| | We knew most of the wines which would be present, but the sommelier poured the wines blind, one at a time. - 2008 Fromentin Leclapart Champagne Grand Cru Brut Millésimé - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Just a few notes: Beautiful and focused bubble with good brioche and tight citrus and minerality. A beautiful bubble. (91 pts.)
- 2004 L. Aubry Fils Champagne Le Nombre d'Or Brut Campanae Veteres Vites - France, Champagne
Rich and focused bubble with a lot of minerals, very light and pleasant oxidation impressions, tight tart citrus and pleasant bitterness in the finish. A really nice bubble. (91 pts.)
- 2003 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Not so many notes this time. See also previous notes. The wine is showing maturity now with scents of crustacean. Ripe fruits, vanilla and caramel. Creamy and round. A beautiful and tempting wine. (92 pts.)
- 2009 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Beautiful and complex wine with ripe yellow fruits, good vanilla, acidity and pleasant bitterness. Very youthful and an enormous length. A great beauty! (96 pts.)
- 2003 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia - Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Sassicaia
Lush and creamy bouquet with dark forest fruits. On the palate creamy dark berries, some bell pepper, firm acidity and round tannin with still a good bite and some bitterness in the finish. Excellent wine, but in this stage not extremely impressive. Maybe around 2016 or 2017+? 92+ for tonight. (92 pts.)
- 2003 Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Day 1. Beautiful and smoky bouquet with cassis and some coffee as well. On the palate elegant with cassis, ok acidity and tannin which is still youthful, but also some green bell pepper. Day 2 the wine is still alive and kicking. Elegant and a pleasant bite and good juice, but overall lacking the concentration to be really great. Overall a classical Claret, early maturity now and around 2016/2018 probably at its peak. (90 pts.)
- 2003 Château Lafon-Rochet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Beautiful bouquet with cassis, blackberry, smoke, tobacco, licorice, vanilla and coffee. Same impressions on the palate. Creamy and concentrated dark forest fruits. A touch of sweetness balanced by good acidity and round but powerful tannin. Already a beautiful wine in its early maturity stage, but it will continue to improve for the next few years. Will still be nice around 2020 and I am sure the scores in CT will go up over the next few years. (94 pts.)
- 2003 Château Cos d'Estournel - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Beautiful bouquet with cassis, smoke and a lot of vanilla. On the palate concentrated cassis, good acidity and round, firm tannin which is sticky. Good length. Certainly an excellent wine, but - also reading back my previous notes - not delivering as expected. Odd phase and too young? Is it the bottle? Anyway, tonight I scored the wine 93 (blind) (93 pts.)
- 2003 Château Montrose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Beautiful bouquet with cassis, graphite, licorice, smoke, tobacco and exclusive oak. Same on the palate with a beautiful balance between sweetness and acidity. Concentrated black forest fruits, firm and round tannin and beautiful bitterness. Tasted this wine blind beside Cos, Montrose was the winner by far tonight. Great wine, early maturity now and a future well past 2020. (96 pts.)
- 2003 Château Angélus - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Rustic bouquet with dark forest fruits, smoke and luxurious oak. On the palate cassis and luxurious oak, salty licorice, beautiful acidity, tannin and bitterness. I also wrote down elegant. Overall a beautiful and modern made, but not over extracted wine. Early maturity now and probably still great around 2020. (95 pts.)
- 2003 Château La Gaffelière - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Beautiful and rustic bouquet with dark forest fruits, luxurious oak, smoke, etc. On the palate everything is in its proper place. Beautiful balance between sweetness and acidity, good fruits and friendly, round tannin and pleasant bitterness. A concentrated wine. I scored the wine 95 (blind), which is extremely high. But tonight it was as if it is in its perfect drinking stage right now. Will still be great around 2018. (95 pts.)
- 2003 Château Léoville Poyferré - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Beautiful and luxurious and concentrated bouquet with lush black forest fruits and beautiful smoky oak etc. Same on the palate; dark fruits, sweet spices, licorice and even minerals. Beautiful acidity and round tannin. A very luxurious and modern made wine. Early maturity now and definitely still a beauty around 2020+. Really great wine!! (97 pts.)
