Lovely evolved Lascases and that's always so rare to say. Deep ruby red color hardly any signs of aging on the rim. Nose of perfumed cassis, lots of graphite, pencil lead, cigar box, blackberries, pepper. Great weight, medium to full bodied, coats mid palate with dark red and black fruits, finishes very long with some bitter chocolate notes.a hedonistic LLC at last?
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
1st of 36, opened an hour then decanted 90 minutes, perfect level curiously crumbly but clean cork - glossy, dark but transparent ruby, purple rimmed; very much on the cassis fruit, fresh and pure for 03, hints of cigar box and graphite, fragrant, complex and classy; fullish, very long, persistent, decent concentration, fruit masking fine tannic underpinning, much simpler as yet than nose, really quite adolescent but with volume and drive of fine vintage, beautiful balance for 03, much upside here, 30+ years. At least VF (18.5)........has 1st growth quality and will take decades to show its true potential; my sense is that it's behind 62, 75, 82, 85, 86, 90, 96 and the potentially sensational 2000- time will tell!
Opaque garnet. This was an excellent wine with its dark fruit, creosote, fresh tobacco and earthy notes at the fore all overlayed with a sweetness reminiscent of the ripe fruit. This wine shows quite young and vibrant with a long grippy finish which belies the torrid heat of the vintage. Just entering its prime drinking window with lots of time on the clock for further development. Delicious.
Late night Maison Dakota. Drank in Grassl 1855. Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of tobacco cigar box, pencil lead, blackberries, black plums, dark red cherry plum, cedarwood. Developed. On the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, medium alcohol (13%), smooth resolved high tannins, medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of dark red cherryplum, sweet black plum, blackberry, blackcurrant, cigarbox, graphite pencil lead, sweet cedar, integrated oak, bit of leather. Long finish. Very good quality. Doesn't have a whole lot of ripeness as I thought of a 2003. Quite complex although it seems to lack depth and full bodied oomph. A well-controlled 13% alc. Drinking well already.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
One of the fresher, more vibrant wines from the vintage that is notorious for so many jammy wines. Medium-bodied, ready-to-drink, plummy, earthy, tobacco, and blackberry-filled wine with a softness in the finish and no signs of jam or fig notes. Drink from 2023-2037.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nez typique médoc, cèdre et cassis. Vin rond, dodu et un peu fumé, encore boisé et jeune, avec des tanins enrobés. Il n’a pas encore développé la complexité d’un vieux vin, il parait très jeune. 93++
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
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.
At this point in the tasting, my will to drink and analyze another red wine was very low, so take this score and review with a grain of salt. The three Leovilles all had less charm and precision than the Pauillac’s but especially the Margauxs before. From memory, the Poyferre (93pts) was the best of the three Leovilles. This is surprising as it is usually riper and more modern than the two others which doesn’t seem like a great fit for a hot vintage. The wine showed a bit rounder and more harmonious than the others but without an exciting complexity. The Las Cases and Barton (both 92pts) were a step below but probably just would have needed a bit of air to open up.
Decanting: My guess is that this needs a few hours in the decanter.
Group average: 93.2 pts Group rank: Shared 18th out of 29 reds
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Well-structured bordeaux with the minerality and acidity to match. This gets easily overshadowed in a tasting line-up of more showy wines, but it certainly draws you in as it starts to show its tobacco and cedar.
This feels like it has much to run, though the tannins are already in a good place. Two hours of air in bottle and it is already showing great.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Always happy to drink this and excited to try it again, but this has never excited me enough to go looking for it. Lots of deep red fruit, good freshness (A bit too much and lacking in progress) and a middle of the road amount of fruit and some cedary notes floating off the top that tell you that you are drinking something with some age on it. A very nice and long finish with traces of oak creme, cedar, and deep red fruit. Drink
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
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: A cool, more mineral driven bouquet with aging notes of barnyard and leather. Only limited fruit expression (cherry). Un-exiting palate which lacks aromas. Drying tannins. The weakest of the Léovilles in this vintage.
Overall the St. Julien's show more richness of fruit than the Pauillac's but also a slightly coarser texture and more heat-affected tannins with a slight roasted quality. That was the case with the LLC but still a lovely drink with plenty of depth and will be longer-lived than most in this vintage.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for 2+ hours. Powerful perfume of cassis, tobacco leaf, cedar and accents of sandalwood and clove. Broad and silky entry redolent of raspberry and plum, with retronasal sandalwood echoes. Tannins felt a little grainy and the finish is somewhat clipped.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark purple ruby in color. 2 h in decanter reveals aggressive aromas of dark cassis & raspberries, lead pencil, cedar. Massive in the mouth showing inky black fruits, dark florals, graphite, medium-low acidity, sneaky but fine tannins and a long smoky finish. This is massive and has not budged one bit.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
First of a case. Good, but less interesting and complex than the 2000, 1989 and 1986 LLCs consumed at the same tasting dinner. The 2003 came in fourth from 8 of the 10 participants.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine is drinking well now but I suspect it has at least a decade of life left in it. Let this one breath for about an hour, you’ll be glad you did. Had with filet mignon and asparagus, such a treat.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow! Gorgeous! Big fruit, per the year. Big structure behind, as you would expect from this producer and the hot year. BlackBerry, hints of spice and leather but mainly primary fruit. Could be Cali cab it is so big and ripe. Long and complex. Drink now and next 20 to 30 years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is in a great drinking window. Decanted for 1.5 to 2 hours and drank over 2 hours. The wine was well balanced, without any one element overpowering the other. The tannins were velvety and soft, yet there was still some fresh acidity. I drank thiswith friends over dinner so didn't have opportunity to write detailed tasting notes. Would definitely buy again!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I rarely present notes with food as I believe wine is best judged solo, but at an event like this where food flavors loom so heavily I felt the need to disclose.
