A surprisingly light and elegant offering, neither words I typically associate with Mouton. This reminds me of the 1990, which wasn’t as bad as Parker claimed, at least my bottle, but certainly not first growth or even second growth intensity. There is tobacco, oak, and black fruit on the aromatic but unfocused nose. The palate is soft and diffuse. Easy to drink but lacking depth, power, or intensity. I wish I tried this wine in its youth. Perhaps my recently purchased bottle was stored in conditions that have aged it rapidly, but if it is representative, it was a wine to drink 5 years ago, aligning with Neal Martin’s opinion. This wine is lacking when measured against the 2003 Latour or 2003 Lafite, or the 2002 Mouton, which is excellent.
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CdB BoG; 1/25/2024-1/27/2024 (Denver): I always enjoy a 2003 for sentimental reasons as it is my daughter’s birth year and in this case she was my dinner date. Lost my notes, but while this wasn’t as powerful as other vintages of Mouton, it is drinking very well and is (not surprisingly) an excellent wine. No complaints from me and while maybe not worth a first growth tariff, being an off vintage it is probably obtainable at a more manageable price than most. For 2003 though, this was not as good as the LMHB we had a few months ago.
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Rotting wood (in a good way!), spices, rich, a bit hot, big tears, cassis fruit, pine, silky, juicy finish. This is the 3rd '03 1st growth I've had this month and they have all been outstanding. Guessed 2003. The group's 5th fav. DD Blind 1982-2005 Bordeaux 1st Growth dinner at BOA steakhouse.
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Extremely good cork condition, was very tight upon first tasting. Double decanted, opened up nicely after 2 hrs. Deep ruby color, strong cedar and slight tobacco notes. I think this vintage of Mouton has plenty of time left - easily another 7-10 years.
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Decanted for 2 hours. Not much sediment. Good cork. Terrible label quality, wrinkled and unattractive. Was a gift, marked as a Costco purchase. Stored in wine cave for +/- 16 years. Deep blackish purple with brown rim. Nose plum, tobacco. Complex, layered, dark fruits and strong savory elements on opening. Promising. Two hours in - tannic, simple, very savory forward. Not particularly deep or interesting. Day 2 - Hot, leather and plum. My impression was of a wine that really was discombobulated. Never really sang and flavors, while interesting, never added up or integrated into a truly memorable wine. A note on my particular opinion of QPR - Coincidently, saw the 2020 vintage of this wine at Costco today on sale for $639.99. For me, the QPR on this wine is almost ridiculously bad, not because the wine was awful, it wasn't. The price is so high compared to so many other wines one could choose for this amount of money or much, much less, that it will definitely never be a repeat performance for me, and it makes me focus on my own foibles of seeking and wanting "the best". Now I'll go and pursue some values in Grand Cru Burgundy :) :) :)
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Clear ruby in colour. Great savoury notes, along with cassis, and baking spice. Medium acidity, medium tannins, and med body. Wine is at a nice place at the moment.
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Had it last night at dinner. A friend brought the 01 which showed much better, had more stuffing and an exotic bouquet versus the 03. 03 was a subdued, correct wine, balanced , medium bodied but overall muted flavor profile. Seems too old to be in dumb stage but over 1.5-2 hrs it didn't open up. I preferred the 01.
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50th Birthday Bash: Late night cellar diving. Full disclosure, this was bottle 19 of 19 and the last one of the evening. Therefore, not an analytical tasting note. Nevertheless, it is superb, full of fruit concentration and just beginning to show layers. Did not decant. Infanticide pop and pour.
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Loved the label on the 03 Mouton so I had to grab 2 for fun. Always afraid to open one, so I never did, thinking, it was not ready. Meanwhile, a braver friend opened his. So this note captures my surprise and an epiphany of sorts when it comes to Mouton as it relates to Bordeaux, namingly Pauillac for this conversation.
The wine is definitely soft, elegant, feminine comes to mind... Cedar laden, soft fruit, lots and lots of beautiful cool earth and pencil shavings, yet a bit out of whack and or ever so slightly "hot". Good linger, re-emerging with more earth and flowers. Very light footed and vanishing. Snobby...Nice!
This is where first growth has topped out and or, Mouton has been replaced by Pichon Lalande in my mind and cellar. Really similarly styled now, both wines are feminine and so close in point of arrival, vintage after vintage. This is no campaign of ridicule for Mouton, yet one of admiration for Pichon Lalande during suessfull years.
I put this in the drink camp. Sooner, rather than later because its totally resolved and in its full beauty. Drink
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Fresh deep colour with an edge of age. Decanted for 1.5hrs. Somewhat surprisingly what stood out was the sheer elegance, sophistication and perfumed nature of the wine. Dark (black, blue berries) fruit with tones of linden and violet. Beautifully balanced with a decent frame. Perhaps lacking a little expected depth and length but had a certain ethereal attraction. A very ‘pretty’ wine with a delightful coolness - more a ‘classic’ Bordeaux. Not what I was expecting from 2003 - but then I’ve often been pleasantly surprised with this vintage (e.g. last Montrose 03 tasting note).
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From magnum. Prior comments are instructive. Decanted for 2+ hours before starting to drink for another 2 hours. Dark fruit, lots of structure, decent acidity, balanced but still forward tannins, medium+ finish. No real evidence of the hot vintage that you often see in other 2003s, particularly Italians. Still showing mostly primary characteristics but also somewhat muted overall and never really opened up. 2d of 6 mags and the plan is to try a mag every 5 years and see how it goes.
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Borrowing CHATTERS note from a few months ago, he described it perfectly: Ripe blackcurrant, sweet spice, dense, concentrated, tobacco leaf. Medium plus intensity acidity, dense but surprisingly fresh dark fruits, talcy textured tannins, finishes a little warm. Nice especially considering the vintage.
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 overly expressive nose. On the palate better with fine red and darker berries, some minerality and cedar notes. The tannin structure was fine, the wine didn’t had too much weight but no airy texture either. Good acidity backbone to keep it fresh. This was a good wine without the depth or absolute balance of the best wines (Margaux, Lafite today). Very fine for a 2003 with fine tannins. But not as harmonious, round and expressive as the Lafite.
Decanting: The palate was open from the go, the rather muted nose suggested that a bit of decanting would have been necessary.
Group average: 92.5 pts Group rank: Shared 7th out of 29 reds
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En Primeur campaign for the 2022 vintage Day Four (Bordeaux): Ripe blackcurrant, sweet spice, dense, concentrated, tobacco leaf. Medium plus intensity acidity, dense but surprisingly fresh dark fruits, talcy textured tannins, finishes a little warm. Nice especially considering the vintage.
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blind Very lushful left bank Bordeaux with less fruits than expected even you taste the warm year. No acidity problem. Great to drink but many years left in the tank. 96
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Grand Bordeaux 2003 horizontal tasting (Fribourg): Bordeaux 2003 vintage horizontal hosted by a private collector and moderated by Jean-Marc Quarin. Main observations: 1/ Average quality is acceptable, but weighted down by various low-lights, esp. on the right bank. 2/ In general a tannic vintage, lacking balance. 3/ Top 3 wines were Lafite, Mouton and Margaux (all 95). See the tasting story for a complete overview and additional vintage comments.
Tasting note: Beautifully fresh fruit of red currant and cassis. Sexy floral notes, almost perfumed. Roasted coffee beans. Fresh palate with nice fruit and good length. Structured but comes across light. Along with Lafite two of the highlights in the vintage.
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Decanted 2 hours before drinking. Very soft/smooth aromas, both on the nose and on the palette. Elegant. Notes of warmer fruits on the first glass, moving towards colder notes after 6 hours. Spices. Still a very young style. 96 points.
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Double decanted two hours before. This is very much following the common image of 2003, Goût American, chocolate, coconut, very rich, creamy, sweet. Might improve - and others will love it more than me. 92+ #Schur#Mouton
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Ox blood in color. Classic BDX aged nose. All tertiary now. Leather, leather, sangre, pencil shavings Smooth, nicely balanced. Wonderful length on finish. Very sophisticated wine. Is it worth it though????
Thanks Rob for buying my case off me and sharing the bottles with me.
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Opened by Allred. Double decanted for about 9 hours. From the ripe 2003 vintage in Bordeaux. Served blind. Dark purple color. A peppery nose and earthy texture. Notes of tobacco, cassis and leather. Solid tannins with a rich full bodied finish. This was the 9th different vintage of the Mouton that I have had. The others being the 1981, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1996 and 1998. Of those only the 1983, 1988 and 1998 were superior. No rush to drink this wine. 94+ points.
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Annual Friendsgiving Gathering (M/M thelostverse): Our first of three, double decanted off its sediment and served blind to the group with dinner about 9hrs after the cork was first pulled. Aromas of red currant, leather, green tobacco, cassis and forest floor. Changes in the glass throughout the dinner. Full-bodied with flavors of red plum, currants, cigar tobacco, allspice, black cherry and licorice. Tannins are integrating nicely and this is certainly approachable now, albeit young. Balanced, with a lingering finish. My favorite of the three reds in terms of pairing with the rib roast.
Most guessed centered on "old school" Napa cabernet, but Mrs. TLV was zeroing in on Bordeaux from the start. This definitely shows the fruit of warm 2003 vintage and had I been tasting blind I'm not sure I'd have guessed Bordeaux either, but the structure is the giveaway here. A very fine wine with the good, but not overly ripe fruit, of the vintage. Happy to have two more in the cellar. No rush here.
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Drank for Thanksgiving. Wine was wonderful but way too tight. After 2 hours, still too stemy and tanicy. By next day it was far better. Needs at least another 10 years. The wine looks purple colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, red currant, raisin, strawberry jam and oak. It tastes like blackberry, strawberry, black currant (cassis), fig, raisin, oak and tobacco. The body is full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity.
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Medium + intensity aromas of weather (foremost), tobacco, wet forest, mushroom, vanilla. It has a very integrated rounded and pleasant acidity and tannin. It is so easy to drink. Long finish.
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Balanced and refined bouquet of leather, graphite, black plum and blackberries with spiced box. Palate has a higher degree of finesse and refinement after an hour in the decanter. The ripe fruits showed in the polished mid-palate. Medium to full-bodied structure. Silky palate from entry to finish which is elegant and layered.
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76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot
ฺBrilliant red garnet, clear and semi-transparent, youthful looking
Very concentrated scents of pomegranate, red cherry, licorice, anise, smoked cedar oak
On the palate, the wine is dense and still quite tannic for its age. Medium to mid-low acidity, medium plus body, dry. Lots of ripe, stewed red fruit, some graphite and pencil lead. Finish is oaky and quite hot.
Disappointed for a first growth in my book. The wine was tasted more like a new world cabernet sauvignon blend. I would not be surprised if I tasted this blind and called it a Napa cab. Due to its low acid profile, I don't see a lot of upsides in its future either. 89.
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🇫🇷 2003 Vieux Château Certan 🇫🇷 Lots of tertiary notes, ripe red berries, leather, sweet tobacco. Medium complexity, great balance. Drink up soon. 91/100 💵~200
🇫🇷 2003 Château Figeac 🇫🇷 Violets, dark plum, some meaty notes. Good complexity. A little too hot. Finish is a bit short. Drink now. 90/100 💵~200
🇫🇷 2003 Château Angelus 🇫🇷 Beautiful complexity and a lot of fruit power left. Grippy tannins and and super long finish. At least another 10 great years left. 94/100 💵~400
🇫🇷 2003 Château Cos d’Estournel 🇫🇷 Nice soft tertiary notes and lots of dark berries. Fantastic depth and structure. Powerful body. Long finish. In a great spot now. 95/100 💵~230
🇫🇷 2003 Château Montrose 🇫🇷 Ripe strawberries, cherries and wet ivy. Velvety tannins. Fantastic complexity and a great balance. Feels quite fresh and young, lots of good years ahead. 96/100 💵~230
🇫🇷 2003 Château Haut-Bailly 🇫🇷 Soft sweet notes in the nose. Alcohol is too hot and covering the fruit notes. Medium complexity, feels a little unbalanced. Drink now. 89/100 💵~100
🇫🇷 2003 Château Mouton Rothschild 🇫🇷 Great dark red fruits, some dry leather and tobacco - beautiful ripeness. Warm and velvety tannins. Fantastic complexity and length. In a perfect spot now. 96/100 💵~ 600
🇫🇷 2003 Château Lafite Rothschild 🇫🇷 Fantastic nose and palate with lots of elegant dark berries, tobacco leafs and lots of mineral style notes. Silky tannins. Very elegant structure. Incredible balance and complexity. Endless finish. At least another two great decades ahead. 97/100 💵~ 1.100
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Judgement of Greenbay, 03 Mouton, 06 Monte Bello, 05 Branaire Ducru, 03 Lascombs, 06 Quintessa. Monte Bello ranked first with Statistical significance over all except Quintessa which was second. 13 judges. All wines were drinking exceptionally well!
