Bordeaux Tasting

These are notes from a recent tasting. Prices are the retail price my local wine shop charges for these wines (in US dollars). They can often be found 20% or more cheaper by shopping around. They are useful to have as relative indicators of price, however. I included scores from Robert Parker (RP) or Wine Spectator (WS) when readily available.

1999 Montesquieu Blanc ($15.99), Graves

White wine, comprised of 90% sauvignon blanc and 10% muscadelle. I did not have high hopes for this wine, but I was pleasantly surprised. It had a very nice aroma contributed by the muscadelle, but yet was very dry. Light and refreshing, but with good acidity. It can often be found for around $10 and is a very good buy at that price.

1996 Smith Haut Lafite ($30.00), Graves, 90 RP

Fruity wine with soft tannins. This wine was much sweeter and fruitier than the wines that were to follow. Lots of blackberry with a hint of fig. I liked this wine a lot more before I tasted the rest of the wines in this tasting, but it is probably a good value for the price. I thought the finish was short and the flavors a bit thin compared to the bigger wines, however.

2000 Prieure-Lichine ($39.99), Margaux, 88-89 RP

Also a finesse wine compared to most of the others. I was surprised it was drinking so easily for a 2000. Billed as the finest vintage at this estate in 3 decades, I feel that is damning with faint praise given that 2000 was a great vintage for almost everyone in Bordeaux. This was not what I expected from a Margaux and I didn't like it. The owner of the wine shop said this was his second favorite behind the Gruaud Larose. I thought it had a soft finish coupled with a lack of fruit.

2000 Gruaud Larose ($114.99), Saint Julien, 94+ RP

This wine can be found under $100, but it is not a good buy even at that price. I have an affinity for Gruaud Larose and this wine was a little bit of a letdown for me. I was expecting something bigger and more extracted. This wine had a good amount of tannins, but seemed unbalanced. Perhaps more fruit will be evident when the tannins soften. It was my second favorite wine of the tasting, even so. It should be great when (if?) it opens up.

2000 Grand-Puy-Lacoste ($78.99), Pauillac, 93+ RP, 92 WS

A good wine with a more floral character. Fruit was cassis and tannins were again much softer than I would've expected for such a young wine. It is an easy-drinking wine which was reminiscent of a California cab to me. For the price, I can think of California cabs I'd rather have.

1996 Lafon-Rochet ($45.00), Saint Estephe, 90 WS

A lot of people raved over this wine. Lots of oak mingled with plum. It is drinking well now and it goes to show that perhaps the prices of the 2000 vintage are way out of line. Lafon-Rochet has undergone a resurgence since the mid-1990s, but the prices have not yet caught up. It can be found for under $40, but at that price I prefer the Smith Haut Lafite. It is interesting that overall I tended to like the 1996s better than the 2000s.

1998 Le Bon Pasteur ($65.00), Pomerol, 90-94 WS

This wine was a throw-in added just so that we could visit every part of Bordeaux. It had flavors of plum and cherry with lots of oak. Still very tannic, almost to the point of being undrinkable. It was my least favorite of the tasting. Those who like a lot of toasted oak might like this in another few years.

2000 Grand Mayne ($64.99), Saint Emilion, 93 RP

This wine was my favorite of the night. I don't usually like merlot-based wines, but this one had a lot of complexity. Very concentrated fruit with just enough velvety tannins to linger on the tongue. The problem, like all 2000s it seems, is the price. It would represent a wonderful value at $35-40, but at $50+ I am not sure it is worth it. This wine is definitely drinking very well now, though.

Dimitri