TN: 03 Greysac [Medoc]

[AKR]

03 Greysac [Medoc] I have not had this cru bourgeoise in a long time, I'm thinking maybe the 90's, when I remember enjoying a 96 in front of the woodstove in the cabin. 13% abv, and perfectly mature, perhaps just beginning the downward slope. Decanted, over two days, the first day was better. Medium bodied, fruity for its age. The SO thinks it tastes like Beaujolais! (I disagree) I get pine and vanilla on the nose. Good 20 second finish. It's easy to drink without food, although we do end up finishing it over quiche. A very pleasant wine, fully resolved tannins, and given the slug of merlot here, easy going. If one has the 2003, I'd consume it now. Given the huge production this should generally be a $14-$22 wine in most vintages, and it tastes of its place -- Bordeaux. That's a useful combination. I'd forgotten about this estate but will keep them on the radar screen again since it seems mildly harder to find out here, and on the East Coast I would ignore it, perhaps due to its ubiquity. It was more prevalent in NYC* as I remember. Hard to justify shipping this though. The 2005 has some regard, so I've put one of those away as well. Good midweek value, somewhere between the B and B+ range.

* I just did a superficial WS query - nearly every store carrying it is in the NY/NJ/CT area. And then I checked K&L - sold out of every vintage.

[AlexR]

Hi Arv,

This wine was especially well distributed in the US because it was distributed nationwide by Ch. & Estate (Seagram).

Two years ago, the sizeable estate was sold to Jean Guyon of Rollan de By, making him the largest vineyard owner in the Médoc.
Guyon's policy has always been building brands of good (not pretending to be great) wine at competitive prices.

Like Rollan de By, Greysac pretty much fits that role.

All the best,
Alex

[RDD]

Unfortunately Ch. & Estate (Seagram) is long gone.
But there were some great bargains when they liquidated.

[AKR]

Yes, a few minutes of searching suggests that losing the distribution powers of C&E means its not so available out West.

Given that the estate was in a favored part of the region in 2003, I guess that explains why the wine was so solid.

Picked up sister estate 2010 Rollan de By yesterday (coincidentally) and look forward to trying it.

[Claret]

Years ago when my dad worked on Wall Street he was gifted a 3L of Greysac, a 1981 IIRC. The biggest bottle I ever poured. Decent old school Claret.

[stefan]

I always liked Greysac and wondered why I did not come across it any more. Now I know why.

[Racer Chris]

I consumed my first bottle of 2011 Ch. Greysac a week ago.
Its drinking pretty well now.
I found the 2010 to be a bit less ready for business earlier this year.