- 2003 Château Branaire-Ducru - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
See my note from 11/20/2012. The impressions are exactly the same. This bottle had a better starting position and I scored the wine 94 this time (blind). Next bottle not before 2017. (94 pts.)
- 2003 Château Valandraud - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Beautiful bouquet with ripe cassis, luxurious oak, cedar, smoke and tobacco. On the palate lush and ripe, but also classical with beautiful cassis, licorice, beautiful acidity and round tannin. Great length. Still youthful. Will probably improve with more ageing. 2018+? 94 - 95 for this evening. (95 pts.)
- 2003 Dominus Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley
A beautiful bouquet with ripe dark forest fruits, some eucalyptus, tobacco, leather. Very complete and hardly any oak noticeable. On the palate also beautiful ripe fruits, a lot of sweetness and also beautiful acidity. Extremely soft and friendly, creamy tannin. The alcohol shows a bit, but overall it is a truly great wine with beautiful freshness. Ready now, but it can easily last another 5 - 8 years. (95 pts.)
- 2003 Château Sociando-Mallet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
In the bouquet beautiful and ripe black forest fruits as well as beautiful oak. Also licorice and graphite. On the palate the same impressions. Good acidity and supple tannin at first, but with some air time the tannin became a little bit harsh. With more air time also blackberry and blue berry was there. And although still very powerful, some oxidation and green impressions appeared as well. I need to lower my score from the first 95 to 93. (93 pts.)
- 2003 Château Pape Clément - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Lush bouquet with cherries and dark berry fruits, luxurious oak, cedar and smoke. On the palate cherries and dark forest fruits again, coconut, chocolate and smoke. Really focused. Beautiful balance between acidity and sweetness. Soft and round tannin and a great length. Really impressive this evening. (96 pts.)
- 2003 Château Lascombes - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Beautiful and elegant bouquet with cassis, some red fruits and cedar. On the palate still a bit reticent, with good juicy cassis, graphite and licorice. Good acidity and slightly sticky tannin. Lacking a bit in concentration. Overall a beautiful and classical wine. Wait two more years; then it will probably be at its peak. (92 pts.)
- 2003 Château Palmer - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
The bouquet is a bit reticent, but it is luxurious and has good cassis. On the palate very elegant, with good cassis graphite and a touch of licorice and pleasant acidity and fine tannin. The concentration and length is a bit disappointing for a great name as Palmer is. Nevertheless a beautiful and classical wine. Not any signs of a very hot vintage. Early maturity now and probably a bit better around 2015 - 2018 and several years after that. (91 pts.)
- 2003 Château Troplong Mondot - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Day 1. The bouquet is luxurious with dark forest fruits, smoke, cedar, tobacco, leather etc. On the palate cassis, beautiful acidity and still slightly sticky tannin. All elements of the bouquet come back in the taste, but there is also something green bell peppery. Day 2 the wine was still a great pleasure, but some oxidation showed on the palate. A beautiful wine, probably drinking best between now and 2018. 92-93 (93 pts.)
- 2003 Clos Fourtet - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Day 1. Luxurious bouquet with cassis, smoke, graphite and licorice. On the palate luxurious as well, concentrated blackberry and blueberry juice, supple tannin with a good bite and a beautiful balance between sweetness and acidity. Day 2 the wine was even a little more expressive and still youthful and also some chocolate had appeared. A great wine, drinking beautifully already and a future at least until 2020. (94 pts.)
- 2003 Château Pavie Macquin - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
In the bouquet chocolate, cassis, smoke, cedar and also some metal impressions. On the palate everything from the bouquet comes back. There is some tea as well. Very ripe black fruits and a touch of alcohol. Overall a lush wine that improves considerably with more airtime. The acidity is ok and the tannin is soft and has a firm bite. Although drinking nice now, it will probably improve a bit with more cellar time. Wait until around 2015? (91 pts.)
