Community Tasting Note

Cailles wrote:

Sunday, May 7, 2023 - Bordeaux 2003 – 20 Years On – 33 Reds: All wines tasted blind, not decanted (some wines would have needed it). Observations: 1) 2003 is not a good vintage. The wines don’t have the depth and elegance of good years. But I was positively surprised, that while it’s clearly a hot year, there are less overripe, over-extracted and prematurely dying wines than in 09/10. Still, there is no comparison to how Chateauxs handle hot years today. 2) Compared to five other vintage retrospectives, the 2003 came in last place (lower average score than 2011), with just Chateau Margaux reaching a group score above 95pts. 3) Margaux wines showed best, with the typical immediate charm, while St. Estephe and Pauillac have potential but will need more time (and/or would have needed more air). 4) Right bank wines did not show as good with some alcohol showing and a few wines being on a downhill path. I would not chase 2003 right banks.

TN: Not much expression at first but not as ripe as the wines before. With time some coffee notes, some toast, ripe red berries, even some floral aromas. The best nose on the red bank tonight. Quite fresh, even a bit acidic on the palate with fairly fine tannins and an airy texture. Ripe red fruit and floral aromas along some minerality. Not overly complex and a bit astringent towards the finish but overall a good wine.

Decanting: This improved with air and I wonder if a solid 1-2 hours in the decanter would have improved things further.

Group average: 92.0 pts
Group rank: Shared 10th out of 29 reds

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