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Chateau Mouton 2003. Flott nese med god intensitet. Bær på den mørke siden, lær, blyantkvess, søt tobakk og spice. Lovende! Bløt varm og sødmefull frukt på smak. Dette drikker bra nå. Veldig digg drikkevin. Er svakest i finish synes jeg. Tanninene er ganske grove. Kanske ikke helt førstevekst-lengde, men den sitter ganske så bra. 92-93p
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Another New Year's Eve and another NYEve Dinner with just the two of us - after our two-couple dinner was called off. This COVID pandemic is really beginning to wear thin... This wine was interesting, but still developing. It paired reasonably well with our NY Strip steak, baked potato and haricots vert. We drank it alongside a bottle of 2008 Futo Oakville. This bottle was decanted in mid-afternoon - with a fair amount of sediment (most of it stuck to the bottle) - and followed: Initial: light red fruits and cedar on the nose; same but muted on the thin palate. At 1 hour: mostly cedar, with some light red fruit on the nose; the palate hasn't changed much. At 2.5 hours: The nose yielded mostly red fruits and cedar. The palate was, at best, only medium bodied and reflected the nose, with the addition of some darker red fruits and a bit of earth. The acidity was juicy and may have outrun the fruit by a bit, the tannins were completely integrated, and the wine continued to open a bit throughout the meal. This wine should (hopefully) continue to develop over the next several years and then remain drinkable to the 3-decade mark (and beyond?). I may hold-up on opening the next bottle for a few years.
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deepish purple red color, meaty ripe nose, licorice, dark fruits, blackberries, a bit of heat, on the palate a very large-scale all-fruit wine, tannins buried, a bit of warmth on the tail end, the black cherry fruit with hints of fruitcake is really lovely and very Mouton- but there is not much else here in terms of nuance, this is frankly a lot like the 1993 but more natural in feel since the 2003 vintage created the conditions for such a wine, in the grand scheme of things this is delicious, it is not as reflective of Mouton as most vintages, and most importantly it is a success in the context of the vintage, this will surely hold but my inclination would be to drink soon and enjoy its still youthful and vibrant personality, in my long experience such vintages do not fare well toward the latter end of the life cycle, but for right now this is really great fun.
***+, ready to drink
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After decanting for about 45 minutes the wine really opened up nicely. There were subtle notes of black cherry, and leather. The tannins were very smooth, almost nonexistent. The finish lingered a bit, and was rich. In addition to decanting, filtering is needed; there was a moderate amount of sediment in the bottle.
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Popped and poured. Opens with dusty tannins and a closed flavor profile. Alcohol in check. Underwhelming.
With air (a few hours in bottle and in glass), it lightens up on the palate (medium weight) with further integration of fine tannins, with livelier, fruitier cassis and plum notes. Has some leather but not too much secondary complexity. Overall, much better.
But still not really a "wow"-type 1st growth experience. Elegant, but not really differentiated. If I had another bottle, I'd probably drink it in the next year or two for the overall balance, and maybe slow-o instead of pnp.
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Bottle in good condition. Rich style reflective of both the producer and year but manages to stay in balance. Powerful nose, dark fruits verging on jammy. Spice, vanilla. Good depth and persistence. Lovely fine tannins. Fully mature now with some secondary leathery characteristics. Only criticism is perhaps lacking typicity showing some new world characteristics and fruit.
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Decanted over cocktails. Beautifully balanced with bright tannins, medium body, many delicate flavors of black and red berries, licorice, leather, and light earth. Showing at peak I think, and wonderfully enjoyable. Thanks Wine Baron!
This is still relatively young in the drinking cycle not having developed too many secondary and certainly no tertiary flavours. I would cellar this for at least a couple to few more years.
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Needs some air to open up. Showing a great wine. Big, but not 'new world' big. Sweet fruit and quickly showing some tertiar aromas. Ageing quickly in the decanter. Not the best Mouton.
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Sehr schöner Mouton, jetzt herrlich zum geniessen und er hält sich sicher noch weitere 5 Jahre. 1 Stunde dekantieren, dann öffnet er sich gut. Sehr zugänglich und perfekt gereift. Tannine sehr gut eingebunden, langer Abgang. Einfach toll, ein Wein zum Entspannen und Philosophieren!
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Slow ox for an hour and decanted for half an hour. The nose on this is outstanding with hedonistic aromas of black currant, cherry, tobacco weed and earth coming through. The wine shows the ripeness of the vintage with almost new world fruit flavors, but at the same time is reasonably well balanced although it doesn’t show the class and sophistication of the best mouton. The wine is in early maturity and the tannins have moderated and are well integrated. Overall this is not a typical, it could be mixed up with a California cult wine in a blind tasting but it’s still quite an enjoyable, impressive wine.
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Fine Wines SG - Is Seña really that great? (Zoom): Deep garnet with significant fading on edge. Viscous and highly extracted. Dark blackish feel on the nose, somewhat of black florals, chocolate, paprika, and ripe cassis. Rounded tannins, while a fairly strong alcohol burn, with ripe cassis, pepper, coffee, chocolate, and a certain slight meatiness towards the back. Fairly long floral finish
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Patio Easter dinner with our first guests since the lockdown started. Much better than prior bottles. After my last bottle disappointed, and with wrinkled labels that looked like they weren't put on correctly, I actually went to the trouble to send photos and, ultimately, bottle and cork and capsule to Mouton in France on suspicion of counterfeit bottles. They concluded it wasn't counterfeited, but this bottle was a big relief.
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La Paulée Zachy's Auction - Thursday (Le Bernardin Privé): Sweet, toasty and creamy nose of rich (but not ripe/roasted) plum fruit. Delicious with a silky, smooth mouth feel. Tannins are so well integrated. Well balanced. A success in a hot vintage.
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Tasted alongside a Mouton 04 and the 03 was a little better for me. Very nice wine but it didn’t blow me away. Drinking well but may be even better in a few more years. I have one more and will hold for a few years yet
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Clearly a classy bottle of wine, but the name accounts for at least 50% of the price. A soft and approachable wine, still with a lot of life yet, but ready to drink.
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New York Wine Experience 2018 (New York Marriott Marquis): Blend of 76% Cab, 8% Cab Franc, 14% Merlot, @ Petit Verdot. Finally, a first growth which shows it's cards. This has opened up beautifully and showed fresh fruit, cedar, forest floor, vanilla and a long elegant finish.
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Wine Spectator newbies; 10/18/2018-10/20/2018 (Marriott Marquis): Very pretty. Lots of shoe leather and the like. It's approachable now unlike some of the other wines being poured, but certainly will improve with time. For some this was the first growth of the tasting although I liked the Margaux a bit more. Prob similar to the HB for me.
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Gorgeous wine! Very rich, stuffed with ripe plum, jam and spice. Notes of toffee, cigar and graphite that completely coat your mouth leaving a long succulent finish.
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Had this from both Magnum and multiple regular bottles. It actually never impressed, it lacks depth and complexity It drinks like a good 2nd or 3rd grand cru classe Pauillac. I prefer the 2002 over this supposedly better vintage. For Mouton my favourite vintages are 1982 (100 points and one of the best wines ever) and 1986 (99 points for now), the 1996 (good) and for lesser vintages the 2002 jumps out. Forget 1995 (similarly average, even 20 years ago), 2001 (not great), 1998 (rather flat), 2003 (ok but not great). The 1995 pales compared to the 1996 at the same price and as such the price tag isn't justified: for the same money you can buy 2002 or 1996. I know this is a bold statement but from all of the 70's and 80's I would pick another premier cru except the delicious 1982 and 1986. Recent vintages are promising
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Drank this at Chin Lee Restaurant to celebrate my father's birthday.
Decanted for 3 hours prior to consumption, with the wine somewhat closed and a wall of tannins preventing its true potential to show.
On the nose the wine is powerful with notes of rip plums and rich berries. On the palate the wine is very well structured, with a full, lush body and bearing notes of coffee, chocolate, oak, leather and lots of restrained energy. Slowly but surely, the wine is opening up and revealing more of its potential as the lunch went on.
This is a big, polished wine with an excellent balance between energy, fruits, body and acidity. At 14 years of age, the wine might be too young for consumption.
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Drinking very well now. Opulent wine with notes of sweet toffee and chocolate on top of the usual Paulliac magic. The third bottle from the case and it seems to have improved a little each time. Wonder how good it will be in five years?
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Mouton dinner with Philippe Dhalluin and Bernard Burtschy (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): It sticks out like a sore thumb especially in the vertical format. Soft and warm pruney nose, stewed fruit, dry cherry, very ripe red fruit, leather, tobacco and earth. Soft and round, good concentration, a slight hint of dry tannins and a hint of bitterness that clips the finish. For my palate, there are a lot of other/cheaper ’03 Bordeauxs, e.g. LB, LP, Montrose and etc,that are better. The auction price is close to the 95 and 96 which represent much better value, IMO. I hope that this will either magically transform or evolve like the 76. My least favorite Mouton of the night.
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Of the Moutons on show this evening, the '03 was perhaps the most showy and ready. An opulent wine, this started with a most-giving/alluring nose of dark-chocolates, lead/graphite, cassis & cedar. Equally open on the palate, with coffee, toffee, lead, and a little leather. Most fruit-forward of the lot with quite a long finish. Again, will definitely improve with more cellar time, but this is already so ready to drink... Very nice!
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A private tasting and dinner (at home): A blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Tasted blind. Evolved nose, animale, deep and spicy; pain d'épices flavours, uneasy acidity, lifted, almost volatile, vestiges of carbon dioxide, not clearly flawed but not really correct either. Not rated.
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Mouton, Shafer, SQN, Prum, Chave, CdP, Yquem, Port ++ (Home): Opened and allowed to breathe for 10 hours. This is drinking well, young, but well now. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose has cassis, coffee, leather, slight funk and cigar tobacco. On the palate, there are still some firm tannins. Lots of fruit. Not particularly ripe given the vintage. Some tight layering unwinds in the glass. Nice finish. Very food friendly. There are better vintages of this, but this is damn good and seems better than a bottle tried on release. Much more traditional than I thought it would be back then.
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P&P and consumed within 10 minutes along with a colleague. It was that delicious! Definitely in its drinking window with notes of smoked wood, tobacco and forest floor. More diffuse / less precise than other first growths but just a fantastic mouthful of claret. Will not compete with the '82, '86 or '06 but a lovely wine nonetheless. Suspect it may not last forever, maybe another 10 years before it starts to decline.
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Surprise, surprise! Followed the 03 Cos, and rightfully so. Nose was not as expressive as the Cos, but the finish went on and on and on. Very well done.
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Double decanted about 4 hours prior to service for my birthday. THe color was lighter than anticipated and on decant gave a very little amount of sediment compared to other Moutons (though this is my first '03). A taste early on was light and somewhat sour but the nascent fruit filled out lushly and gained in complexity by dinner. It was deliscous and complimented well in the unlikely paring a crawfish jambalaya in Carolina gold rice at FRANK. The Mouton spice went point counterpoint with the heat of the Jambalay. I would not recommend this at home... Chefs Jenie Kelley and Ben Starr are experts with balancing layers of spice (frankunderground.com/)
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Warm ripe nose. Great palate with fine tobacco, cedar, saddle notes. Light cassis with ripe cherries. Good balance on palate - excellent. Still plenty to go. Young but drinking wonderfully now. Now-2028.
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Bought two cases of this en primeur and decided it was time to try a bottle. Enjoyed it. Power and finesse with some early signs of complexity. Cassis and chocolate to the fore. Feels like it is drinking well now but certainly no rush and suspect it will improve.
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on this night was better than the Lafite, and clearly so after about an hour. Both wines have similar aromatics and are a bright red fruit mouthful, but the Mouton seems bigger, a little sweeter and less evolved. Not a blockbuster but nice balance and enjoyable
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Wonderful nose, silky smooth, elegant and refined after 1.5 hours of air in the decanter. I really enjoyed the mouth feel and class of the wine, but it was a bit disappointing in that the wine lacked power and structure. Hardly any discernible tannin, very surprising for a 12 year old first growth Bordeaux. Not sure if this is in a dumb phase or if its already fading.
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Decanted for 2.5 hours. Didnt guess its a 03 bordeaux. A lot of dark fruit, chocolate, mocha and caramel. The palate was a bit too young to open without the 03 ripeness but the first growth weight was there. This will be significantly better in 10 years.
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Decanted and drank across 3 hours. Definitely needs 2+ hours of decanting before it starts to show. Smoke, tobacco, oak, some leather. Medium/full body with some brick colors starting to show. It's in a good place now.
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Impromptu french theme dinner. Enjoyed 2003 Haut-Brion, Mouton Rothschild and Lafite Rothschild and d Yquem. All concurred elegance of reds ranked in order provided with Lafite being far superior. All should easily cellar anothe 10 years before trying next bottle.
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Nose of ripe dark fruit, smoke, herbs and sweet oak. Full and open on the palate. Ripe red and black fruit with a smoke and mesquite note. Long smooth and outstanding balance. Enjoyable today.
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Birthday party for Mrs L (Wine Vault, Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong): Hmm, I can see why some people really like this, yet others are distinctly not fans. I am somewhere in the middle. The nose is certainly all beauty and class, what with the rich fumes of cassis, mint, earth and tobacco shooting magical pulses of pleasure into the brain. But the palate is not quite so compelling. The wood and the fruit, both quite dominant, rich characters, haven't quite figured out between them who is in charge so there is a bit of a tussle going on. As a long-time fruit voter, I found the wine a little creamy for my liking. But that is not to say it isn't a nice wine or that given time, it can't be even better. Certainly, all the components necessary for a great wine are all there. I shall hold my two remaining magnums for longer.
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Truly lovely. Slightly subdued nose. Very slight browning at edges. Great mouthfeel with finely integrated tannins. Dark red fruit dominates with black cherry, black plum, and dried fruit and raspberry. Long finish.
