Tasting of Bordeaux 2000 - Part 7, the End

2003-04-21

Second Session – III
First Growths
14:30 – 17:00
Friday 15th March 2003
-------------------------------------------------
First Growths

Chateau Haut Brion
Chateau Margaux
Chateau Lafite Rothschild
Chateau Mouton-Rothschild
Chateau Latour
Chateau Cheval-Blanc
Chateau Ausone

-------------------------------------------------

前言

Indeed, 這是當天的重頭戲所在，大家都想知道Lafite和Latour有沒有像WS說的那麼神，還有也是備受推崇的Margaux（只是當時WS在做評比時，Margaux還未裝瓶，所以沒有被評到分，但是應該也有近滿分或滿分的實力，依WS所報導）。無論如何，我們當天的確嚐到了這幾款酒，還發生了一些小插曲，例如Jason和我都覺得Margaux和Haut Brion都嚐不出他們的特性，我們甚至懷疑倒酒的人served錯了，將Margaux放到Haut-Brion，而將Haut-Brion放到Marguax，因為Margaux的聞起來像Haut Brion，Haut Brion聞起來則像Margaux ，我們詢問在會場的工作人員，並請他確認是否有倒對也放對位置，結果他確認後說並沒有弄錯，但是他還是重倒了一杯Margaux給Jason，Jason說新倒的Margaux似乎好一點，anyway，我杯中的Margaux也在和空氣接觸時間的拉長後變得比較好。

雖然獨缺Petrus，不過我們也是嚐的很過癮，David和我鍾情於Chateau Ausone，Jason則偏好Chateau Cheval Blanc，沒錯，我們最喜歡的酒都不是來自left bank。若是以「當時」好喝好聞的程度來排名時，我的第一名是Ausone，第二名則是Cheval Blanc。其他五大我實在排不出來，因為都太封閉了，尤其是Lafite，但我個人也覺得Lafite當時的表現應算是好酒年輕時的typical。右岸的酒應會比左岸的酒早些進入適飲期，不過，這些first growths的好酒，還是好好的靜置在cellar放個20+年才是吧！

-------------------------------------------------

Chateau Haut Brion
Color：暗深紅色
Smell：封閉，且酒精感重
Taste：甜，有一點墨水味，口感很集中，有些櫻桃、Casis的香氣，不過，依舊是很封閉，然而單寧還算順口

Chateau Margaux
Color：較Haut Brion淡一些
Smell：一開始有種不太討人喜歡的怪怪味道，然後有一些些乾燥玫瑰花的香氣，紅漿果、一點點茶香，剛開始很封閉，醒酒一點兒後，有淡淡咖啡豆香。
Taste：絲滑的口感彷彿可以咀嚼似的，單寧蠻潤順的，有一點點薄荷味，finish很不錯，不過還是屬於很封閉的狀態。

Chateau Lafite Rothschild
Color：較Margaux為深
Smell：非常非常封閉（可算是五大中最封閉的），隱隱約約稍可聞到一絲絲花香
Taste：很絲滑的口感，單寧如天鵝絨布似地將舌蕾輕柔包覆起來，細緻優雅。不過幾乎沒有什麼香氣。

Chateau Mouton-Rothschild
Color：和Latour相近的暗深紅色
Smell：咖啡豆與巧克力香
Taste：單寧飽滿，嚐起來頗為滑順，然而口感中的香氣也是很封閉。

Chateau Latour
Color：暗深紅色
Smell：封閉，但約略可聞到淡淡巧克力和一些些煙燻香氣
Taste：集中，單寧紮實，有些黑醋栗和櫻桃香氣，不過也是頗為封閉。

Chateau Cheval-Blanc
Color：暗深紅色
Smell：花香，優雅的煙燻、雪茄煙絲香氣
Taste：口感中的香氣集中，單寧滑順圓潤，有薄荷、黑醋栗、礦石系的香氣，尾韻綿長，並帶有一些些咖啡豆的香氣，讓人感覺非常高雅的一款酒。

Chateau Ausone
Color：色澤較Chateau Cheval Blanc淡些。
Smell：優雅的花香和覆盆子果味，會讓人想一聞再聞
Taste：有一些些煙燻香氣，和Cheval Blanc一樣，口感中的香氣很集中，充滿黑醋栗等黑色漿果味，單寧很多，但順口。滋味很豐富且感覺很多汁，尾韻中似乎藏了許多東西，complex! Amazing!