- 2003 Château Pavie - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Served blind and after it was revealed a great disappointment. Remembering the polemic between Parker and Robinson, tasting the wine at this moment, I think Robinson was right. My blind notes were limited, because the wine was out of balance. They were: Bouquet with chocolate, very ripe black fruits and tar. On the palate overripe blackberry juice and almost port-like. Although there are luxurious elements, the wine is unbalanced and lacks refinement. Not sure what to say about future expectations. Or is it the bottle? Probably not, but I would like to retaste blind again in a few years from now. (88 pts.)
- 2003 Château Lynch-Bages - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Pnp. Classical bouquet with cassis, cedar and smoke. On the palate cassis, blackberries and firm acidity. The tannin is not really friendly and refined. This wine is still too young. With some more airtime also green bell peppers appeared. Overall a luxurious bouquet, but on the palate a bit disappointing. I scored it 91 for the moment, but I am almost certain that around 2018 the balance will be better and the wine will score a few points higher. (91 pts.)
- 2003 Château Calon-Ségur - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
The bouquet is a bit reticent and dusty, showing cassis, red cherries and some green bell pepper. On the palate a slightly sweet start, but followed by firm acidity and tannin. Even a bit green. Not what you would expect in this hot vintage. This is one of the least lush Bdx wines I have tasted from this vintage. Definitely needs more time. Wait until 2020 at least is my guess now. 92 is a great score, but if it will ever be truly great? Not sure. Have a few, so I will just have to wait until 2020 to see what has happened. (92 pts.)
- 2003 Château Léoville Barton - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
This is a truly great and classical wine. Juicy cassis, beautiful luxurious oak, graphite and dark chocolate and also some green bell peppers in the bouquet. On the palate all of the previous mentioned impressions. Firm acidity and tannin which is drying. Substance and concentration. This wine needs another 5 years at least to reach its peak. A beautiful and classical wine. Tonight I scored it 94, but this will almost definitely be a few points higher around 2018. (94 pts.)
- 2003 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Juicy and luxurious bouquet with good cassis, beautiful oak and cedar, smoke, tobacco and a good concentration. On the palate concentrated black fruit juice as well. With more airtime ripe blackberries and blueberries appear beside the cassis. Firm and good acidity, tannin and bitterness. The tannin is still youthful with a good bite and is a bit drying in the finish. This wine is still too young. More air time did the wine really good. PnP I scored it 92, but later 93 - 94 seemed to be more correct. Maybe early maturity now, but I am almost certain this will be much more nice and complex around 2017. (93 pts.)
- 2004 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon One Point Five - USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District
Beautiful bouquet with a lot of chocolate and sweetness and ripe dark cherries and some eucalyptus. On the palate ripe dark forest fruits and dark cherries as well. A lot of sweetness. Chocolate and eucalyptus. Soft and friendly acidity and tannin. Mild bitterness. The alcohol shows. Overall a beautiful, friendly and soft wine. Ready now and certainly for another few years. (92 pts.)
- 2003 Château La Fleur de Boüard Le Plus - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Lalande de Pomerol
Beautiful and luxurious bouquet which holds the middle between classical and modern made. Cassis, smoke and cedar. On the palate concentrated juice of blackberries and blueberries. Good acidity and round tannin with still a firm bite. With more air time more classical cassis appeared and the wine was a little less opulent. This is a beautiful and concentrated wine and a great example of a modern made classical wine. It definitely exceeds fast majority of the wines of the appellation. 94-95 (95 pts.)
- 2003 Château Pontet-Canet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
I just reread my tasting note of May 2012 and today's note is about the same: Intense black fruits and luxurious. The only thing that contradicts my previous note is that tonight I had the impression - although a beauty already - this wine will improve with more cellar time… A great beauty with perfect acidity and beautifully ripe and powerful tannin. For now 96 and I wonder what the score could be around 2020. Possibly 98+? (96 pts.)
- 2006 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select - USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District
Beautiful and complex bouquet with ripe dark forest fruits, chocolate and menthol. Sameimpressions on the palate. A lot of sweetness balanced by good acidity and silky soft tannin and soft bitterness. The alcohol shows a bit, but this is nevertheless a real beauty. Early maturity now and a future of at least another decade. (95 pts.)
- 2003 Château Mouton Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Grrrrr! Corked! Badly corked!! (FLAWED)
|