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A Matter of Taste tasting (London, Saatchi Gallery): Found a leftover of this wine in the back of the room after the Ausone master class, so the bottle was open for approx. 7 hours. And sad enough the wine was too old by then. Still luxurious aromas but that was about it. On the palate the overripe fruits were not that pleasant anymore. I just saw my TN from 2007 and I had my doubts then. Today was a confirmation of that note. Store it really cool and don’t wait too long is probably the wisest thing to do. No score for today.
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A Matter of Taste: London Edition (Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea): I couldn’t get behind this, too be honest. There was a touch of bricking on the edges; a green/tobacco nose with blue fruit, pepper and crushed stones; too dry and restrained on the palate in my view; perfumed, stewed fruit and a bit of tobacco leaf. Not that much depth; some eucalyptus emerges on the finish.
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Quite dark centre, a bit of discolouration. Ripe but clean fruit, tobacco, spices. On the palate quite complex with slightly stewed fruit, drying. Not enormously long. 91-93
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Quite young, but rewarding. Deep red to the rim, minimal signs of age. Pepper, sage, cherry, plum nose. Cherry, vanilla, cedar, loam with a long and smooth finish. Has a lot of potential.
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Brief reflections on this wine: dark purple red color; very ripe nose with aromas of coffee, vanilla and oak; weighty, structured, glossy; long finish. Tasted like a 2003 from its ripeness, nice to drink but still very primary.
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Bordeuax 2003 horizontal tasting with Pichon L, Mouton R, Cos d’Estournel and Margaux. All were excellent and in good condition, but there were striking differences. My wife and I had the wines with duck confit and mushroom Risotto, finishing with fresh Manchego cheese. The Cos was, surprisingly, the least impressive. It was fruity, round, but one dimensional, with little in the way of a finish. About a 92. The Pichon was next, with a bit of spice on the front end, with good red fruit, and a nice finish. Not spectacular, but very good. About 94. The Mouton was a surprise, given what I had read about it. It was really good, deep red fruits, long mid palate with earthy tones, and a long finish. This had been decanted for about four hours, so maybe that helped. About 96. The star of the evening was the Margaux. Right off the bat, complex red fruits with spices and earthy notes, mid palette of deep dark fruit, very long and satisfying finish. This is what makes Bordeaux so great. We tasted a very good California cab right after, and it seemed thin and one-dimensional. Give it a 98. Wow.
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Still very young and in a bit of a slumber, great fruit potential and no heat. I see this as being in a transition phase. Dark berries with hints of cedar, tobacco and leather. Remains more simple than complex at the moment.
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This comes across as an over made wine from a really ripe year. Saline, ash, heavily roasted coffee, blackberry, oak and alcohol. Truthfully, I was able to drink the whole bottle over two days, as it didn't kill me. I think I would have dumped it if it wasn't a first. I just wanted to see how it would do after it was opened for a while. I imagine this is a hot year kind of thing, but there seems to be some heavy handed winemaking here as well. I am still glad I have gotten rid of almost all Bordeaux from this time period. FWIW, considering the genre, the time in general, and the year specifically, and what with the whole spoofilation thing, this wine was better than quite a lot of its peers.
Mid red with light red to rim. Rich concentrated black fruits nose - clear and ripe flavours, slight floral, deep roses & very slight vegetal notes on nose. Palate is intense and rich - very clear fine tannins & medium acidity. Clean palate, cedar flavours & light leather. Good deep cherry notes. Very well balanced. Still feels a little young but drinking very well now. Now-2020.
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Baron Philippe de Rothschild Wine Dinner Featuring International Masterchef Alexandre Gauthier (Stellar At 1-Altitude): This was clearly the best wine during the dinner, and also the wine that everybody was looking forward to. Initially, on the nose, a refined, elegant, perfumed nose of earth, leather, and smokiness, alcoholic fumes were palpable. This was a powerful, complex wine. On the palate, sumptuous semi-sweet cherries and blackcurrants, oak, and alcohol. Quite tannic, and it left a mouth puckering dryness on the long finish. Although the wine was good, it wasn't great, and I was disappointed, as I expected more from a First Growth. The heavy tannins lingered on throughout even after 1.5 hours in the glass, but the nose started developing, showing hints of chocolate. On the whole, I felt that the wine is still too young. The mouthfeel was rich and nice, but not "wow". In fact, the initial few sips were wonderful, but as it continued to sit in the glass, it was unable to fully express itself, and remained tight. It took on a dull character towards the end of the dinner, with more earth and leather pervading the nose, and less fruits. I'm not sure whether decanting would have helped?
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Cigar box, jammy black raspberry, mint, ash, tobacco, cedar wood, cloves, cinnamon and wet forest floor notes start the fireworks. On the palate, the rich, sensuous, flamboyant, showy wine is a hedonistic treat for the senses from start to finish. The early harvest took place between September 15 and September 25. The wine was made from a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.
EWG Conrad's: Medium + body, cigar, tobacco, smoke; quite big but not giving up a lot; ample ripe tannins. Either shut down or just monolithic, which seems typical for many '03's. Very good structure, makes the Leoville '02 seem a bit lean.
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Great 2003 Bordeaux (Wine Road Tel-Aviv): nose: elegant leathery and ripe fruity aromas palate: med-full bodied, delicate, well balanced, velvet tannins, very good complexity, fine finish
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Decanted for about 4 to 5 hours. Initially showed a lot of vanilla and ripe fruit notes which softened quite a lot. On the nose this almost seems to be very similar to a big Napa wine but the palate is much more restrained. Pretty tannic and backward now but should really show well given enough time. This will be a very long-lived wine.
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Decanted 5hrs, which seemed about perfect. Better on the nose than in the mouth. A lovely cedar and graphite nose. Rich, slightly roasted chocolate coffee beans with some plums, touch of kirsch, and slight taste of 'pebbles'. Bit disappointing really, concentrated but not too much mouthfeel or complexity beyond the lovely perfume (which filled the room). Not sure this will age well.
Left Bank Bordeaux 2003 (semi blind) (Amsterdam Wijn Antiquariaat): Well delineated, kirsch, coffee-beans and dark fruits, full-bodied and powerful palate with pebbles and iron tones. Very elegant! Wasn't as impressed as at the tasting (also themed 2003 Left Bank) in 2011 but an excellent wine nevertheless.
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Medium ruby core, hint of brick around the rim. On the nose, very jammy nose with notes of prune, soy, coffee ground, a touch herbal. On the palate, medium acidity, big gripping tannins. Alcohol sticks out a bit for my taste. Extracted. At this stage, quite evolved already that makes me worried about its trajectory from now on. If you taste it side by side with d'Armailhac 2003 for example, you will find the latter has definitely more freshness on the nose as well as on the palate.
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Dinner at Monty, no formal notes. As always, Mouton delivers on nose, with very impressive black fruited aromas. Strong mouthpuckering finish, needs plenty of time.
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Alright maybe I don't get it or I'm too much of a California whore but this wasn't that good. decanted for 4 hours prior to dinner poured back into the bottle and decanted at the restaurant for an hour or more. It had a good nose. It had muted fruits and lots of brick on the nose. Very nice silky mouthfeel with smooth tannins. However, the finish was non existent. For what I paid it was fine, for its current auction value, no way. We paired it with a fine meal at La Folie and frankly I could have picked a bunch of California wines that would have been better. Maybe I don't get it!
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Opened to air it for 12 hours before consuming it. Dark red in color; strong nose filled with chocolates, berries but yet earthy. Full bodied, rich and crisp. I enjoyed it.
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2013 Chinese New Year gathering (Jasmine Place, Central, Hong Kong): Quite a luxurious treat from Henry *smile* This is young for sure, but it definitely glorified the evening as a whole. With a full afternoon aeration and another 1+ hour decant,, this dark ruby red baby comes with sharp nose of black currants, licorice, cassis, smoke, florals and a bit of meat juice. Texture is soft and opulent, great balance and filled with layers of ripe fruits and herbs. The only tiny flaw is that the finish is a little short. A great treat no matter.
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One of the best wines I've ever had. The wine was very balanced for being so young. Slight tannins with a lot of fruit. Decanted for 3 hours. Went very well with Thanksgiving dinner and was amazed that it was able to stand up to a very rich chocolate cake. Cork was about 2/3rds soaked through and would have required recorking in another few years.
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Very deep in color. Some of the tasters had this down as a New World wine. I think it is a fantastic wine with elegance and power in a good mix. Will age with style of course and it can be stored for many more years.
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Drank over 3 hours. Incredibly rich and juicy nose. Almost exotic. Plum, dark fruit, some coffee and caramel notes. The palate matched with deep dense fruit. The heat of the vintage was evident. The tannins were there for sure, but completely buffered by the fruit. I was surprised at how easy this was to drink at such young age. Long long finish. I enjoyed this.
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decant 3 hrs.amazing super fine tannins.fruits hiding underneath layers of tar.ripe fruits eventually start to show after 5 hrs of decanting but lack of freshness.its more like a mature bttl.based on the 3 hrs of decanting tat i taste,i personally tink tat tis bttl by give another decade,it mite a nice bttl tat age gracioulsy.i wud definitely try to get another 2 bttls.nxt time i wil try to decant at least 9 hrs to c wat im getting.92+
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Unfortunately only a 30mL taste from a wine store in Paris. Very deep purple/red. Beautiful complex nose, but very closed compared to 1990. Only hints of things to come! Different notes hit in rapid waves. Fresh bright fruit entry. A complex layered palate with smooth pliable tannin. Structured to age. Tannins slowly build and grip. Would appear to be a great wine with a great future, but far too young at the moment to show its best. Score based on my estimated potential peak in 10 or so years.
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AHA - A dinner with Mouton (Washington DC - Mellon Auditorium): Tobacco on the nose with gentle fruit and berries. Superior to the 95 and the 89 and drinking beautifully now. Maybe 1 or 2 more years to its absolute peak for me. Nice oak flavors too.
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Getting more fine than my last tasting, stunning in a soft side. If you like Mouton, you'll surely love the 2003 but... For me, at this price, I will redirect to Ausone 2002... and never come back.
Drink now - 2035+..................94-97/100 ?
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From double magnum. Dark purple in colour with explosive jam packed nose of black fruits, coffee and oak. Layered flavours of blackcurrant, creme de cassis and chocolate fruit tart. Secondary traits not completely showing through yet. Will need some time. Very enjoyable nonetheless.
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In a vintage that produced several legendary wines from the Northern Medoc, the 2003 Mouton Rothschild is a bit of a disappointment. From a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, the wine is already starting to open up, which is a rarity for Mouton, a wine that's known for often taking decades to mature. Tobacco, earth, Asian spice, creme de cassis, blueberry, smoke, licorice and gravel scents produce the perfume. Soft and opulent in texture, with a flamboyant personality, the wine is surprisingly low in alcohol for the vintage at 12.9%. It lacks that special something found in the top wines from the controversial vintage.
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Opened 7 hours early, but the wine changed a lot after it was poured. First dark fruits, some earth, and oak, then vanilla, cherries, rose, and some smoke. Strangely, we all thought the tannins intensified after half an hour in the glass, and then softened later. Really beautiful nose and mouthfeel. Rich. Of course it has a lifetime ahead, but it is very easy to drink now. Tasted with the '86, but I enjoyed this one more.
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At van Baerle AMS - Blind tasting, theme Left Bank 2003. Opened 12 hours before the dinner. Wow what a concentration and harmony! Black fruits, well integrated tannins and smooth. Very elegant and complex on the palate. Thick, ripe black fruits and creme de cassis on the nose. Typical Mouton Rothschild (vintages since 2000). Note: just after opening it had very strong note of Sandalwood.
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My second favorite wine from the night's tasting. Extraordinary balance - earthy, dark fruit, just enough barnyard. Big, broad, lush mouthfeel. Strong, structured tannins with an incredibly long finish. Literally, shot through my body when I took the first sip. Definitely an experience to taste this one.
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Really surprised how well this is drinking. Offers up a solid ripe core of dark fruits. The tannins are very fine and provide a balanced structure. Long.
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Color: Red cherry, 1 cm ruby/pink rim. Bouquet: Initially intensely earthy; later, a bit reticent but showed some sweet spice smoky black fruit and plum; after an hour it showed toasted oak and sweet blackberry and plum. Flavor: Red and black cherry and plum with some spicy, caramel oak on the mid-palate than developed into vanilla on a 30 second finish Comment: The finish is shorter than the other wines I tasted. This was the least complex and least favorite of the wines, though it did show some tasty ripe fruit and had a smooth, creamy vanilla full-bodied mouthfeel. More fruit forward than earthy--appealing to New World wine fans.
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WOW nose - soft, sweet, and sexy. The only other wine with this type of elegance was the '83 Pichon Lalande. A real standout for quality, and precociousness. Best of the Moutons. B
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Once poured, the familiar nose of cassis, dark berries, cigar box, pencil lead jumps out of the glass. I could just smell the wine for hours. In fact, I should have done just that. The palate is a far cry from the nose. No fruits. Just very focused attack of minerality. It's like drinking mineral water and nosing Mouton all at once. With much coaxing, some smoke and toasted oak nuance could be detected (or is it the nose...?), but otherwise, the palate is quite shut. Perhaps the wine is in a dumb phase now. Intriguing.
