A Morning in Paris: GJE Blind Tasting of 2001 and 2006 Top Bordeaux

I received an invitation from Francois Mauss, president of the GJE, to attend a special session (half day) in Paris for a tasting of two flights of red wines, blind. Although that is all we were told, it was sufficiently intriguing that Kevin Shin and I accepted the invitation to cross the pond to attend; also there were the stalwarts of the GJE including Michel Bettane, Jacques Perrin, Bernard Burtschy, Olivier Poussier, Marie Ahm, and others.

In front of us, at the venerable Restaurant Laurent, were two flights of wines–11 wines each with 22 total in front of us. The restaurant was a beautiful setting for such an event–we did it in a private room of the restaurant, which for years was a ** Michelin restaurant. For reasons I cannot imagine, it now has one macaroon, but the food I tasted at lunch after the tasting was certainly 2 star food.

The wines on the left were clearly a bit older than the wines on the right, though neither flight would be called “old wines.” I thought the wines on the left had a bit of a roasted quality and I suspected the vintage might be 2003. My first guess was Bordeaux; and I thought the vintage on the right could be 2006 because it didn’t have the weight or stature of the wines on the right.

After the blind tasting, before we all gathered for the debriefing in which we would share our thoughts and hear the identity of the wines, several of us gathered to informally share our guesses as to what we were tasting. “Merlot, merlot, merlot” said one seasoned taster. My guess is Right Bank Bordeaux. “I’m thinking Massetto” said another. I thought the wines were from a warm climate, so if not 2003 from Bordeaux, maybe another, warm region? I could believe Italy, and 3 of us thought Italy was a distinct possibility.

Here are the wines, and my notes on them, followed by the aggregate ranking of the entire GJE.

FIRST FLIGHT

1. "A bit lighter but lush, round, inviting, good finish. Impressive finish. Some roasted meats on the palate. 93 points. Petrus 2001

2. "A touch of vanilla and spice on the nose. A lighter style than its peers. On the palate, meaty and muscular; earthy, structured, slightly tannic on the finish. " 92 points. Ausone

3. “Nice, clean notes on the nose. Strong, roasted and meaty flavours; roasted red and black fruits. Good finish. A very high quality wine.” 93 points. Cheval Blanc

4. “A bit more restrained on the attack. Dark fruits, slightly tannic. Good structure; vibrant, bold, masculine.” 94 points. Haut Brion

5. “Very expressive nose. Quite masculine and powerful. Impressive finish. Some smoke on the nose. On the second taste, supple, rich, well rounded, explosive finish.” 95 points. Latour

6. “A bit of cedar, more feminine, not as complex as some of the other wines in the group. Rather basic finish. More of a basic wine than some of the others in the group.” 88 points. Lafite

7. “Very expressive nose. Rich and textured with much depth. Smoke and cherries on the palate. Good finish; well rounded wine.” 90 points. Mouton

8. "Very complex with much texture and complexity. A masculine wine that is strong on the attach. Some earth and smoky quality with the fruit. Very good finish. 92 points. La Mission Haut Brion

9. “Lovely nose with flavours of roasted meats on the palate. Well rounded and masculine. Strong finish.” 91 points. Margaux

10. “Rich, masculine, powerful and a bit tannic. Roasted meats and a very strong finish. Minimal tannins but well structured.” 90 points. Reignac

11. “Bright fruits on the nose; dark fruits and meat on the palate. Well rounded, well structured with a fine finish.” 90 points. Angelus

2006 Vintage

12. “Some vanilla, bright flavours but more light and delicate than the prior flight of blind wines. Very impressive finish. Light on its feet compared to Bibendum-style wines of the first flight.” 95 points. Angelus

13. “Some vanilla on the nose, slightly out of balance, with a roasted meat quality and a good finish. A bit tannic on the finish. Fine wine.” 92 points. Lafite

14. “Slightly acidic and out of balance. On the palate, some roasted meats with a good finish.” 89 points. Mouton

15. “Supple, rich, bold, full, and a bit tannic on the finish. A well balanced wine with a very nice finish.” 93 points. Petrus

16. “This wine is approachable and a bit of a lighter style than its peers. Still, it is full, rich with a lovely finish that lasts and lasts.” 94 points. Ausone

17. “Very nice on the attack, well structured, full, rich and complex. A bit tannic; lovely finish.” 92 points. Cheval Blanc

18. TCA but underneath I detected “gamey roasted meats with a bit of drying on the finish.” NR

19. “Lovely nose of vanilla and some spice. A masculine wine that is full and rich and vibrant. Bright on the finish; a wine that totally coats the mouth. Good complexity.” 94 points. Haut Brion

20. “Heavy use of vanilla and oak are prominent on the nose. The wine is a touch light on the attack. Minimal finish. Not as complex as some.” 89 points. Margaux