-------------------------------------------------

圖片說明：這是Mouton 2000的酒瓶，我從這個試酒會拿到一瓶回來作紀念！:-)

-------------------------------------------------

補充參考資訊：

Chateau Haut Brion
屬Pessac-Leognan區，WS：94，WA：96~98
Steven Spurrier, Decanter April 2001評：
Marvelously ripe fruit, silky and velvety, superb concentration. Wonderful purity of fruit.
Wine Spectator評：
Beautiful tobacco, berry, cedar and plum aromas in this one. Full-bodied, yet very fine and reserved, with silky tannins and a medium finish. I still prefer the 1998, but this is very , very fine indeed. An Haut-Brion with lots of finesse. Best after 2010. – J.S.
Wine Advocate評：
The 2000 Haut-Brion possesses a saturated ruby/purple color as well as a striking perfume of wet steel, hot rocks, minerals, plums, black currants, and cherries. Elegant yet deep, delicate yet authoritatively flavorful, this subtle, highly nuanced yet stunningly rich offering is a great Haut-Brion. The wine (a blend of 51% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 7% Cabernet Franc) is a sensational Haut-Brion that should be uncommonly long-lived, even by the standards of this noble chateau. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2040.

Chateau Margaux
屬Margaux區，WS：NA，WA：96-99
NK Yong評：
Black, intense perfumed bouquet; very intense profound wine, chocolate and coffee flavours.
Wine Advocate評：
Only 40% of the crop made it into the 2000 Chateau Margaux, a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. Picked by many of my colleagues as the "wine of the vintage," it merited an even higher score than my lofty ratings of last year. The color is a saturated purple. The exquisite nose reveals blackberries, creme de cassis, and subtle new oak and graphite aromas. The tannin has become more supple, the texture is sensational, and the wine is like a towering skyscraper in the mouth without being heavy or disjointed. The finish is splendid. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2050.

Chateau Lafite Rothschild
屬Pauillac區，WS：100，WA：96-100
Steven Spurrier, Decanter April 2001評：
Huge color, superb fragrance, typical Lafite touch of violets; very ripe very film, perfect balance; very great classic Lafite.
Wine Spectator評：
Subtle aromas of currants, leather, tobacco and cedar. Classic cigar box nose, with fruit. Full-Bodied, with an amazing texture of silky, ripe tannins. This wine completely coats your palate, but caresses it at the same time. This is the best young Lafite ever made. A triumph. Best after 2012. 18,000 cases made. – J.S.
Wine Advocate評：
The opaque purple-colored 2000 Lafite-Rothschild has put on weight. Despite the fact that it is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and only 7% Merlot, it is the essence of Lafite, a full, ripe, concentrated and muscular wine. The wine boasts layers of concentration as well as phenomenal purity and personality. The finish lasts over a minute. It is a compelling effort (only 36% of the crop made it into Lafite) from what is undoubtedly the greatest vintage Bordeaux has enjoyed from a perspective of the number of prodigious wines produced. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2050.

