I had this wine from my cellar, as well as at a tasting in Zurich in February of 2015. It is one of the handful of 2003s I bought from the Right Bank of Bordeaux in this vintage. Angelus really nailed the vintage, and has produced... Read More
Good medium red. Sexy red berries, smoked meat, coffee, underbrush, truffle and spicy oak on the nose. Very ripe but initially tight, with good spine and a high pitch to its sappy red berry flavors. Slightly roasted for this cuvee... Read More
Red-ruby. Aromas of blackberry liqueur. Sweet, warm and simple, with rather rustic flavors of currant jam and leather. "The most Australian cuvee," notes Clape. A mix of 30-year-old hillside vines and old vines from the foot of... Read More
The 2003 Ausone is off the charts in terms of richness. While I gave a 3-digit score to the 2000, I think this profoundly concentrated wine may be even more sublime and exotic. Its inky/blue/purple color is followed by an extraordinary... Read More
The 2003 Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape turned out as well as I could have hoped and is certainly an outstanding wine, deep ruby/purple with a tight but promising nose of black fruits, loamy, earthy notes intermixed with pepper,... Read More
Unfortunately, the 2003 Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage À Jacques Perrin was subtly corked. You could still see its potential (and I recommended the table drink it quickly before the TCA became even more apparent), but this is the... Read More
Even in a vintage such as 2003 there are wines that are youthful, unevolved and still in need of bottle age. The 2003 Bellevue Mondotte is one of those wines. From a tiny (5 acres) estate owned by Gerard Perse, this blend of 90%... Read More
This beautiful 2003 exhibits a dense ruby/purple color, a vigorous youthfulness, and plenty of mulberry, black currant and cherry fruit intermixed with notions of cedarwood, baking spices and roasted herbs. Ripe, medium to full-bodied,... Read More
This beautiful 2003 exhibits a dense ruby/purple color, a vigorous youthfulness, and plenty of mulberry, black currant and cherry fruit intermixed with notions of cedarwood, baking spices and roasted herbs. Ripe, medium to full-bodied,... Read More
A blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc cropped at a low 28 hectoliters per hectare, this chunky, narrowly constructed St.-Emilion reveals elevated tannins, fig pudding-like fruit, medium body and an awkward finish. Drink... Read More
This was the finest performance by this wine that I have seen since it was released. I did not expect the 2003 Chateau Margaux to show this well in a vintage where the southern part of the Medoc was clearly less impressive than... Read More
This was the finest performance by this wine that I have seen since it was released. I did not expect the 2003 Chateau Margaux to show this well in a vintage where the southern part of the Medoc was clearly less impressive than... Read More
This was the finest performance by this wine that I have seen since it was released. I did not expect the 2003 Chateau Margaux to show this well in a vintage where the southern part of the Medoc was clearly less impressive than... Read More
The dense ruby/purple-colored 2003 is surprisingly fresh and crisp, displaying no signs of the vintage's extreme heat. This full-bodied, powerful, rich, backward, dense, tannic effort reveals notes of Chinese black tea, creme... Read More
Ex-chateau bottle tasted blind in Sauternes. The Climens '03 has always been a capricious Barsac: brilliant out of barrel but found wanting under vertical conditions. Here, amidst a blind horizontal, it fell somewhere between... Read More
Ex-chateau bottle tasted blind in Sauternes. The Climens '03 has always been a capricious Barsac: brilliant out of barrel but found wanting under vertical conditions. Here, amidst a blind horizontal, it fell somewhere between... Read More
This vintage is not as promising as hoped based on previous vintages. Licorice, herb, and stewed vegetable-like characteristics make an appearance in this dark plum/garnet-colored effort. Although well-made, medium-bodied, and... Read More
The 2003 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape (the # 2 wine in the Wine Spectator's annual winefest) has long been one of the most profound wines of the vintage. It somehow manages to offer the vintage's character in power,... Read More
The 2003 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape (the # 2 wine in the Wine Spectator's annual winefest) has long been one of the most profound wines of the vintage. It somehow manages to offer the vintage's character in power,... Read More
Boasting a nose of great ripeness and freshness, the 2003 Bonnes Mares offers aromas of waxy black fruits and spices. Medium to full-bodied, it resembles liquid silk in both its attack and mid-palate. Luxurious and sensual, this... Read More
Two terrific efforts from this vintage, the 2003 Cos d'Estournel (70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc) remains one of the superstars of the vintage. It offers an opaque ruby/purple... Read More
Aromas of blackberry, spices, chocolate and meat follow through to a full-bodied palate, with lots of juicy fruit. Luscious finish. Gorgeous. This has a new winery, but the clay soil of the vineyards really helped. Best after... Read More
Space limitations preclude including tasting notes. 2003 is a rich, sweet vintage of powerful, full-bodied wines that possess huge levels of glycerin, alcohol, and residual sugar. RP
Full red. Plum, tobacco, leather, cedar and smoked meat on the nose. Fresh and aromatic in the mouth, with impressive retention of fruit for this superripe vintage. The flavors of red plum, tobacco, cocoa, mocha and spices really... Read More