At 16 years we have here a 2nd growth which can hold its own against any 1st growth wine. The nose is aged black fruits, some raisin, aged leather, dark cherry bordering on prune. In mouth the flavors are younger with cherry, tobacco, compote and a finish which includes mushroom and cigar ash. Truly complex and certainly perhaps well matched with the Roast saddle of Lamb. The wine kept changing which is why I think the need to disclose food. What can be better than aged Las Cases......... Not much !
Palate is silky smooth. feminine, complex, leather, aged bordeaux, nice tannin structure and very very long and luxurious. Long dry finish with a touch of tannin dryness.
Very satisfied with this wine and would buy again.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is in an ideal place for my palate. Popped and poured into glasses about 1 hour prior to drinking.
Just a hint of bricking on the rim.
Nose is lovely with heavy rose notes, saddle leather, cherry compote, light spice element to add interest. Seems to evolve with air. I like it.
Palate is silky smooth. feminine, complex, leather, aged bordeaux, nice tannin structure and very very long and luxurious. Long dry finish with a touch of tannin dryness.
Very satisfied with this wine and would buy again.
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Quite a nice nose of wet tobacco, cigar wrapper, smoke, spicy black fruit. Attractive texture with balance and freshness, young remaining tannins, and a longer finish. A vintage I generally stay away from him, this doesn’t show much heat at all and has a nice freshness and vivacity today. A nice early drinking LLC
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Awesome 2nd growth, 1 hr decant brought it well together although there are still plenty of tannins left to age further. Complex nose of black fruit, leather, truffles. Palate is medium body, black and red fruit, plenty of delicious tannins, secondary characteristics and long finish. Will definitely improve with age, potential 95-96 pts
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A friend popped this for his birthday dinner -- roast chicken, truffle sauce -- and it was a seamless joy. Soft and silky and assured -- nice mix of dark fruit and leather. Not a powerhouse year, so this was quite feminine compared to some of the tannic brick LLC powerhouse vintages. Obviously the prices are now bonkers even for a not epic year (nearing $300 or so), but I envy anyone who bought this en primeur and stored carefully.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted this time and consumed over ~3 hours. Everything is very subtle with this wine - not a blockbuster and a little tart before opening up but very pleasant.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Its important to say that this was from a Chateau released 1/2 bottle shared by a friend. We each had one full glass and to be honest, I was expecting a pretty aged wine, given that this was a fast aging 03 and from a split. In fact, this was either too youthful or already dried out and propped up by its acidity. A deep appearance was followed by a somewhat mediocre faint Bordeaux experience, but with a wine full of power and linger. The first impression was new oak creme on the nose, followed by ripe flavors that relaxed and started showing faint scorch flavors. Its nice to try this and scratch it off my want list. Good to know! Drink or Hold
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep Crimson red. Intense flvors of ripe bleuberry, blackberry and raspberry some licorice and fine resine notes. Dense concentratet with lots of velvety tannins and never ending finish
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wine was impressive upon first pour. Still young with many years to go. Offered dark red fruit notes on nose and palate, with a long finish. (EB NY on Aug. 23)
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
2 1/2 ans depuis ma dernière bouteille. Mid neck. Carafée durant 1 heure avant consommation. Robe prune avec un bord légèrement plus clair. Après 30 minutes dans les verres, les arômes de cassis, de fruits noirs, de fleurs et de mines de crayon émergent. Au palais, aucune surmaturité, le vin est précis, concentré mais aérien, avec un filet d’acidité pour tendre la fin de bouche. Tanins encore présents, qui tachent aussi, finale longue et minérale cette fois-ci, le léger côté végétal ressenti en 2018 ayant totalement disparu. Selon moi, à quelques années de la pleine maturité mais donne déjà beaucoup de plaisir. Tiendra encore min. 15 ans 94++
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Showing no signs of heat or overripeness, the wine offers a spicy dark berry, cigar wrapper, wet earth, forest leaf and mint-packed nose. On the palate, the wine is round, full-bodied, ripe, and fleshy, but not at all over the top or overripe. The finish remains on the sweet, but fresh fruit side with ample red and black fruits and dusty tannins in the finish. My instincts are to enjoy this now and over the next 12-15 years. The wine blends 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc, 13.15% ABV. Picking is one of the estates' earliest harvest periods, September 11-26.
