Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

Classic Pauillac and what a treat for a Sunday night with pepper steak. Great steak but the wine was the star tonight. Not one that is talked about much here but this is truly superb and drinking beautifully at this time. Tannins resolved and lead pencil,cedar, black current all classic and balance is the theme. Nothing wrong with this bottle other than I only have 2 left and wish I had many more. This is well within the top ten of my year so far and just reinforces how much better the 2003 vintage is turning out to be in contrast to the initial negativity. Certainly no rush to drink this up but if you like fruit over tertiary notes this is ripe for drinking now. This is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot so right in Danielle's wheelhouse where she appreciates the addition of cab franc and especially petit verdot for the added spice and complexity. This strikes well above its price providing excellent QPR. 95+pts.

Sound delicious. So these 2003 aren't so bad? Except the Péby Faugeres, all 2003 I had were very good. Even Lynch Bages did an excellent 2003.

Nic

I don't get this meme of '2003 not well regarded initially'.

The ones folks clamored to buy were all ones on clay soils.

I was calling around back then, looking for merchants who didn't sell over the internet, trying to pin down wines before the scores were going to make them crazy.

Wasn't looking for right banks.

The ones that did well, were pretty much known even before the notes would come out, one just had to see the last time the weather was the same.

I did a pick up a few scattered right banks but in the main they held poorly.

But the Medocs have been nice, generous wines with broad drinking windows.

Most unlike the 95's, who seem to be doing their best to recreate 1975.

Had a 2003 Durfot Vivens on Friday. A nice wine, with 12.5% alc. and not out of balance.

Alex R.

Arv,

I beg to differ regarding opinions about the 2003`s out of the gate. Record heat in Bordeaux had people worried with scorched grapes. The talk was all about extremes of fruit extraction,over oaked,poorly balanced hot wines. Not liking green wines I bought a reasonable number of cases on futures and got a little concerned as people started drinking these wines early and they were panning them all over. I must say I have not had an 03 that I haven`t loved. All of my purchases were from the left bank so I can`t comment on the right. I don`t think these are built to last through the ages but they are drinking very well 12 years out and I`m thoroughly enjoying these wines at the moment and should have a good 5-10 year window ahead.

I bought no 2003s as futures due to reports of record heat and concerns about cooked/roasted flavors in the wines. The en primeur message was choose carefully, and I chose not to buy based on barrel tastings in the spring of 2004. I did buy a year or two later when it was clear which wines did well.

The St Estephe's and some other Medocs were being given huge barrel scores, and those were what people were looking for.

Back in the 04 time frame the belief was that these would all get 100 pts and become unaffordable.

It wasn't so obvious back then that there would be a raft of great vintages coming (and prices would escalate anyways) so I split quite a few names with friends then.

Anyways we're going to have Rashoman recollections since everybody remembers things differently, and took different actions.

If anything, although I like the 03 Medocs, and enjoy them frequently/currently, I'm ever so slightly disappointed.

I had actually hoped they would be more like 1990, instead I think of them more like 1989.

Ripe is different from scorched. The 03 Rhones are more scorched though.

Agree, many of the 03 Bdx were ripe where the CduPs were burnt/scorched.

2003 left....I like

And I like D'armailhac more than Clerc....is D'a underrated?

I believe so

Wish I had another bottle of '03 D'issan....nothing profound on the palate but drinks very well, actually quite soft and elegant to taste....but those aromatics were off the charts...I didn't even want to drink it...just sniff sniff sniff

Not to say I have tasted a large sample of 2003 bordeaux, but I am yet to find anything overwhelming in terms of ripeness....though my samples have been mostly left bank...

I am not at all surprised that 2003 + d'Armailhac = excellence.

robertgoulet wrote:Not to say I have tasted a large sample of 2003 bordeaux, but I am yet to find anything overwhelming in terms of ripeness....though my samples have been mostly left bank...

+1 on this. My main quibble though is some 2003s seem pretty flabby/low acid right now. Hopefully just a phase.

If you mean 03 right banks, I don't think its a phase. I'd consume sooner rather than later.

I think the Medocs are doing fine, and as a practical matter, seem friendlier to drink today than tannic vintages we are all cellaring collectively.

The weakness of the euro (1.06 today!) seems to be leading to another wave of imports.