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Thematic tasting of Bordeaux 2003 (Crystal Wines): Dark ruby purple. Explosive packed nose with a whole bomb of aromas. Dark roasted beans, mocha, spice cigar box, some barnyard and loads of pencil shavings atop a basket of berry fruits. Extremely layered nose that is still evolving. Very monolithic and focused beam of soft bright dark red fruits and creme de cassis. Creamy and strong tannins. Will develop.
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a great bottle but need some more time to develop. quite oaky but very noble one, the fruit is backward but more prononced that the last time. very soft in the structure, quite easy drinking and enjoyable, the finale is little bit tannic without any astringence. a very good wine.
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Grand Bordeaux Tasting w/ Jill (Binny's South Loop - Chicago, IL): Binny's South Loop October Bordeaux Wine Tasting. Absolutely mind blowing. I completely understand the hype. Tasting this was a truly memorable experience. The focus and structure. Depth and complexity. So much going on. Dark berries, chocolate, earth, dirt. Coffee, dark purple flowers. The viscosity of the wine is somewhat sappy. The nose is absolutely flying out of the glass. The finish lasted for almost a minute. This is the best French wine I've had to date. I am in love. Speechless.
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Tasting Of Chateau Mouton Rothschild (At The Wine Summit 2008 – Lake Louise, Alberta): Blend – 76% CS, 14& M, 8% CF and 2% PV – 13% Alc. – harvested between September 15 and September 24. Deep garnet/ruby – fuzzy pink rim; aromas with pronounced cedar – spices – black currant; clean entry – smooth but quickly shows some fuzzy tannins; powerful and round on the palate, with some freshness resulting from the acidity; deep black currant stretches through the mid-palate – some sweet oak, too; finishes nicely – somewhat easier than one might expect – long and lingering black currant fruit. This is an impressive young wine, but will require a number of years to successfully develop more harmony.
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There were many amazing moments at the 2008 Post Hotel Wine Summit in Lake Louise Alberta Canada, but one of the highlights was a standing room only technical tasting of nine vintages from Chateau Mouton Rothschild. The charismatic and entertaining Adrien Laurent, North American Export Manager for Baroness Rothschild led us through this barrage of big Bordeaux and explained label by label nuances of the various artists who have graced the labels over the years. My first observation was how all nine glasses appeared the same dark inky purple beautiful color. The 2003 had an aroma that begged being evaluated over and over again as you pulled out licorice, mud, hints of spices like you’d use in a meat rub. Once in the mouth, wow, luscious candied cherries, a hint of leather, smoked meats, and by Adrien’s suggestion, but in full agreement would be well balanced tannins and acids. Great. Hard to believe it needs at least 4 more years to start peaking.
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Scott M. Dinner Party (Home): Decanted 4 hours, served blind. Full red color. Lovely nose of black fruit, earth, and coffee notes. Nice round red fruit with good structure, but drinking reasonably well. Ripe for bordeaux, but certainly not over the top.
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I could see the quality in this wine, the wood, the polish, but it is simply not offering much at this point. If it were tasted blind today against say the 2003 Pontet Canet, the Mouton just might come up short. Put this one away, and keep your fingers crossed.
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For me this is an a-typical Mouton. You smell the sun. You taste the overripe start. Overripe boiled fruits is what comes to mind. The wine is very full bodied and there is luxurious oak. It certainly is complex. But I wonder if the overall structure; tannin, fruit, acidity is good enough to make this a truly great wine. Time will tell. Not a bad score for the moment, but on the other hand not a first growth worthy.
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Shows strong scents of coffee, white chocolate and vanilla, wonderful but... One layered, One dimension, New-world style !!, I didn't feel the classic aroma of Mouton. Maybe it needs 10 more years of aging to show up.
This is a very delicious wine along with 2002. Full-bodied, a little bit low in acidity, complex and well-balanced reminds me feeling of wines from St.Emilion such as Ch.Monbousquet 2003.
The best part of Mouton 2003 is its charming aftertaste that's so long...long finished...hold me..thrill me...nearly 3 minutes time. I love to drink it again later, even it's ready to drink now.
'' The first time of drinking any other vintage of Mouton is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you gonna get.
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I have eight bottles of this, so I figured I'd kill one ealy to get a baseline for the future. Decanted for one hour. Good, strong nose. Some fruit mixed with pine wood and lead. Clearly a young Bordeaux. The first glass is nicely balanced. Raspberries and strong earth flavors go down smoothly and I think that perhaps I didn't drink this one too young. Verging on a 94-95, and then about 2-2 1/2 hours after decanting, this wone closed down completely. Strong tannins take over and hide the fruit. Strangely, the wine still feels in balance, though. I will wait a few years before cracking open the next one, but this has the strong makings of a winner down the road.
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Sam's Wine Bordeaux Night; 2/27/2007-2/28/2007 (Chicago): Poured straight from the bottle. Great nose that blossoms. It seems ready to drink. Refined with a slight raspberry sweetness. I think a great pairing with pork tenderloin.
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Served in a flight at the Wine Club SF. Opened but not decanted approximately 3 1/2 hours. Big nose of fruit; super dry finish. I had such a small pour that I did not get a good idea of this wine. However from what I had it just seemed a rather average drinker to me.
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There is no difference in taste of licking the bones of Marylin Monroe, Nephertity or Queen Sheba - the bone is a bone is a bone. I HOPE the disapointment was caused by overoxygen (the wine was sitting in the glass for 3 hours prior to the tasting) and nothing else, I have 2 bottles in the cellar and all I can think at the moment is: "I want my money back!!!"
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Winestreet Does 2003 Bordeaux (Kozlak's, North Oaks, MN): Rich, deep ruby, with brilliant clarity. Amazing, fragrant, constantly evolving nose of grilled meats, barnyard, and licorice. Jammy, rich red and black fruit. Rich minerality and concentration. Youthful, but already showing a lot of complexity and nuance. Amazing length and finesse for a wine with such power. This is a stunner of a Mouton! WOTN for me.
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2003 Bordeaux (Mouton, Haut Brion, Cos, Ducru, Trotanoy, Lynch, many others): Wow. What a flamboyant wine. Dark red color. The nose is amazing. I could smell this for hours. Big (and I mean big) barnyard smell mixed with grilled meat and truffle. Full bodied in the mouth giving stern red fruit and a very pleasant earthiness and a subtle candied fruit. Perfectly balanced. Long, long finish. Spectacular.
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Dark, powerful blackberry fruit with graphite, tobacco, and espresso grounds. Astringent and mouth-puckeringly young - really hard to get a read on. Long and firmly tannic, without any obvious lack of acidity. A fun experiment, but not really enjoyable at this stage.
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Difficult to rate--very young and tannic...phenominal expansion of deep fruit and herbaceouness upon tasting with a long finish....way too young....maybe a 91 at this point? Potential is much, much higher.
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Winery: Dark purple-chocolate color.Hint of cedar, hint of cherry, blkberry; roasted toasted oak; softer bod than Clerc or Arm., but richer, big t’s, tons of glycerin, more closed than others, too.***Huge, elegant, w/power.
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1/28/2024 - Bordeaux_Jon wrote: 91 Points
A surprisingly light and elegant offering, neither words I typically associate with Mouton. This reminds me of the 1990, which wasn’t as bad as Parker claimed, at least my bottle, but certainly not first growth or even second growth intensity. There is tobacco, oak, and black fruit on the aromatic but unfocused nose. The palate is soft and diffuse. Easy to drink but lacking depth, power, or intensity. I wish I tried this wine in its youth. Perhaps my recently purchased bottle was stored in conditions that have aged it rapidly, but if it is representative, it was a wine to drink 5 years ago, aligning with Neal Martin’s opinion. This wine is lacking when measured against the 2003 Latour or 2003 Lafite, or the 2002 Mouton, which is excellent.
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1/26/2024 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 93 Points
CdB BoG; 1/25/2024-1/27/2024 (Denver): I always enjoy a 2003 for sentimental reasons as it is my daughter’s birth year and in this case she was my dinner date.
Lost my notes, but while this wasn’t as powerful as other vintages of Mouton, it is drinking very well and is (not surprisingly) an excellent wine. No complaints from me and while maybe not worth a first growth tariff, being an off vintage it is probably obtainable at a more manageable price than most.
For 2003 though, this was not as good as the LMHB we had a few months ago.
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1/25/2024 - peternelson Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rotting wood (in a good way!), spices, rich, a bit hot, big tears, cassis fruit, pine, silky, juicy finish. This is the 3rd '03 1st growth I've had this month and they have all been outstanding. Guessed 2003. The group's 5th fav. DD Blind 1982-2005 Bordeaux 1st Growth dinner at BOA steakhouse.
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1/13/2024 - OldWorld-ophile Likes this wine: 93 Points
Extremely good cork condition, was very tight upon first tasting. Double decanted, opened up nicely after 2 hrs. Deep ruby color, strong cedar and slight tobacco notes. I think this vintage of Mouton has plenty of time left - easily another 7-10 years.
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12/28/2023 - Atwellian wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Not much sediment. Good cork. Terrible label quality, wrinkled and unattractive. Was a gift, marked as a Costco purchase. Stored in wine cave for +/- 16 years. Deep blackish purple with brown rim. Nose plum, tobacco. Complex, layered, dark fruits and strong savory elements on opening. Promising. Two hours in - tannic, simple, very savory forward. Not particularly deep or interesting. Day 2 - Hot, leather and plum. My impression was of a wine that really was discombobulated. Never really sang and flavors, while interesting, never added up or integrated into a truly memorable wine. A note on my particular opinion of QPR - Coincidently, saw the 2020 vintage of this wine at Costco today on sale for $639.99. For me, the QPR on this wine is almost ridiculously bad, not because the wine was awful, it wasn't. The price is so high compared to so many other wines one could choose for this amount of money or much, much less, that it will definitely never be a repeat performance for me, and it makes me focus on my own foibles of seeking and wanting "the best". Now I'll go and pursue some values in Grand Cru Burgundy :) :) :)
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12/13/2023 - rexmerlot wrote: 92 Points
Clear ruby in colour. Great savoury notes, along with cassis, and baking spice. Medium acidity, medium tannins, and med body. Wine is at a nice place at the moment.
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12/10/2023 - prv530 wrote: 92 Points
Had it last night at dinner. A friend brought the 01 which showed much better, had more stuffing and an exotic bouquet versus the 03. 03 was a subdued, correct wine, balanced , medium bodied but overall muted flavor profile. Seems too old to be in dumb stage but over 1.5-2 hrs it didn't open up. I preferred the 01.
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12/1/2023 - Francophile1 Likes this wine:
50th Birthday Bash: Late night cellar diving. Full disclosure, this was bottle 19 of 19 and the last one of the evening. Therefore, not an analytical tasting note. Nevertheless, it is superb, full of fruit concentration and just beginning to show layers. Did not decant. Infanticide pop and pour.
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11/24/2023 - Purple Tooth wrote: 94 Points
Loved the label on the 03 Mouton so I had to grab 2 for fun. Always afraid to open one, so I never did, thinking, it was not ready. Meanwhile, a braver friend opened his. So this note captures my surprise and an epiphany of sorts when it comes to Mouton as it relates to Bordeaux, namingly Pauillac for this conversation.
The wine is definitely soft, elegant, feminine comes to mind... Cedar laden, soft fruit, lots and lots of beautiful cool earth and pencil shavings, yet a bit out of whack and or ever so slightly "hot". Good linger, re-emerging with more earth and flowers. Very light footed and vanishing. Snobby...Nice!
This is where first growth has topped out and or, Mouton has been replaced by Pichon Lalande in my mind and cellar. Really similarly styled now, both wines are feminine and so close in point of arrival, vintage after vintage. This is no campaign of ridicule for Mouton, yet one of admiration for Pichon Lalande during suessfull years.
I put this in the drink camp. Sooner, rather than later because its totally resolved and in its full beauty. Drink
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11/19/2023 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
It is ready, nose is excellent but...don't wait for too long. It won't get any better and it hit the peak.
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11/5/2023 - nwebstar Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fresh deep colour with an edge of age. Decanted for 1.5hrs. Somewhat surprisingly what stood out was the sheer elegance, sophistication and perfumed nature of the wine. Dark (black, blue berries) fruit with tones of linden and violet. Beautifully balanced with a decent frame. Perhaps lacking a little expected depth and length but had a certain ethereal attraction. A very ‘pretty’ wine with a delightful coolness - more a ‘classic’ Bordeaux. Not what I was expecting from 2003 - but then I’ve often been pleasantly surprised with this vintage (e.g. last Montrose 03 tasting note).
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9/23/2023 - Sperls Likes this wine: 94 Points
From magnum. Prior comments are instructive. Decanted for 2+ hours before starting to drink for another 2 hours. Dark fruit, lots of structure, decent acidity, balanced but still forward tannins, medium+ finish. No real evidence of the hot vintage that you often see in other 2003s, particularly Italians. Still showing mostly primary characteristics but also somewhat muted overall and never really opened up. 2d of 6 mags and the plan is to try a mag every 5 years and see how it goes.
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9/2/2023 - Neecies Likes this wine:
Borrowing CHATTERS note from a few months ago, he described it perfectly: Ripe blackcurrant, sweet spice, dense, concentrated, tobacco leaf. Medium plus intensity acidity, dense but surprisingly fresh dark fruits, talcy textured tannins, finishes a little warm. Nice especially considering the vintage.
