes, whilst Cos was a bit dark and modern for my taste but also excellent. Was probably looking forward to Conseillante and Barton most of all but they didn't quite get there tonight. Clos Fourtet was always the underdog but showed very nicely.
Unfortunately these wines are far from cheap - current UK market price per 12, in bond: d'Issan 1100, Leoville Barton 1200, Clos Fourtet 1400, Cos 1700, Lynch 2100, Conseillante 2500...
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