21. “Minimally expressive on the nose. More straightforward than many of its peers at this tasting, fine finish.” 90 points. Latour

22. “Very good complexity. Well rounded, impressive finish. A touch of oak and vanilla but the finish is very impressive.” 94 points. La Mission Haut Brion

The GJE ranking for the 2001 vintage with all 14 tasters:

Angelus
Reignac
Lafite-Rothschild
Latour
Ausone
Mouton-Rothschild
La Mission Haut-Brion
Petrus
Haut-Brion
Margaux
Cheval-Blanc

The GJE ranking for the 2006 vintage excluding Reignac (TCA):

Haut-Brion
Angelus
Ausone
Cheval-Blanc
La Mission Haut-Brion
Margaux
Latour
Mouton-Rothschild
Lafite-Rothschild
Petrus

A humbling experience but isn’t it interesting how a 15 euro wine can rank up there with wines going for up to 1200 euro or more.

You didn’t rate the Reignac as high as some other tasters. 90 is probably right around where I would put it even though it’s a style I’m not crazy about.

Thanks for the notes- very interesting to get a glimpse of how these two vintages are shaping up. Would you say the 01s are ready / close to ready? I’m thinking of starting to pop some of them - maybe cru bourgeois, even 01 Pontet Canet… any thoughts? And for the 06s, are they not shut down yet? Might want to check in on a few 06 classed growths if they’re not closed yet…

Paul–yes, I didn’t put it as high as some others. For Kevin Shin, it was his favorite wine.

Alan–As for the 01 vintage, I think its shaping up nicely and yes, I think its starting to begin to show some secondary characteristics. I’ve always been a fan of the 01 vintage and I’d consider it just beginning its drinking window.

Only 2 points for the Ausone? Wow.

Seriously though, thanks for the notes and the interesting peek into these two vintages.

Do you think the Reignac showed as well as it did because it is ready to drink now and not built for a sweet spot 10 years from now?

Oh my! Thanks for the correction. 92 points.

Ben…though that’s part of it, the other 01’s weren’t exactly closed. As I say above, I think they are entering their drinking windows. Remember…after 8 years, 2001 is not a vintage like 2005 or 2000 where we’re talking about 10+ years…

Wilfred, too bad you Folks did not taste the 01 Pape Clement, it showed great with no closing on that baby.

Many thanks for the post, however I really want to get out of Bordeaux, so the thanks is tongue in cheek!

Interesting report Wilfred. I sadly went through 2 cases of the 01 Reignac as early drinkers. They were still 90 rated wines to me back then but without any secondary nuances.
Your report on the 06 Mouton clearly does not rival the notes of The Palate or his mini me who loved it.

Fair point. I’ve sort of ignored the vintage to be honest. I have some LMHB and was glad to see you liked that one. Do you think the vintage holds enough interest generally to invest in it now, as opposed to something like the '95s which also seem to be entering a drinking window?

Thanks, Wilfred. Any thoughts on whether now is a good time to sample 06s or whether they’ve entered slumber (anyone else, please feel free to chime in too)?

Thanks Wilfred…once again we are exposed to the beauty of blind tastings!!!


Cheers!
Marshall

Wonderful notes Wilfred. Thanks.
I’ve never seen a Reignac compared against such an illustrious group, but it is always such a reliable inexpensive Bordeaux. Fun result.

A video of tasting has now been posted on youtube:

Lookin’ good, Wilfred!!!

Thanks for the link! (I embedded it in your post)

Very fascinating to watch the tasters’ reactions to when the wines are revealed.

So which ITB Berserker has some '01 Reignac to sell??

Very Cool!

Francois’s French doesn’t suck. Ha-Ha.

Wilfred, if you want to hire me as your personal translator the cost is a plane ticket and a good pour of what you are all drinking.

Very nice indeed. I really enjoyed the structured and formal tasting.

Fantastic stuff. Thanks very much Wilfred. Excellent video clip. Seems like that Reignac is a frequent spoiler (thinking 2000 and 2004). Hats off to Francois Mauss and his GJE efforts.

RT

Bump

For the future, every session will be recorded : some minutes for the tasting and the total time of the debriefing, by far the most interesting moment.

Wilfred looks very serious : impressing.

Kevin is a case by itself : he knows so much about the very best crus !

Kelly : well, he will be with us at the Davos of Wine, like Daniel Greathouse, Bipin Desaï, Lempert and 20 personnalities from Singapore !

Best,

Count me as another fan of these rigorous, structured blind tastings with experienced and talented palates. It is surprising how frequently getting the labels out of the way makes for interesting and honest discussion as well as preferences that would no doubt be at odds with the same tasting done unblind.

Al Fenster