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5/7/2023 - Cailles wrote: 92 Points
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 overly expressive nose. On the palate better with fine red and darker berries, some minerality and cedar notes. The tannin structure was fine, the wine didn’t had too much weight but no airy texture either. Good acidity backbone to keep it fresh. This was a good wine without the depth or absolute balance of the best wines (Margaux, Lafite today). Very fine for a 2003 with fine tannins. But not as harmonious, round and expressive as the Lafite.
Decanting: The palate was open from the go, the rather muted nose suggested that a bit of decanting would have been necessary.
Group average: 92.5 pts
Group rank: Shared 7th out of 29 reds
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4/25/2023 - chatters wrote:
En Primeur campaign for the 2022 vintage Day Four (Bordeaux): Ripe blackcurrant, sweet spice, dense, concentrated, tobacco leaf. Medium plus intensity acidity, dense but surprisingly fresh dark fruits, talcy textured tannins, finishes a little warm. Nice especially considering the vintage.
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4/8/2023 - aquacongas wrote: 96 Points
blind
Very lushful left bank Bordeaux with less fruits than expected even you taste the warm year. No acidity problem. Great to drink but many years left in the tank. 96
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3/20/2023 - sirpat00 wrote: 95 Points
Grand Bordeaux 2003 horizontal tasting (Fribourg): Bordeaux 2003 vintage horizontal hosted by a private collector and moderated by Jean-Marc Quarin. Main observations: 1/ Average quality is acceptable, but weighted down by various low-lights, esp. on the right bank. 2/ In general a tannic vintage, lacking balance. 3/ Top 3 wines were Lafite, Mouton and Margaux (all 95). See the tasting story for a complete overview and additional vintage comments.
Tasting note:
Beautifully fresh fruit of red currant and cassis. Sexy floral notes, almost perfumed. Roasted coffee beans. Fresh palate with nice fruit and good length. Structured but comes across light. Along with Lafite two of the highlights in the vintage.
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3/5/2023 - steinersing wrote: 95 Points
Pretty big wine, new world territory. But enjoyable and will last a decade or two.
In fact, with two hours air contact it gains in complexity shows irs old world qualities.
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2/25/2023 - oleronning wrote: 96 Points
Decanted 2 hours before drinking. Very soft/smooth aromas, both on the nose and on the palette. Elegant. Notes of warmer fruits on the first glass, moving towards colder notes after 6 hours. Spices. Still a very young style. 96 points.
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2/9/2023 - beatles wrote: 92 Points
Double decanted two hours before. This is very much following the common image of 2003, Goût American, chocolate, coconut, very rich, creamy, sweet. Might improve - and others will love it more than me. 92+
#Schur#Mouton
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1/20/2023 - Genghis88 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ox blood in color.
Classic BDX aged nose. All tertiary now. Leather, leather, sangre, pencil shavings
Smooth, nicely balanced. Wonderful length on finish. Very sophisticated wine. Is it worth it though????
Thanks Rob for buying my case off me and sharing the bottles with me.
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12/2/2022 - Vino Me wrote: 94 Points
Opened by Allred. Double decanted for about 9 hours. From the ripe 2003 vintage in Bordeaux. Served blind. Dark purple color. A peppery nose and earthy texture. Notes of tobacco, cassis and leather. Solid tannins with a rich full bodied finish. This was the 9th different vintage of the Mouton that I have had. The others being the 1981, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1996 and 1998. Of those only the 1983, 1988 and 1998 were superior. No rush to drink this wine. 94+ points.
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11/25/2022 - AllRed wrote: 95 Points
Annual Friendsgiving Gathering (M/M thelostverse): Our first of three, double decanted off its sediment and served blind to the group with dinner about 9hrs after the cork was first pulled. Aromas of red currant, leather, green tobacco, cassis and forest floor. Changes in the glass throughout the dinner. Full-bodied with flavors of red plum, currants, cigar tobacco, allspice, black cherry and licorice. Tannins are integrating nicely and this is certainly approachable now, albeit young. Balanced, with a lingering finish. My favorite of the three reds in terms of pairing with the rib roast.
Most guessed centered on "old school" Napa cabernet, but Mrs. TLV was zeroing in on Bordeaux from the start. This definitely shows the fruit of warm 2003 vintage and had I been tasting blind I'm not sure I'd have guessed Bordeaux either, but the structure is the giveaway here. A very fine wine with the good, but not overly ripe fruit, of the vintage. Happy to have two more in the cellar. No rush here.
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11/24/2022 - charleshg wrote:
Drank for Thanksgiving. Wine was wonderful but way too tight. After 2 hours, still too stemy and tanicy. By next day it was far better. Needs at least another 10 years.
The wine looks purple colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, red currant, raisin, strawberry jam and oak. It tastes like blackberry, strawberry, black currant (cassis), fig, raisin, oak and tobacco. The body is full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity.
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11/6/2022 - Bolzano2022 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium + intensity aromas of weather (foremost), tobacco, wet forest, mushroom, vanilla.
It has a very integrated rounded and pleasant acidity and tannin. It is so easy to drink. Long finish.
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8/9/2022 - Psdycp wrote: 95 Points
Balanced and refined bouquet of leather, graphite, black plum and blackberries with spiced box. Palate has a higher degree of finesse and refinement after an hour in the decanter. The ripe fruits showed in the polished mid-palate. Medium to full-bodied structure. Silky palate from entry to finish which is elegant and layered.
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6/1/2022 - NarunP wrote: 89 Points
76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot
ฺBrilliant red garnet, clear and semi-transparent, youthful looking
Very concentrated scents of pomegranate, red cherry, licorice, anise, smoked cedar oak
On the palate, the wine is dense and still quite tannic for its age. Medium to mid-low acidity, medium plus body, dry. Lots of ripe, stewed red fruit, some graphite and pencil lead. Finish is oaky and quite hot.
Disappointed for a first growth in my book. The wine was tasted more like a new world cabernet sauvignon blend. I would not be surprised if I tasted this blind and called it a Napa cab. Due to its low acid profile, I don't see a lot of upsides in its future either. 89.
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5/1/2022 - DrZett wrote: 96 Points
🇫🇷 2003 Vieux Château Certan 🇫🇷 Lots of tertiary notes, ripe red berries, leather, sweet tobacco. Medium complexity, great balance. Drink up soon. 91/100 💵~200
🇫🇷 2003 Château Figeac 🇫🇷 Violets, dark plum, some meaty notes. Good complexity. A little too hot. Finish is a bit short. Drink now. 90/100 💵~200
🇫🇷 2003 Château Angelus 🇫🇷 Beautiful complexity and a lot of fruit power left. Grippy tannins and and super long finish. At least another 10 great years left. 94/100 💵~400
🇫🇷 2003 Château Cos d’Estournel 🇫🇷 Nice soft tertiary notes and lots of dark berries. Fantastic depth and structure. Powerful body. Long finish. In a great spot now. 95/100 💵~230
🇫🇷 2003 Château Montrose 🇫🇷 Ripe strawberries, cherries and wet ivy. Velvety tannins. Fantastic complexity and a great balance. Feels quite fresh and young, lots of good years ahead. 96/100 💵~230
🇫🇷 2003 Château Haut-Bailly 🇫🇷 Soft sweet notes in the nose. Alcohol is too hot and covering the fruit notes. Medium complexity, feels a little unbalanced. Drink now. 89/100 💵~100
🇫🇷 2003 Château Mouton Rothschild 🇫🇷 Great dark red fruits, some dry leather and tobacco - beautiful ripeness. Warm and velvety tannins. Fantastic complexity and length. In a perfect spot now. 96/100 💵~ 600
🇫🇷 2003 Château Lafite Rothschild 🇫🇷 Fantastic nose and palate with lots of elegant dark berries, tobacco leafs and lots of mineral style notes. Silky tannins. Very elegant structure. Incredible balance and complexity. Endless finish. At least another two great decades ahead. 97/100 💵~ 1.100
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4/30/2022 - Wizaard1 wrote: 94 Points
Judgement of Greenbay, 03 Mouton, 06 Monte Bello, 05 Branaire Ducru, 03 Lascombs, 06 Quintessa. Monte Bello ranked first with Statistical significance over all except Quintessa which was second. 13 judges. All wines were drinking exceptionally well!
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4/19/2022 - hajoha wrote: 92 Points
Chateau Mouton 2003.
Flott nese med god intensitet.
Bær på den mørke siden, lær, blyantkvess, søt tobakk og spice.
Lovende!
Bløt varm og sødmefull frukt på smak.
Dette drikker bra nå.
Veldig digg drikkevin.
Er svakest i finish synes jeg.
Tanninene er ganske grove.
Kanske ikke helt førstevekst-lengde, men den sitter ganske så bra. 92-93p
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12/31/2021 - VlgJeff wrote: 92 Points
Another New Year's Eve and another NYEve Dinner with just the two of us - after our two-couple dinner was called off. This COVID pandemic is really beginning to wear thin...
This wine was interesting, but still developing. It paired reasonably well with our NY Strip steak, baked potato and haricots vert. We drank it alongside a bottle of 2008 Futo Oakville.
This bottle was decanted in mid-afternoon - with a fair amount of sediment (most of it stuck to the bottle) - and followed:
Initial: light red fruits and cedar on the nose; same but muted on the thin palate.
At 1 hour: mostly cedar, with some light red fruit on the nose; the palate hasn't changed much.
At 2.5 hours: The nose yielded mostly red fruits and cedar. The palate was, at best, only medium bodied and reflected the nose, with the addition of some darker red fruits and a bit of earth. The acidity was juicy and may have outrun the fruit by a bit, the tannins were completely integrated, and the wine continued to open a bit throughout the meal.
This wine should (hopefully) continue to develop over the next several years and then remain drinkable to the 3-decade mark (and beyond?). I may hold-up on opening the next bottle for a few years.
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12/11/2021 - Elpaninaro Likes this wine:
deepish purple red color, meaty ripe nose, licorice, dark fruits, blackberries, a bit of heat, on the palate a very large-scale all-fruit wine, tannins buried, a bit of warmth on the tail end, the black cherry fruit with hints of fruitcake is really lovely and very Mouton- but there is not much else here in terms of nuance, this is frankly a lot like the 1993 but more natural in feel since the 2003 vintage created the conditions for such a wine, in the grand scheme of things this is delicious, it is not as reflective of Mouton as most vintages, and most importantly it is a success in the context of the vintage, this will surely hold but my inclination would be to drink soon and enjoy its still youthful and vibrant personality, in my long experience such vintages do not fare well toward the latter end of the life cycle, but for right now this is really great fun.
***+, ready to drink
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12/9/2021 - steinersing wrote: 95 Points
Powerful dark fruits in the nose. Body not as big as expected for the vintage. Decanted 90mmins ahead. Early drinking window.
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11/25/2021 - Doc D R wrote: 94 Points
After decanting for about 45 minutes the wine really opened up nicely. There were subtle notes of black cherry, and leather. The tannins were very smooth, almost nonexistent. The finish lingered a bit, and was rich. In addition to decanting, filtering is needed; there was a moderate amount of sediment in the bottle.
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8/29/2021 - WKC Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lovely but needs 2-3 hours at least to get going. Poured from magnum so needs more time.
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7/25/2021 - flentvall Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped and poured. Opens with dusty tannins and a closed flavor profile. Alcohol in check. Underwhelming.
With air (a few hours in bottle and in glass), it lightens up on the palate (medium weight) with further integration of fine tannins, with livelier, fruitier cassis and plum notes. Has some leather but not too much secondary complexity. Overall, much better.
But still not really a "wow"-type 1st growth experience. Elegant, but not really differentiated. If I had another bottle, I'd probably drink it in the next year or two for the overall balance, and maybe slow-o instead of pnp.
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7/13/2021 - carey_gall Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bottle in good condition. Rich style reflective of both the producer and year but manages to stay in balance. Powerful nose, dark fruits verging on jammy. Spice, vanilla. Good depth and persistence. Lovely fine tannins. Fully mature now with some secondary leathery characteristics. Only criticism is perhaps lacking typicity showing some new world characteristics and fruit.
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6/23/2021 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted over cocktails. Beautifully balanced with bright tannins, medium body, many delicate flavors of black and red berries, licorice, leather, and light earth. Showing at peak I think, and wonderfully enjoyable. Thanks Wine Baron!
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6/12/2021 - LB88 wrote: 94 Points
This is still relatively young in the drinking cycle not having developed too many secondary and certainly no tertiary flavours. I would cellar this for at least a couple to few more years.
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5/10/2021 - Kriz wrote: 92 Points
Needs some air to open up. Showing a great wine. Big, but not 'new world' big.
Sweet fruit and quickly showing some tertiar aromas. Ageing quickly in the decanter.
Not the best Mouton.
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4/2/2021 - Lukas1976 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Sehr schöner Mouton, jetzt herrlich zum geniessen und er hält sich sicher noch weitere 5 Jahre. 1 Stunde dekantieren, dann öffnet er sich gut. Sehr zugänglich und perfekt gereift. Tannine sehr gut eingebunden, langer Abgang. Einfach toll, ein Wein zum Entspannen und Philosophieren!
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3/10/2021 - mclanew Likes this wine: 94 Points
Slow ox for an hour and decanted for half an hour. The nose on this is outstanding with hedonistic aromas of black currant, cherry, tobacco weed and earth coming through. The wine shows the ripeness of the vintage with almost new world fruit flavors, but at the same time is reasonably well balanced although it doesn’t show the class and sophistication of the best mouton. The wine is in early maturity and the tannins have moderated and are well integrated. Overall this is not a typical, it could be mixed up with a California cult wine in a blind tasting but it’s still quite an enjoyable, impressive wine.