Chateau Mouton-Rothschild
屬Pauillac區，WS：93，WA：96-98
Decanter評：
Big, intense color, masses of ripe fruit and pure blackcurrants on the nose, not a blockbuster, but very good length and velvety fruit and high but ripe tannins.
Wine Spectator評：
Rich, which loads of tobacco, berry, currant and coffee. Full-bodied and round, with velvety tannins and a long, vanilla aftertaste. If this had a tiny bit more concentration in the center palate, it would have scored a few points higher. Still, it’s an outstanding wine. A generous and opulent Mouton. Best after 2009. 21,215 cases made. – J.S.
Wine Advocate評：
A behemoth, the gigantic 2000 Mouton-Rothschild (86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot) boasts a saturated purple color as well as aromas of ink, cassis, licorice, damp earth, and sweet oak. It reveals a cassis liqueur-like flavor profile with a hint of truffles. This majestic effort will undoubtedly close down, but enjoy an exceptionally long life. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2050+.

Chateau Latour
屬Pauillac區，WS：100，WA：96-99
Decanter評：
Really fine deep color, not over-extracted. Really lovely fragrant fruit, seems to be a different style of Latour, very pretty but just as long.
Wine Spectator評：
A young wine that electrifies every taste bud in your mouth. Compacted aromas of crushed currants and minerals, with roses and lilacs. Full-bodied, with masses of silky, refined tannins and a finish tat lasts for minutes. Stunning. Best Latour since 1990. Best after 2012. 14,165 cases made. – J.S.
Wine Advocate評：
Only 48% of the crop made it into the prodigious 2000 Latour. The wine's saturated ruby/purple color is accompanied by sumptuous aromas of jammy black fruits intermixed with earth, vanilla, grilled nuts, and minerals. It is remarkably seamless for a young Latour, but as the wine sits in the glass, its acid and unevolved high tannin level begin to make an impact. This is an unctuously-styled effort where tasters may not discern the tannin until the finish. A fascinating offering, it will flirt with perfection when fully mature. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2050.

Chateau Cheval-Blanc
屬St.-Emilion區，WS：93，WA：98-100
NK Yong評：
Black, lush but restrained; delicious beautiful wine.
Wine Spectator評：
Fresh mineral, berry and earth aromas. Decadent. Full-bodied, yet refined and silky, with a lovely, long finish that goes on and on, with tobacco, berry, cherry and spices. It’s not the 1998, but it’s very good indeed. Best after 2006. – J.S.
Wine Advocate評：
Last year, the 2000 Cheval Blanc appeared to be the wine of the vintage. It has not changed, but about a half dozen other offerings have added considerable weight and are now worthy rivals to this prodigious effort.
The most port-like Cheval Blanc I have ever tasted, it represents the essence of this noble vineyard. A blend of equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc, it boasts a saturated purple color along with a striking bouquet of blackberries, blueberries, truffles, and mocha. As the wine sits in the glass, scents of licorice, menthol, and saddle leather also emerge. Opulent and full-bodied, with a diaphanous quality (each layer peels away to reveal even more nuances), low acidity, sweet tannin, and a 60-second finish, it is unquestionably a profound wine. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2030+.

Chateau Ausone
屬St.-Emilion區，WS：97，WA：96-100
NK Yong評：
Black, massive dense wine, very very ripe, great balance with soft ripe tannins.
Wine Spectator評：
This is like a perfectly cut piece of silk fabric. Every angle is just right, every texture great. Fabulous aromas of tobacco, mineral and cool berry fuit. Full-bodied, with loads of silky tannins and a length that goes on and on. Very racy. Very seductive. Best wine I have ever had from this estate. Best after 2010. – J.S.
Wine Advocate評：
The 2000 is the greatest Ausone I have ever tasted aside from 100+- year old examples I had in Munich with the famous collector, Hardy Rodenstock.
A saturated black/purple color is followed by sensational aromas of ink, cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and that wet stones/liquid mineral characteristic. The wine has phenomenal presence on the palate as well as astonishing richness and purity. Despite its extract, power, and richness, it is remarkably light with a surreal delicacy and purity. It is a tour de force in winemaking and a great expression of this magical terroir. It should prove to be legendary, but sadly, anyone over the age of 50 will probably not live to see it come close to maturity. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2075.
P.S. Even if you have to drink it young, everyone owes it to themselves to taste this prodigious effort.