Wine: 2000 Lynch Bages
Region: Bordeaux
Sokolin Price: $249.99/btl
Rating: 95 RP
Wine: 2000 Leoville Barton
Region: Bordeaux
Sokolin Price: $179/btl
Rating: 95+ RP
With the upcoming 2010 Bordeaux futures campaign just around the corner, drinking Bordeaux is particularly at the forefront of our minds right now. We thought we'd put our thoughts into action, so we pulled the corks on a couple of bottles from the 2000 vintage to determine how they are currently drinking. Side by side, we sipped on 2000 Lynch Bages and 2000 Leoville Barton with grilled lamb slices and garlic mashed potatoes. These wines are already 11 years old, yet are still considered babies by wine aficionado standards. Top Bordeaux wines have incredible longevity as compared to other wine producing regions. Time just does amazing thing to its wines. Sometimes a little patience is required to experience the charm of Bordeaux, but when you experience it, wow, you quickly realize that it was worth the wait.
Lynch Bages, actually a fifth growth based on the 1855 Classification, is really a superstar of the Pauillac region, and in our opinion, can compete with the best of the top names in Bordeaux. After all, three of the five first growths hail from Pauillac. We have to be honest - Lynch Bages is truly one of our favorite wines. There is just something about it that is so real and alive every time we experience it. This particular vintage was full-bodied, balanced, complex, full of dark fruit, earth, and just plain beautiful. The nose was unbelievable with the classic hints of smoke, cedar, saddle leather and graphite. And, it is really rocking and drinking right now! Based on the lengthy finish, it's a wine you can still cellar for at least another 30+ years if you can show restraint.
The 2000 Leoville Barton, a second growth, was equally delicious and pleasing. This wine also comes from the Left Bank of Bordeaux, but is from St. Julien, which is a commune of the Medoc region. Robert Parker gave this wine 95+ points - a similar score he gave to the 2000 Lynch Bages (95 points). The Leoville Barton is starting to show signs of current drinkability, but the Lynch Bages was the more approachable of the two. The Leoville Barton was chock-full of earth, tobacco and smoke, and as we drank it, we couldn't help but appreciate the superb terroir of the Medoc region and the outstanding skills of its winemakers.
Our Recommendation: The 2000 Bordeaux vintage was considered a great one. These wines have already spent 11 years aging. You no longer need to cellar and hold this vintage to enjoy it now. Any wines of this vintage are a great buy, and if you've been following the wine auction news lately, a lot of top quality Bordeaux is making its way to the Asian market. Don't find yourself without any when the occasion arises for a spontaneous and unexpected reason to celebrate. A glass of 2000 Bordeaux is the perfect juice to have in your glass as you "cheers" to good times.