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5/22/2020 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 90 Points
Fine Wines SG - Is Seña really that great? (Zoom): Deep garnet with significant fading on edge. Viscous and highly extracted. Dark blackish feel on the nose, somewhat of black florals, chocolate, paprika, and ripe cassis. Rounded tannins, while a fairly strong alcohol burn, with ripe cassis, pepper, coffee, chocolate, and a certain slight meatiness towards the back. Fairly long floral finish
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5/10/2020 - alamoave Likes this wine: 91 Points
Patio Easter dinner with our first guests since the lockdown started. Much better than prior bottles. After my last bottle disappointed, and with wrinkled labels that looked like they weren't put on correctly, I actually went to the trouble to send photos and, ultimately, bottle and cork and capsule to Mouton in France on suspicion of counterfeit bottles. They concluded it wasn't counterfeited, but this bottle was a big relief.
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3/5/2020 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
La Paulée Zachy's Auction - Thursday (Le Bernardin Privé): Sweet, toasty and creamy nose of rich (but not ripe/roasted) plum fruit. Delicious with a silky, smooth mouth feel. Tannins are so well integrated. Well balanced. A success in a hot vintage.
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3/5/2020 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Zachys La Paulee Auction; 3/5/2020-3/6/2020 (Le Bernardin Prive - New York NY): Small glass, brief note. Rich black cherry and currant with some cassis. Certainly rich but simultaneously well balanced.
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12/30/2019 - Zweder wrote: flawed
Special evening with close wine friends. (@ RW): What a shame. Second 2003 Mouton which is corked! GRRRRR.
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9/30/2019 - jmcnewjersey wrote: flawed
Corked (flawed product)
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5/5/2019 - HENNO1 wrote: 93 Points
Tasted alongside a Mouton 04 and the 03 was a little better for me. Very nice wine but it didn’t blow me away. Drinking well but may be even better in a few more years. I have one more and will hold for a few years yet
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3/2/2019 - LB88 wrote: 94 Points
Opened for 4 hours and decanted for 2 before drinking. Could do with a little more time in the decanter but otherwise drinking very well.
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12/22/2018 - Niagara wrote: 93 Points
Clearly a classy bottle of wine, but the name accounts for at least 50% of the price. A soft and approachable wine, still with a lot of life yet, but ready to drink.
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12/10/2018 - BradE wrote:
I've had this vintage before and enjoyed it. This bottle didn't move me.
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10/19/2018 - Alexander Smith Likes this wine: 96 Points
New York Wine Experience 2018 (New York Marriott Marquis): Blend of 76% Cab, 8% Cab Franc, 14% Merlot, @ Petit Verdot. Finally, a first growth which shows it's cards. This has opened up beautifully and showed fresh fruit, cedar, forest floor, vanilla and a long elegant finish.
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10/18/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Wine Spectator newbies; 10/18/2018-10/20/2018 (Marriott Marquis): Very pretty. Lots of shoe leather and the like. It's approachable now unlike some of the other wines being poured, but certainly will improve with time. For some this was the first growth of the tasting although I liked the Margaux a bit more. Prob similar to the HB for me.
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6/11/2018 - Sean Tay wrote:
The wine looks violet colored. It smells like blackberry, red currant, blueberry, black currant (cassis), toast, coffee, vanilla and lead pencil.
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5/22/2018 - Rebirth22 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Gorgeous wine! Very rich, stuffed with ripe plum, jam and spice. Notes of toffee, cigar and graphite that completely coat your mouth leaving a long succulent finish.
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1/24/2018 - alamoave wrote: 89 Points
Lacks complexity and length. Very soft. Tannins almost unnoticeable. Not remotely close to being worth the money.
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1/19/2018 - Ozen wrote: 92 Points
Had this from both Magnum and multiple regular bottles. It actually never impressed, it lacks depth and complexity It drinks like a good 2nd or 3rd grand cru classe Pauillac. I prefer the 2002 over this supposedly better vintage. For Mouton my favourite vintages are 1982 (100 points and one of the best wines ever) and 1986 (99 points for now), the 1996 (good) and for lesser vintages the 2002 jumps out. Forget 1995 (similarly average, even 20 years ago), 2001 (not great), 1998 (rather flat), 2003 (ok but not great). The 1995 pales compared to the 1996 at the same price and as such the price tag isn't justified: for the same money you can buy 2002 or 1996. I know this is a bold statement but from all of the 70's and 80's I would pick another premier cru except the delicious 1982 and 1986. Recent vintages are promising
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12/17/2017 - stayhappy21 wrote: 91 Points
Drank this at Chin Lee Restaurant to celebrate my father's birthday.
Decanted for 3 hours prior to consumption, with the wine somewhat closed and a wall of tannins preventing its true potential to show.
On the nose the wine is powerful with notes of rip plums and rich berries. On the palate the wine is very well structured, with a full, lush body and bearing notes of coffee, chocolate, oak, leather and lots of restrained energy. Slowly but surely, the wine is opening up and revealing more of its potential as the lunch went on.
This is a big, polished wine with an excellent balance between energy, fruits, body and acidity. At 14 years of age, the wine might be too young for consumption.
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8/25/2017 - Ralph_ wrote: 97 Points
Wetzi's Trübli the last (Wetzi's Trübli): My red wine of the night. Very nice to drink now, but no rush!
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7/1/2017 - phynes wrote: 95 Points
Drinking very well now. Opulent wine with notes of sweet toffee and chocolate on top of the usual Paulliac magic. The third bottle from the case and it seems to have improved a little each time. Wonder how good it will be in five years?
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5/10/2017 - dcwino wrote: 92 Points
Mouton dinner with Philippe Dhalluin and Bernard Burtschy (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): It sticks out like a sore thumb especially in the vertical format. Soft and warm pruney nose, stewed fruit, dry cherry, very ripe red fruit, leather, tobacco and earth. Soft and round, good concentration, a slight hint of dry tannins and a hint of bitterness that clips the finish. For my palate, there are a lot of other/cheaper ’03 Bordeauxs, e.g. LB, LP, Montrose and etc,that are better. The auction price is close to the 95 and 96 which represent much better value, IMO. I hope that this will either magically transform or evolve like the 76. My least favorite Mouton of the night.
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4/28/2017 - etyc Likes this wine:
Of the Moutons on show this evening, the '03 was perhaps the most showy and ready. An opulent wine, this started with a most-giving/alluring nose of dark-chocolates, lead/graphite, cassis & cedar. Equally open on the palate, with coffee, toffee, lead, and a little leather. Most fruit-forward of the lot with quite a long finish. Again, will definitely improve with more cellar time, but this is already so ready to drink... Very nice!
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3/4/2017 - Xavier Auerbach wrote:
A private tasting and dinner (at home): A blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Tasted blind. Evolved nose, animale, deep and spicy; pain d'épices flavours, uneasy acidity, lifted, almost volatile, vestiges of carbon dioxide, not clearly flawed but not really correct either. Not rated.
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12/31/2016 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 96 Points
Mouton, Shafer, SQN, Prum, Chave, CdP, Yquem, Port ++ (Home): Opened and allowed to breathe for 10 hours. This is drinking well, young, but well now. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose has cassis, coffee, leather, slight funk and cigar tobacco. On the palate, there are still some firm tannins. Lots of fruit. Not particularly ripe given the vintage. Some tight layering unwinds in the glass. Nice finish. Very food friendly. There are better vintages of this, but this is damn good and seems better than a bottle tried on release. Much more traditional than I thought it would be back then.
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10/12/2016 - phynes Likes this wine: 95 Points
P&P and consumed within 10 minutes along with a colleague. It was that delicious! Definitely in its drinking window with notes of smoked wood, tobacco and forest floor. More diffuse / less precise than other first growths but just a fantastic mouthful of claret. Will not compete with the '82, '86 or '06 but a lovely wine nonetheless. Suspect it may not last forever, maybe another 10 years before it starts to decline.
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7/30/2016 - BBinSC wrote: 95 Points
Surprise, surprise! Followed the 03 Cos, and rightfully so. Nose was not as expressive as the Cos, but the finish went on and on and on. Very well done.
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6/12/2016 - VoteferPedro Likes this wine:
Double decanted about 4 hours prior to service for my birthday. THe color was lighter than anticipated and on decant gave a very little amount of sediment compared to other Moutons (though this is my first '03). A taste early on was light and somewhat sour but the nascent fruit filled out lushly and gained in complexity by dinner. It was deliscous and complimented well in the unlikely paring a crawfish jambalaya in Carolina gold rice at FRANK. The Mouton spice went point counterpoint with the heat of the Jambalay. I would not recommend this at home... Chefs Jenie Kelley and Ben Starr are experts with balancing layers of spice (frankunderground.com/)
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2/21/2016 - mwanasheria wrote: 93 Points
Nose of scorched earth, leather. On the palate cassis, creme de cassis, plums, sweet cherries, tar.
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2/13/2016 - obmoen wrote: 96 Points
Skinn, lær, solbær, elegant, lag på lag, kjølig, flotte tanniner, eksotisk krydder, eucalyptus, kraftig munnfølelse, lang. Nydelig balanse. (4 timer i karaffel)
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2/10/2016 - GNBB wrote: 94 Points
Warm ripe nose. Great palate with fine tobacco, cedar, saddle notes. Light cassis with ripe cherries. Good balance on palate - excellent. Still plenty to go. Young but drinking wonderfully now. Now-2028.
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1/13/2016 - phynes Likes this wine: 94 Points
Bought two cases of this en primeur and decided it was time to try a bottle. Enjoyed it. Power and finesse with some early signs of complexity. Cassis and chocolate to the fore. Feels like it is drinking well now but certainly no rush and suspect it will improve.
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1/12/2016 - kr522 wrote: 94 Points
on this night was better than the Lafite, and clearly so after about an hour. Both wines have similar aromatics and are a bright red fruit mouthful, but the Mouton seems bigger, a little sweeter and less evolved. Not a blockbuster but nice balance and enjoyable
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12/17/2015 - Redrum Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wonderful nose, silky smooth, elegant and refined after 1.5 hours of air in the decanter. I really enjoyed the mouth feel and class of the wine, but it was a bit disappointing in that the wine lacked power and structure. Hardly any discernible tannin, very surprising for a 12 year old first growth Bordeaux. Not sure if this is in a dumb phase or if its already fading.
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11/7/2015 - Burgnick wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 2.5 hours. Didnt guess its a 03 bordeaux. A lot of dark fruit, chocolate, mocha and caramel. The palate was a bit too young to open without the 03 ripeness but the first growth weight was there. This will be significantly better in 10 years.
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9/3/2015 - Markus IWC wrote: 93 Points
Brilliant vin!
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8/29/2015 - TEKinsider wrote: 96 Points
Decanted and drank across 3 hours. Definitely needs 2+ hours of decanting before it starts to show. Smoke, tobacco, oak, some leather. Medium/full body with some brick colors starting to show. It's in a good place now.
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8/16/2015 - Wizaard1 wrote: 95 Points
Impromptu french theme dinner. Enjoyed 2003 Haut-Brion, Mouton Rothschild and Lafite Rothschild and d Yquem. All concurred elegance of reds ranked in order provided with Lafite being far superior. All should easily cellar anothe 10 years before trying next bottle.
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8/3/2015 - johnh1001 wrote: 95 Points
Nose of ripe dark fruit, smoke, herbs and sweet oak. Full and open on the palate. Ripe red and black fruit with a smoke and mesquite note. Long smooth and outstanding balance. Enjoyable today.
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8/1/2015 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Reinterpreted Paris Tasting 'Best Bottle Circle' Style (Emmen, Switzerland): Deep clear garnet in color. Nose shows smoked bacon, sweet berries and coffee. Typical for a 2003 it show lots of sweetness. Nice balance and elegance. Very long. Still youthful
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4/25/2015 - ilee Likes this wine: 92 Points
Birthday party for Mrs L (Wine Vault, Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong): Hmm, I can see why some people really like this, yet others are distinctly not fans. I am somewhere in the middle. The nose is certainly all beauty and class, what with the rich fumes of cassis, mint, earth and tobacco shooting magical pulses of pleasure into the brain. But the palate is not quite so compelling. The wood and the fruit, both quite dominant, rich characters, haven't quite figured out between them who is in charge so there is a bit of a tussle going on. As a long-time fruit voter, I found the wine a little creamy for my liking. But that is not to say it isn't a nice wine or that given time, it can't be even better. Certainly, all the components necessary for a great wine are all there. I shall hold my two remaining magnums for longer.
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4/20/2015 - Sourdough Likes this wine: 94 Points
Truly lovely. Slightly subdued nose. Very slight browning at edges. Great mouthfeel with finely integrated tannins. Dark red fruit dominates with black cherry, black plum, and dried fruit and raspberry. Long finish.
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2/28/2015 - Zweder wrote:
A Matter of Taste tasting (London, Saatchi Gallery): Found a leftover of this wine in the back of the room after the Ausone master class, so the bottle was open for approx. 7 hours. And sad enough the wine was too old by then. Still luxurious aromas but that was about it. On the palate the overripe fruits were not that pleasant anymore. I just saw my TN from 2007 and I had my doubts then. Today was a confirmation of that note. Store it really cool and don’t wait too long is probably the wisest thing to do. No score for today.
