Where to start… if someone puts together a 4-day blind tasting of 200 Grand Cru Burgundies of the vintage 2000 that features all 33 GC appellations including ALL Grand Cru wines produced by the cult producers Leroy, DRC, Rousseau, Roumier, Coche-Dury, Leflaive, etc. accompanied by a famous Chef on each day, I would say: you’re kidding! Yet, it happened in Singapore and a few lucky friends were invited – generosity on a different level. The host is one of Asia’s prolific collectors, who not only has a 50k bottle deep cellar but also has done his reading homework with WSET and other exams on his belt. This epic blind tasting had the following features:
The tasting was called Route de Grand Cru (RdGC) 2000, meaning tasting all Grand Crus appellation of the vintage 2000 in a way that all anchor producers of each Grand Cru site were shown. As mentioned, of the very top producers, all of their GC wines were shown! For this, sometimes dedicated producer flights were showcased in addition to the appellation flights. The tasting was organized in 12 flights of 4, 48 btls per day over 4 days, with ringers in some of the flights to keep us on our toes. There were also some separate surprise flights in-between and after tasting nite cap bottles, as if we had not enough wines, with ringers from all over the world. All wines, including the ringers, were from the vintage 2000.
Observations:
- To the surprise of many, the whites did not have much premox issues and showed more consistent than the reds (also, not many corked bottles). The light and challenging vintage produced great whites. The best whites were not the heavy ones, but the ones that retained a mineralic, flinty note. They were simply stunning. Some whites where maturity was pushed, smelled too much like a pina colada (pinapple plus cream).
- The reds were light as the medium quality vintage suggests. They are at the end of their drinking window with browning edges. The top reds were excellent, classic and elegant, they gave a lot of pleasure. Producers clearly trumped terroir.
- Leroy and Coche were a class of their own. Boy, are they expensive, but are they awesome. Leflaive, Henri Boillot also top for whites. DRC, Ramonet, Roumier good but not at the level of Madame’s wines – looks like they fired the wrong person at DRC back in the days…
Enjoy the tasting notes of the 3rd day.
2000 Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, 97 Points
Aperitiv wine. From MAG. Light and elegant, yet with good mid mouth volume, spiciness of Pinot visible, deep, elegant, got even better with time, very Krug style, Winston Churchill, it was. Wonderful showing.
Flight 1
2000 Domaine Ponsot Chapelle-Chambertin, 96 Points
Beautiful nose of sour cherry, excellent, deep, ripe, rich, savoury, balanced, some whole cluster, very good. 96+
2000 Pierre Damoy Chambertin, 96 Points
Wow also here, rich, ripe, whole cluster, sour cherry and dark cherry, even riper than the others but very good.
2000 Domaine Ponsot Griotte-Chambertin, 95 Points
Very similar to wine 1 and 2 in this flight. Also rich and ripe with sour cherry, cinnamon, a bit Rayas style, which is a good thing. May be a touch more freshness would be needed. Very good still.
2000 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes, 93 Points
Very ripe and bready notes, every more mature than the others in the flight but still well drinkable, not oxidative, cinnamon, sweet spices.
Flight 2
2000 Maison Roche de Bellene Latricières-Chambertin Collection Bellenum, 96 Points
This was rich, ripe bready, savoury, cinnamon, Rayas style almost. Very good.
2000 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Charmes-Chambertin, 97 Points
Wow, ripe and bready, rich, sour cherry, some sour finish intermixed with the ripeness. Very good, very elegant. This Charmes showed much better than the other Rousseaus which make me wonder if these bottles were really representative.
2000 Bernard Dugat-Py Charmes-Chambertin, 94 Points
Much cooler, blue fruit here, mint, dark cherry, pine, very aristocratic, a bit stinky funk though as well, tertiary end of life. Drink up.
2000 Domaine Joseph Roty Charmes-Chambertin Très Vieilles Vignes, 96 Points
A little off smell, light TCA? Ripe rich as well, dark fruit intermixed with earthy elements. Masculine but not rustic. Very good, my score is neglecting the light TCA.
Flight 3
2000 Marcassin Chardonnay Three Sisters Vineyard, 86 Points
Ringer. WTF, are we drinking Pina Colada? Coconut galore with caramel, off-dry palate feeling, the pine apple again on the finish. No idea what this is, but I would never drink stuff like this. Turns out it is Marcassin. Way too pushed in the ripeness is my verdict.
2000 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series, 95 Points
Generous ripeness also here with matching acidity, very good, not my style of Chard either but but very convincing if you like it a bit riper.
2000 Gantenbein Chardonnay, 94 Points
Ringer. From MAG. Lots of pear here, pear, apple as well with aromas of whipping cream, very rich, good acidity though as well. Very unique borderline monolithic in its aromas. Lovely nevertheless.
