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
The 2003 St. Eden comes from an 11-acre rocky knoll on the northern side of the Oakville Crossroad that consists of pure red soils. It is the most evolved and forward of these 2003 Bond wines. Lots of cedar, chocolate, roasted... 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
My favorite wine of this quartet is the 2003 Cariad, a proprietary blend (50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc) that comes from David Abreu-owned vineyards, primarily the Madrona Ranch in St.... Read More
The 2003 Dominus is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot (14.1% alcohol). Remarkably, it is the 20th vintage for Christian Moueix. Always a Bordeaux-inspired wine with restraint yet substance... Read More
The 2003 Slacker, a 400-case blend of 68% Syrah, 22% Grenache, and 10% Mourvedre, is an elegant, spicy effort displaying notions of plums, figs, raspberries, and crushed rocks. Displaying a European sensitivity in its streamlined,... Read More
This blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec aged 17 months in French oak is a strong effort offering creme de cassis, cedarwood, white chocolate and spice box. It possesses... Read More
The 2003 l'Esprit des Pavots offers chocolate, fresh herb, smoky, meaty, black currant and licorice-imbued flavors with moderately high tannin in the slightly austere finish. It does not possess the charm and silkiness of... Read More
One of the smallest crops to be included in the Ridge Monte Bello, only 32% of the production made it into the 2003, which is largely Cabernet Sauvignon (85%) and the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot. Out of barrel as well as post-bottling... Read More
The 20003 was made by Martha McClellan and the viticulture looked over by David Abreu. The 2003 Sloan, if slightly less prodigious than the perfect 2002, remains a young wine. Notes of vanillin, espresso roast, blackberries, scorched... Read More
Clean red, with plum, berry and a hint of floral and dark chocolate character. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a well-balanced, fresh mineral finish. Delicious even now. Lots of new wood. Best after 2006. 3,000 cases made.... Read More