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2/28/2015 - RayOB wrote: 94 Points
A Matter of Taste: London Edition (Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea): Nose of forest floor, earth, cedar and cassis. Lovely complexity with silky smooth tannins. Lovely.
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2/28/2015 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 90 Points
A Matter of Taste: London Edition (Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea): I couldn’t get behind this, too be honest. There was a touch of bricking on the edges; a green/tobacco nose with blue fruit, pepper and crushed stones; too dry and restrained on the palate in my view; perfumed, stewed fruit and a bit of tobacco leaf. Not that much depth; some eucalyptus emerges on the finish.
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2/28/2015 - rossi.wine wrote: 92 Points
Quite dark centre, a bit of discolouration. Ripe but clean fruit, tobacco, spices. On the palate quite complex with slightly stewed fruit, drying. Not enormously long. 91-93
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1/5/2015 - Grenik Likes this wine: 95 Points
Quite young, but rewarding. Deep red to the rim, minimal signs of age. Pepper, sage, cherry, plum nose. Cherry, vanilla, cedar, loam with a long and smooth finish. Has a lot of potential.
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1/4/2015 - jkuanl Likes this wine:
Brief reflections on this wine: dark purple red color; very ripe nose with aromas of coffee, vanilla and oak; weighty, structured, glossy; long finish. Tasted like a 2003 from its ripeness, nice to drink but still very primary.
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11/27/2014 - wbq8f Likes this wine: 96 Points
Bordeuax 2003 horizontal tasting with Pichon L, Mouton R, Cos d’Estournel and Margaux. All were excellent and in good condition, but there were striking differences. My wife and I had the wines with duck confit and mushroom Risotto, finishing with fresh Manchego cheese. The Cos was, surprisingly, the least impressive. It was fruity, round, but one dimensional, with little in the way of a finish. About a 92. The Pichon was next, with a bit of spice on the front end, with good red fruit, and a nice finish. Not spectacular, but very good. About 94. The Mouton was a surprise, given what I had read about it. It was really good, deep red fruits, long mid palate with earthy tones, and a long finish. This had been decanted for about four hours, so maybe that helped. About 96. The star of the evening was the Margaux. Right off the bat, complex red fruits with spices and earthy notes, mid palette of deep dark fruit, very long and satisfying finish. This is what makes Bordeaux so great. We tasted a very good California cab right after, and it seemed thin and one-dimensional. Give it a 98. Wow.
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8/31/2014 - madeiradog Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still very young and in a bit of a slumber, great fruit potential and no heat. I see this as being in a transition phase. Dark berries with hints of cedar, tobacco and leather. Remains more simple than complex at the moment.
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6/14/2014 - Charlie Carnes wrote: 86 Points
This comes across as an over made wine from a really ripe year. Saline, ash, heavily roasted coffee, blackberry, oak and alcohol. Truthfully, I was able to drink the whole bottle over two days, as it didn't kill me. I think I would have dumped it if it wasn't a first. I just wanted to see how it would do after it was opened for a while. I imagine this is a hot year kind of thing, but there seems to be some heavy handed winemaking here as well. I am still glad I have gotten rid of almost all Bordeaux from this time period. FWIW, considering the genre, the time in general, and the year specifically, and what with the whole spoofilation thing, this wine was better than quite a lot of its peers.
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5/9/2014 - fetti wrote: 94 Points
Awesome sooo freshn young still!
In sanseb
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5/9/2014 - fetti Likes this wine: 95 Points
Awesome!sooo fresh n young still
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5/3/2014 - GNBB wrote: 93 Points
Mid red with light red to rim. Rich concentrated black fruits nose - clear and ripe flavours, slight floral, deep roses & very slight vegetal notes on nose. Palate is intense and rich - very clear fine tannins & medium acidity. Clean palate, cedar flavours & light leather. Good deep cherry notes. Very well balanced. Still feels a little young but drinking very well now. Now-2020.
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3/28/2014 - Davyd Chong wrote: 93 Points
Baron Philippe de Rothschild Wine Dinner Featuring International Masterchef Alexandre Gauthier (Stellar At 1-Altitude): This was clearly the best wine during the dinner, and also the wine that everybody was looking forward to. Initially, on the nose, a refined, elegant, perfumed nose of earth, leather, and smokiness, alcoholic fumes were palpable. This was a powerful, complex wine. On the palate, sumptuous semi-sweet cherries and blackcurrants, oak, and alcohol. Quite tannic, and it left a mouth puckering dryness on the long finish. Although the wine was good, it wasn't great, and I was disappointed, as I expected more from a First Growth. The heavy tannins lingered on throughout even after 1.5 hours in the glass, but the nose started developing, showing hints of chocolate. On the whole, I felt that the wine is still too young. The mouthfeel was rich and nice, but not "wow". In fact, the initial few sips were wonderful, but as it continued to sit in the glass, it was unable to fully express itself, and remained tight. It took on a dull character towards the end of the dinner, with more earth and leather pervading the nose, and less fruits. I'm not sure whether decanting would have helped?
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12/18/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Cigar box, jammy black raspberry, mint, ash, tobacco, cedar wood, cloves, cinnamon and wet forest floor notes start the fireworks. On the palate, the rich, sensuous, flamboyant, showy wine is a hedonistic treat for the senses from start to finish. The early harvest took place between September 15 and September 25. The wine was made from a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.
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12/15/2013 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
EWG Conrad's: Medium + body, cigar, tobacco, smoke; quite big but not giving up a lot; ample ripe tannins. Either shut down or just monolithic, which seems typical for many '03's. Very good structure, makes the Leoville '02 seem a bit lean.
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11/30/2013 - soyhead wrote:
Nose - dark fruit, dirt, funk on the nose
Mouth - essence of blackberry, graphite, surprisingly restrained
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11/12/2013 - Yagil wrote: 94 Points
Great 2003 Bordeaux (Wine Road Tel-Aviv): nose: elegant leathery and ripe fruity aromas
palate: med-full bodied, delicate, well balanced, velvet tannins, very good complexity, fine finish
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11/12/2013 - BradE wrote:
Well balanced, classy, enjoyable.
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11/9/2013 - rnellans wrote: 93 Points
Dark, dark. Big cedar nose. Good fruit chewy tannins
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11/9/2013 - Rob MacKay wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for about 4 to 5 hours. Initially showed a lot of vanilla and ripe fruit notes which softened quite a lot. On the nose this almost seems to be very similar to a big Napa wine but the palate is much more restrained. Pretty tannic and backward now but should really show well given enough time. This will be a very long-lived wine.
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10/11/2013 - Peter Z. wrote: flawed
corked
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10/11/2013 - Zweder wrote: flawed
Occasional dinner group; Bordeaux 2003 plus some extras.: Grrrrr! Corked! Badly corked!!
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9/22/2013 - JulianSkeels wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 5hrs, which seemed about perfect. Better on the nose than in the mouth. A lovely cedar and graphite nose. Rich, slightly roasted chocolate coffee beans with some plums, touch of kirsch, and slight taste of 'pebbles'. Bit disappointing really, concentrated but not too much mouthfeel or complexity beyond the lovely perfume (which filled the room). Not sure this will age well.
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6/21/2013 - Ary wrote: 95 Points
Left Bank Bordeaux 2003 (semi blind) (Amsterdam Wijn Antiquariaat): Well delineated, kirsch, coffee-beans and dark fruits, full-bodied and powerful palate with pebbles and iron tones. Very elegant! Wasn't as impressed as at the tasting (also themed 2003 Left Bank) in 2011 but an excellent wine nevertheless.
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6/21/2013 - Libiamo! wrote:
Medium ruby core, hint of brick around the rim. On the nose, very jammy nose with notes of prune, soy, coffee ground, a touch herbal. On the palate, medium acidity, big gripping tannins. Alcohol sticks out a bit for my taste. Extracted. At this stage, quite evolved already that makes me worried about its trajectory from now on. If you taste it side by side with d'Armailhac 2003 for example, you will find the latter has definitely more freshness on the nose as well as on the palate.
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5/23/2013 - macker100 wrote: 93 Points
Dinner at Monty, no formal notes. As always, Mouton delivers on nose, with very impressive black fruited aromas. Strong mouthpuckering finish, needs plenty of time.
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4/23/2013 - Gabe wrote: 92 Points
Alright maybe I don't get it or I'm too much of a California whore but this wasn't that good. decanted for 4 hours prior to dinner poured back into the bottle and decanted at the restaurant for an hour or more. It had a good nose. It had muted fruits and lots of brick on the nose. Very nice silky mouthfeel with smooth tannins. However, the finish was non existent. For what I paid it was fine, for its current auction value, no way. We paired it with a fine meal at La Folie and frankly I could have picked a bunch of California wines that would have been better. Maybe I don't get it!
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2/24/2013 - Ljuay Likes this wine: 96 Points
Opened to air it for 12 hours before consuming it. Dark red in color; strong nose filled with chocolates, berries but yet earthy. Full bodied, rich and crisp. I enjoyed it.
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2/11/2013 - Cheungtp Likes this wine: 96 Points
2013 Chinese New Year gathering (Jasmine Place, Central, Hong Kong): Quite a luxurious treat from Henry *smile* This is young for sure, but it definitely glorified the evening as a whole. With a full afternoon aeration and another 1+ hour decant,, this dark ruby red baby comes with sharp nose of black currants, licorice, cassis, smoke, florals and a bit of meat juice. Texture is soft and opulent, great balance and filled with layers of ripe fruits and herbs. The only tiny flaw is that the finish is a little short. A great treat no matter.
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11/23/2012 - psmith wrote: 94 Points
Friday after Thanksgiving II (Palm Beach Gardens, FL): Milk chocolate. Very young, dark, and bold wine. Deep fruits. All potential at this point but good elements.
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11/22/2012 - Dbader wrote: 95 Points
One of the best wines I've ever had. The wine was very balanced for being so young. Slight tannins with a lot of fruit. Decanted for 3 hours. Went very well with Thanksgiving dinner and was amazed that it was able to stand up to a very rich chocolate cake. Cork was about 2/3rds soaked through and would have required recorking in another few years.
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10/6/2012 - St Paul wrote: 97 Points
Very deep in color. Some of the tasters had this down as a New World wine. I think it is a fantastic wine with elegance and power in a good mix. Will age with style of course and it can be stored for many more years.
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9/9/2012 - johnh1001 wrote: 95 Points
Drank over 3 hours. Incredibly rich and juicy nose. Almost exotic. Plum, dark fruit, some coffee and caramel notes. The palate matched with deep dense fruit. The heat of the vintage was evident. The tannins were there for sure, but completely buffered by the fruit. I was surprised at how easy this was to drink at such young age. Long long finish. I enjoyed this.
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9/4/2012 - clairenclarence wrote: 92 Points
decant 3 hrs.amazing super fine tannins.fruits hiding underneath layers of tar.ripe fruits eventually start to show after 5 hrs of decanting but lack of freshness.its more like a mature bttl.based on the 3 hrs of decanting tat i taste,i personally tink tat tis bttl by give another decade,it mite a nice bttl tat age gracioulsy.i wud definitely try to get another 2 bttls.nxt time i wil try to decant at least 9 hrs to c wat im getting.92+
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6/22/2012 - G.M. wrote: 95 Points
Unfortunately only a 30mL taste from a wine store in Paris. Very deep purple/red. Beautiful complex nose, but very closed compared to 1990. Only hints of things to come! Different notes hit in rapid waves. Fresh bright fruit entry. A complex layered palate with smooth pliable tannin. Structured to age. Tannins slowly build and grip. Would appear to be a great wine with a great future, but far too young at the moment to show its best. Score based on my estimated potential peak in 10 or so years.
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5/4/2012 - cab blends wrote: 95 Points
AHA - A dinner with Mouton (Washington DC - Mellon Auditorium): Tobacco on the nose with gentle fruit and berries. Superior to the 95 and the 89 and drinking beautifully now. Maybe 1 or 2 more years to its absolute peak for me. Nice oak flavors too.
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5/1/2012 - noppakit s. wrote: 94 Points
Opened 2 hours before drinking.
Getting more fine than my last tasting, stunning in a soft side.
If you like Mouton, you'll surely love the 2003 but...
For me, at this price, I will redirect to Ausone 2002...
and never come back.
Drink now - 2035+..................94-97/100 ?
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4/6/2012 - alamoave wrote:
Lush. A bit over the top now but will be strong. Too soon to rate it.
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12/31/2011 - winecowboy wrote: 93 Points
From double magnum. Dark purple in colour with explosive jam packed nose of black fruits, coffee and oak. Layered flavours of blackcurrant, creme de cassis and chocolate fruit tart. Secondary traits not completely showing through yet. Will need some time. Very enjoyable nonetheless.
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12/15/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
In a vintage that produced several legendary wines from the Northern Medoc, the 2003 Mouton Rothschild is a bit of a disappointment. From a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, the wine is already starting to open up, which is a rarity for Mouton, a wine that's known for often taking decades to mature. Tobacco, earth, Asian spice, creme de cassis, blueberry, smoke, licorice and gravel scents produce the perfume. Soft and opulent in texture, with a flamboyant personality, the wine is surprisingly low in alcohol for the vintage at 12.9%. It lacks that special something found in the top wines from the controversial vintage.
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12/9/2011 - bert75 wrote: 95 Points
Exactly why you would expect. Drinking very well right now.