2000 Domaine Roger Belland Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet, 96 Points
Nose of green apple, cider, rich, lots of acidity, almost Chenin Blanc like, but also the fruit to carry it. Very good.
Flight 4
2000 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Richebourg, Not Rated
Nose of cardboard, alas, TCA. Other than that some lovely cinnamon, sweet, Rayas style notes.
2000 Denis Mugneret Père et Fils Richebourg, 96 Points
Rich, ripe, earthy, brooding, deep and complex, ripeness visible. I love how some of the wines defy the inherent thinness of red Burgs 2000.
2000 Bouchard Père et Fils La Romanée, 96 Points
Dense lots of dry extract, demanding, dark fruit, tannins grippy, wow, serious extraction here but it works, lots of aromatic concentration and depth, masculine.
2000 Domaine Jean Grivot Richebourg, 95 Points
Aromatic, underbrush, cool forest, pine, wood stack with moss, earthy, serious, somber, lacking more fruit for a higher score.
Flight 5
2000 Domaine Coquard Loison-Fleurot Clos de la Roche, 95 Points
Lovely floral nose here with cinnamon and red fruit, elegant, complex. Nice.
2000 Domaine Coquard Loison-Fleurot Clos Vougeot, 95 Points
More earthy, restraint, dense, compact than the CdR next to it. But good aromatics with cured meat. A more tannic and masculine expression of the vintage.
2000 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges, 93 Points
Nose of raspberry and even citrus, floral, higher pitched than the others in this flight, cinnamon spice but tannins too strict.
2000 Domaine Coquard Loison-Fleurot Echezeaux, 92 Points
The nose here was very bretty, with cloudy color, funky, some people in the group really loved this. I thought there was a bit too much funk.
Flight 6
2000 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet, 90 Points
Nos of pear, apple, rich, ripe, too ripe with Pina Colada flavors which alwasy points to too much ripeness in white Burg.
2000 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bourgogne Blanc, Not Rated
Oxidative, over the hill. A shame for this Musigny Blanc, but then again no surprise with Vogue’s sub-par wine making skills.
2000 Bouchard Père et Fils Montrachet, 88 Points
Not much better than the Chevalier next to it. Nose of apple cider, intermixed with pop corn, classic palate but with way too much ripe pine apple notes.
2000 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte, 90 Points
Also here no winner in the glass unfortunately like the Le Montrachet next to it. Very baroque with ripe Pina Colada flavors. Not classic.
Flight 7
2000 Domaine Leroy Corton-Renardes, 98 Points
First statement: My kind of wine! Floral, elegant, cured meat, cinnamon, ethereal, light. Simply stunning. Stunning.
2000 Domaine Leroy Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts, 100 Points
Simply stunning nose, elegant, floral, sweet spice, a bit lighter on the palate but I rather like it light than overdone. Wow, in the as good as it gets category. All the wines in this flight were stunning. A big sigh went through the room when it was announced that it was a Leroy producer flight and not a terroir flight. On the one hand you hate when the most expensive wines are the best ones, but then again you have to be in awe and happy for Madame when you see what she has achieved. Clearly DRC has fired the wrong person.
2000 Domaine Leroy Richebourg, 100 Points
Wow, so elegant, sweet fruit core, endless complexity. A bit like a Rayas with more acidity and freshness. Off the charts wine, I have to give three digits here.vvvvvvv
2000 Domaine Leroy Romanée St. Vivant, 98 Points
Awesome wine here as well. Rich, ripe with beautiful cinnamon, still enough acidity to carry it. Top like all wines in this Leroy flight. Madam is just Queen Elisabeth of Burgundy. Unmatched by anyone!
Flight 8
2000 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Clos de la Roche, 95 Points
Rich, ripe cinnamon, beautiful nose, good acidity, farmyard, tertiary, drink up, light. All the reds of Vincent Girardin did really well in this blind tasting. Kudos.
2000 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche, 96 Points
Elegant, with Vosne spice, acidity up there, great floral components, lovely spice box. 96+
2000 Domaine Arlaud Clos St. Denis, 96 Points
Deeper, denser and riper then the other wines in this flight. Very good ripeness too. So much sweet marsala spice, wow.
2000 Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche Cuvée Lucie, 96 Points
Deep, rich, dense, dark fruit, some plum here, really top, the most dense wine in this flight, darker pitched. All the CdRs showed really well in this tasting, much better than the CSDs. Today with Global warming, CSD has come to its own.
Flight 9
2000 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros, 94 Points
Rich, ripe buttery, borderline too much pine apple here. Good but too rich vs the other wines in this flight.
2000 Maison Albert Bichot Chablis Grand Cru Moutonne Domaine Long-Depaquit, 97 Points
Wow, extremely precise wine here, wheat, bready elements, vanilla, lemon. The surprise winner of this flight.
2000 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir, 95 Points
Stunning nose here as well. Rich ripe, pine apple and with the acidity to match.