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11/12/2011 - VinoTx wrote: 98 Points
Opened 7 hours early, but the wine changed a lot after it was poured. First dark fruits, some earth, and oak, then vanilla, cherries, rose, and some smoke. Strangely, we all thought the tannins intensified after half an hour in the glass, and then softened later. Really beautiful nose and mouthfeel. Rich. Of course it has a lifetime ahead, but it is very easy to drink now. Tasted with the '86, but I enjoyed this one more.
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5/1/2011 - Ary Likes this wine: 98 Points
At van Baerle AMS - Blind tasting, theme Left Bank 2003. Opened 12 hours before the dinner. Wow what a concentration and harmony! Black fruits, well integrated tannins and smooth. Very elegant and complex on the palate. Thick, ripe black fruits and creme de cassis on the nose. Typical Mouton Rothschild (vintages since 2000). Note: just after opening it had very strong note of Sandalwood.
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7/13/2010 - stnicolas wrote: 93 Points
The Brigitte Bardot of the First Growths: fleshy and inviting, especially between the thighs.
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5/30/2010 - jarjarbinx99 wrote: 92 Points
Nez tertiaire, complexes, tabac, terre, sous-bois. Bouche assez fermée, peu exuberante... Vin non carafé donc...
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5/5/2010 - rjhilgers@gmail.com Likes this wine: 96 Points
My second favorite wine from the night's tasting. Extraordinary balance - earthy, dark fruit, just enough barnyard. Big, broad, lush mouthfeel. Strong, structured tannins with an incredibly long finish. Literally, shot through my body when I took the first sip. Definitely an experience to taste this one.
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5/2/2010 - Outplaying wrote:
2010 Wine Spectator Grand Tour, Washington, D.C. (Washington DC): earthy, richer than the other frst growths (possibly the vintage?), ripe, very good.
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4/30/2010 - ews3 wrote: 87 Points
Wine Spectator Grand Tour 2010 (Ronald Reagan International Trade Center, Washington DC): really disappointing -- had towards the beginning of this walk-around tasting, so my palate was fresh. stewed fruit on nose. plum and stewed strawberry. med finish is pleasant and coats the tongue, but does not redeem the rest of the wine.
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12/24/2009 - KellyW wrote: 95 Points
Really surprised how well this is drinking. Offers up a solid ripe core of dark fruits. The tannins are very fine and provide a balanced structure. Long.
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5/19/2009 - Cheryl wrote:
Mouton, Monbousquet, Pavie Macquin, Leoville Poyferre and Kistler (Ox, Jersey City, NJ): This was too early, closed. There was some freshness on the nose that wasn't as cherried or as dark as the others, but nice. Would really like to have this tomorrow... or in 10 years.
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5/3/2009 - wombat wrote: 90 Points
Color: Red cherry, 1 cm ruby/pink rim.
Bouquet: Initially intensely earthy; later, a bit reticent but showed some sweet spice smoky black fruit and plum; after an hour it showed toasted oak and sweet blackberry and plum.
Flavor: Red and black cherry and plum with some spicy, caramel oak on the mid-palate than developed into vanilla on a 30 second finish
Comment: The finish is shorter than the other wines I tasted. This was the least complex and least favorite of the wines, though it did show some tasty ripe fruit and had a smooth, creamy vanilla full-bodied mouthfeel. More fruit forward than earthy--appealing to New World wine fans.
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4/30/2009 - goofy Yno wrote: 95 Points
nice nose with vanilla, cherry. big full mouth with a soft feel, very tannic but with a ton of fruit, complexity and a long finish.
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4/30/2009 - jivey wrote: 90 Points
Offline Backstreet - Vanilla, big fruits, fresh cherry, big tannins and structure.
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4/30/2009 - jeff nowak wrote: 94 Points
dave's bordeaux blowout (backstreet wine salon): a beautiful young bordeaux that reminds me how special the 03 vintage should become. a home run for the house.
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4/30/2009 - Alex G. wrote:
WOW nose - soft, sweet, and sexy. The only other wine with this type of elegance was the '83 Pichon Lalande. A real standout for quality, and precociousness. Best of the Moutons. B
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4/30/2009 - ScottS wrote: 94 Points
Backstreet Bordeaux Tasting (Backstreet Wine Salon - PHX, AZ): nose of mature plum. full bodied and well balanced wine with sweet tannins that is ripe and delicious with a silky smooth finish. explosive and true to the vintage.
50+5+14+17+8=94
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4/30/2009 - mattiasjansson wrote: 93 Points
Backstreet - Bordeaux (Backstreet Wine Salon, Phoenix, AZ): Still too young, but showing great promise
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3/28/2009 - sfqwino wrote: 92 Points
Once poured, the familiar nose of cassis, dark berries, cigar box, pencil lead jumps out of the glass. I could just smell the wine for hours. In fact, I should have done just that. The palate is a far cry from the nose. No fruits. Just very focused attack of minerality. It's like drinking mineral water and nosing Mouton all at once. With much coaxing, some smoke and toasted oak nuance could be detected (or is it the nose...?), but otherwise, the palate is quite shut. Perhaps the wine is in a dumb phase now. Intriguing.
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3/28/2009 - Alex H wrote: 88 Points
Thematic tasting of Bordeaux 2003 (Crystal Wines): Dark ruby purple. Explosive packed nose with a whole bomb of aromas. Dark roasted beans, mocha, spice cigar box, some barnyard and loads of pencil shavings atop a basket of berry fruits. Extremely layered nose that is still evolving. Very monolithic and focused beam of soft bright dark red fruits and creme de cassis. Creamy and strong tannins. Will develop.
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1/26/2009 - vinamok wrote: 96 Points
a great bottle but need some more time to develop. quite oaky but very noble one, the fruit is backward but more prononced that the last time. very soft in the structure, quite easy drinking and enjoyable, the finale is little bit tannic without any astringence. a very good wine.
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10/24/2008 - beezer6 wrote: 96 Points
Grand Bordeaux Tasting w/ Jill (Binny's South Loop - Chicago, IL): Binny's South Loop October Bordeaux Wine Tasting.
Absolutely mind blowing. I completely understand the hype.
Tasting this was a truly memorable experience.
The focus and structure. Depth and complexity. So much going on.
Dark berries, chocolate, earth, dirt. Coffee, dark purple flowers.
The viscosity of the wine is somewhat sappy. The nose is absolutely flying out of the glass.
The finish lasted for almost a minute. This is the best French wine I've had to date.
I am in love. Speechless.
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5/31/2008 - Hank Gillespie wrote:
Tasting Of Chateau Mouton Rothschild (At The Wine Summit 2008 – Lake Louise, Alberta): Blend – 76% CS, 14& M, 8% CF and 2% PV – 13% Alc. – harvested between September 15 and September 24.
Deep garnet/ruby – fuzzy pink rim; aromas with pronounced cedar – spices – black currant; clean entry – smooth but quickly shows some fuzzy tannins; powerful and round on the palate, with some freshness resulting from the acidity; deep black currant stretches through the mid-palate – some sweet oak, too; finishes nicely – somewhat easier than one might expect – long and lingering black currant fruit. This is an impressive young wine, but will require a number of years to successfully develop more harmony.
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5/31/2008 - ewineguy wrote: 94 Points
There were many amazing moments at the 2008 Post Hotel Wine Summit in Lake Louise Alberta Canada, but one of the highlights was a standing room only technical tasting of nine vintages from Chateau Mouton Rothschild. The charismatic and entertaining Adrien Laurent, North American Export Manager for Baroness Rothschild led us through this barrage of big Bordeaux and explained label by label nuances of the various artists who have graced the labels over the years. My first observation was how all nine glasses appeared the same dark inky purple beautiful color. The 2003 had an aroma that begged being evaluated over and over again as you pulled out licorice, mud, hints of spices like you’d use in a meat rub. Once in the mouth, wow, luscious candied cherries, a hint of leather, smoked meats, and by Adrien’s suggestion, but in full agreement would be well balanced tannins and acids. Great. Hard to believe it needs at least 4 more years to start peaking.
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5/10/2008 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
Scott M. Dinner Party (Home): Decanted 4 hours, served blind. Full red color. Lovely nose of black fruit, earth, and coffee notes. Nice round red fruit with good structure, but drinking reasonably well. Ripe for bordeaux, but certainly not over the top.
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2/16/2008 - theusualsuspect wrote: 90 Points
I could see the quality in this wine, the wood, the polish, but it is simply not offering much at this point. If it were tasted blind today against say the 2003 Pontet Canet, the Mouton just might come up short. Put this one away, and keep your fingers crossed.
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12/9/2007 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 95 Points
A truly exotic Mouton, toasty oak, very rich, big tannins. This vintage fits Mouton like a glove.
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11/6/2007 - Zweder wrote: 91 Points
For me this is an a-typical Mouton. You smell the sun. You taste the overripe start. Overripe boiled fruits is what comes to mind. The wine is very full bodied and there is luxurious oak. It certainly is complex. But I wonder if the overall structure; tannin, fruit, acidity is good enough to make this a truly great wine. Time will tell. Not a bad score for the moment, but on the other hand not a first growth worthy.
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10/25/2007 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
WS NYWE Grand Tastings; 10/25/2007-10/26/2007 (Marriott Marquis): Ripe and forward on the palate. Toasty. Nice.
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5/28/2007 - noppakit s. wrote: 97 Points
Opened 1.30 Hours before start drinking.
Very dark purple colour.
Shows strong scents of coffee, white chocolate and vanilla, wonderful but... One layered, One dimension, New-world style !!, I didn't feel the classic aroma of Mouton. Maybe it needs 10 more years of aging to show up.
This is a very delicious wine along with 2002. Full-bodied, a little bit low in acidity, complex and well-balanced reminds me feeling of wines from St.Emilion such as Ch.Monbousquet 2003.
The best part of Mouton 2003 is its charming aftertaste that's so long...long finished...hold me..thrill me...nearly 3 minutes time. I love to drink it again later, even it's ready to drink now.
'' The first time of drinking any other vintage of Mouton is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you gonna get.
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4/28/2007 - mfkidd wrote: 92 Points
I have eight bottles of this, so I figured I'd kill one ealy to get a baseline for the future. Decanted for one hour. Good, strong nose. Some fruit mixed with pine wood and lead. Clearly a young Bordeaux. The first glass is nicely balanced. Raspberries and strong earth flavors go down smoothly and I think that perhaps I didn't drink this one too young. Verging on a 94-95, and then about 2-2 1/2 hours after decanting, this wone closed down completely. Strong tannins take over and hide the fruit. Strangely, the wine still feels in balance, though. I will wait a few years before cracking open the next one, but this has the strong makings of a winner down the road.
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2/28/2007 - plitton wrote: 91 Points
Sam's Wine Bordeaux Night; 2/27/2007-2/28/2007 (Chicago): Poured straight from the bottle. Great nose that blossoms. It seems ready to drink. Refined with a slight raspberry sweetness. I think a great pairing with pork tenderloin.
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10/28/2006 - tanglenet wrote:
Served in a flight at the Wine Club SF. Opened but not decanted approximately 3 1/2 hours. Big nose of fruit; super dry finish. I had such a small pour that I did not get a good idea of this wine. However from what I had it just seemed a rather average drinker to me.
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9/23/2006 - jsevland wrote: 90 Points
Tasted at winetasting in Oslo, Norway at Hotell Continental
Fantistic Bordeaux, but too expensive kr 1995,-
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9/2/2006 - Serge Birbrair wrote: 91 Points
There is no difference in taste of licking the bones of Marylin Monroe, Nephertity or Queen Sheba - the bone is a bone is a bone.
I HOPE the disapointment was caused by overoxygen (the wine was sitting in the glass for 3 hours prior to the tasting) and nothing else, I have 2 bottles in the cellar and all I can think at the moment is:
"I want my money back!!!"
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7/27/2006 - Siggy wrote: 98 Points
Winestreet Does 2003 Bordeaux (Kozlak's, North Oaks, MN): Rich, deep ruby, with brilliant clarity. Amazing, fragrant, constantly evolving nose of grilled meats, barnyard, and licorice. Jammy, rich red and black fruit. Rich minerality and concentration. Youthful, but already showing a lot of complexity and nuance. Amazing length and finesse for a wine with such power. This is a stunner of a Mouton! WOTN for me.
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7/27/2006 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 98 Points
2003 Bordeaux (Mouton, Haut Brion, Cos, Ducru, Trotanoy, Lynch, many others): Wow. What a flamboyant wine. Dark red color. The nose is amazing. I could smell this for hours. Big (and I mean big) barnyard smell mixed with grilled meat and truffle. Full bodied in the mouth giving stern red fruit and a very pleasant earthiness and a subtle candied fruit. Perfectly balanced. Long, long finish. Spectacular.
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5/13/2006 - psmith wrote:
Dark, powerful blackberry fruit with graphite, tobacco, and espresso grounds. Astringent and mouth-puckeringly young - really hard to get a read on. Long and firmly tannic, without any obvious lack of acidity. A fun experiment, but not really enjoyable at this stage.
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5/12/2006 - win wrote:
Difficult to rate--very young and tannic...phenominal expansion of deep fruit and herbaceouness upon tasting with a long finish....way too young....maybe a 91 at this point? Potential is much, much higher.
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3/31/2004 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Winery: Dark purple-chocolate color.Hint of cedar, hint of cherry, blkberry; roasted toasted oak; softer bod than Clerc or Arm., but richer, big t’s, tons of glycerin, more closed than others, too.***Huge, elegant, w/power.
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