2000 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Grenouilles, 94 Points
More apple cider than lemon elements here. Elegant, linear, not as good as the Vaudesir next to it, but the Fevre weines did better than expected.
Flight 10
2000 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Musigny, 96 Points
Cool and precise, dark fruit and dark cherry, favorite of group in this flight.
2000 Domaine Leroy Musigny, 94 Points
Cooler pitched, clear color. Tannic bite like in a Corton. Very light but a bit too strict. Of all the outer worldly Leroy showings, this was one of the weakest.
2000 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant, 95 Points
Floral nose, lighter than the other wines in this flight, cherry, cinnamon spice. Good but would need a touch more stuffing for a higher score.
2000 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Musigny, 94 Points
Different to the others a bit, deeper richer, riper but still, precise but with stingy tannins and slightly drying finish. Probably not picked a full phenolic ripeness back then.
Flight 11
2000 Château Le Pin, 96 Points
This was a Pirate flight and most of us know that we were in Bdx now. TN: Dark brooding, tannic, rustic, acidic, feels still young, good complexity though overall and lovely tertiary profile.
2000 Pétrus, 98 Points
Pirate flight and most of us called it out as Bdx. This was very Bordeaux in the best sense with oak, dark fruit, classic forest aromas, aromatic, great claret, lots of dry extract, very convincing. Top showing. 98+
2000 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, 88 Points
Pirate flight and easy to tell as Bdx. Very strict Bordeaux aroma and palate profile here. Seriously tannic, tannic, drying on the finish. Good but not up there with Petrus, Le Pin and Latour shown in the same flight.
2000 Château Latour Grand Vin, 97 Points
Pirate flight but easily recognizable blind as Bdx. Rich fruit, tannic and brooding, lots of forest floor, (all wines in this flight had a green touch and were very aromatic). Love this, not too opulent/ripe, medium bodied,early drinking window only. Best after 2025.
Flight 12
2000 Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet, 92 Points
The Ramonet wines did not do so well in this tasting, may be a bottle provenance issue, I don’t know. This was a bit too rich and ripe for my taste, also with bruised apples, advanced, and some tropical pine apple notes.
2000 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne, 100 Points
Holy cow! As good as it gets not even a shadow of a doubt already from the nose. Match stick, beguiling aromas of pop corn, crisp lemon, gun powder, buttery yet crisp. All the glory, bakery, light and powerful, stunning. Simply a perfect white wine, whatever this is, I love it, I wrote down. Coche did it again. Coche and Leroy are the best wine makers in Burg for each color. Period!
2000 Domaine Ramonet Montrachet, 94 Points
Rich, very advanced, too nutty for me, end of life and borderline top in terms of ripeness. The Ramonet wines unfortunately did not do so well in this tasting.
2000 Domaine Ramonet Chevalier-Montrachet, 98 Points
The only of the Ramonet wines that did well in this tasting. Like the Coche Corton Charlemagne next to it, this was very crisp and light, almost too light but with lots of aromatic power. Lemon curd, pop corn, all the glory of Chard in Burg, wow, so precise. Grand!
Encores
1961 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes, 100 Points
This was the last wine made by Alain Roumier before Vogue took over. Wow, delicious, fruity, rich, lots of sucrosite, hard to find pristine bottles today of this. Lots of acidity, lots of strawberry, One of the best old wines I had. Sweetness like a Rayas, acidity like a Burgundy, so alive, so fresh, so light, translucent color, stunning, Wow!
1961 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle, 100 Points
Ringer, during the encore. Lots of structure, farmyard funk at the beginning, like the best Burgs we had today but with more density, deeper color, so it must be Rhone North. Acidity and freshness here is top as well. No sign of oxidation. Another wow wine in this encore and great to see that this legendary vintage of La Chapelle lived up to its reputation.
1997 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Chevalier-Montrachet, 100 Points
Bottle served during the encore. My good lord. The third triple digit wine in this encore servings and a wine for which you can buy a small car when you see the price today. TN: A nose to die for, Have you seen anything like this… There are lemon elements, then orchard fruit, fresh, but rich, lots of ripeness but lots of cooler elements as well. A cooler vineyard in a warmer vintage? Among the best white wines I ever had.
1998 Morey-Blanc Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Combes Blanc, 97 Points
Bottle served during the encore. Richer than the 1997 d’Auvenay Chevalier next to it. Feels younger. Fresh crisp, I was guessing another Chevalier. So composed and so discrete, pure lemon curd, pop corn, elegant, all you wish for in a white Burg, so present, so elegant, as good as it gets. Crazy performance for a Village level wine. Pierre Morey made all the Leflaive wines before he started on his own.
Closing Remarks
Simply the biggest and most dazzling tasting of my life. I cannot thank the knowledgeable and exceptionally generous host enough.
Author: Christian Raubach, WSET III, FWS, WSG Champagne Master
August 2022