7 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Flash double decant and then back in the bottle for 5 hours. Tons of sediment. Not sure what to make of this. Wine was good but certainly didn’t love it. Would prefer a well made Napa cab over this any day.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Double decanted for 2 hrs, deep ruby, no bricking, dark fruit with some leather, med/firm tannins, long finish; outstanding, drink or hold. It was however outshone by a 2000 PB that followed
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for 3 hours before the start of our meal - with lots of sediment. Initially: The color was ruby red fading to the rim. The nose had dark red fruits, some cedar, and a touch of mint. The palate was relatively smooth, but with very little fruit and only some earth. After 3 hours: The wine had opened and turned to a deeper purple color. The medium bodied palate yielded dark red fruits, earth, some cedar, and touches of cassis and chocolate. The acidity was balanced, the tannins were integrated, and the wine was a pleasure to drink. However, the last half glass, at the 4 hour mark, was the best as the wine had continued to open and integrate. This wine can probably hold for the next 5 years, or more, but is very pleasurable now. Our bottle was purchased from a local store upon release and stored in a professional wine cellar until being consumed.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium dark red; chocolate, leather, dark notes; rounded slightly closed, sweet tones, dark intense chocolate, blueberries; really good now, but can last much longer (even though everybody says drink up 03)
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Leoville Las Cases is my favourite of all clarets. Just not this bottle. In my cellar for 10 years, but not sure about the first years of its life. After a strong typical St Julien nose and first taste it went quickly downhill. Tried over 2 hours. Balance towards acidity, fruit fading. Disappointing. *
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
0.375 L bottle early Oct 2020: rubin red color; bouquet of cassis, blueberries, sour cherries and slightly licorice; well-balanced on the palate, reminded a bit on cherry juice with tannins; strong tannic backbone; long finish. 93+/100
This excellent LLC 2003 is still in adolescence. Guess it needs another 5-10 years for this wine to reach the first stages of maturity.
That evening we tried five Bordeaux reds. The LLC 2003 came in at 3rd place. Contenders were Haut-Bailly 1995, Canon 2001, Lafite-Rothschild 2002 and Haut-Maurac 2015 (see my other tasting notes).
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I happily received a bday gift certificate comparable to the $225 retail price of this wine, so thanks to the very compelling reviews here I bought it. Thank you. It was worth it. I have often remarked here that I wound up adding a decent ($32) rioja to many overrated more expensive wines to smooth them out. Not this one. Owing to prescient reviews calling for 1-10 hours air, we opened it at 1 pm for dinner, sampling it after one hour and every hour after that until steak dinner at about 5:40, at which point it was very well received. The last glasses, after 6 o'clock were the best, so maybe 5 hours is optimal. I also decanted it, after an hour or two in bottle showed only slow improvement.
All wine experiences are relative, and compared to this, the rioja that has stood me in such good stead over many months, is barely drinkable, and has no aroma at all. This Leoville is as enjoyable to smell as to drink, while it lasts. I have less than one inch left. Cheers!
Oh and if you like this sort of comparison, it tastes vaguely like ripe cherries, tart when first opened , then riper and smoother when aired for 4-5 hours.
And at "only" 13% ABV, it is easier on the head than many modern wines.
For those who like me drink this only very occasionally, I admit it does not have the gravitas or depth of the ones from the 1990's that I drank 10-15 years ago, but it is as enjoyable, maybe moreso for some.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
What I love about most vintages of Leoville Las Cases is the richness of the dark blackberry fruit but at the same time, the subtlety of the earthy Bordeaux terroir...all perfectly integrated, balanced...in harmony. This 03 version is no different despite the super hot summer in Bordeaux. Secondary notes of olive, cassis and lavender. Must decant for at least an hour and two will even be better.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened several hours before consuming. Though early in the drinking window, this wine is very, very good. Blackberry, slight touch of earth, flowers, and lithe though medium bodied. It was dancing. Consumed at dinner with the 2004. The '04 was much more brooding. Harsher tannins, less fruit and a less acidity. Both wines stored in temprature controlled environments.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A friend brought this to a dinner. It was great. We only decanted 1 hour or so and the wine improved the whole dinner so a longer decant would probably have made the wine even better. Really soft, old school, with nice fruit
Previously the vintages of 1996, 2006, 2008 and 2011 of this wine.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
6 hour decant and that was barely enough. Last drank 14 months ago with similar notes. This wine still needs at least 6 hours in the decanter. 10 would be ideal. Pure Bordeaux- everything you would expect from this estate. Nice finish and balance is improving since I first tasted in 2018. This should reach prime in about 5-7 years and hold for at least 3 decades.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is one of the first encounters I've had with LLC. While the wine was enjoyable, nothing really stood out to me. I appreciated it for what I know about it- great house, not a great vintage, just entering its drinking window, good value. Medium to full body, fruit forward and tannins that are softening. No complexity or wild perfume. Somewhat elegant, but not regal. Glad I got this for only $100 on sale a few years back. The only other LLC I have in my cellar are 2015 and 2016. I really hope when I open them in another ten years, I'll have the AHA that others speak about.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Vanilla, cherry, and tiramisu on the nose. Tart lime, velvet, mushrooms, and mud on the palate. With a long rich finish. Like sitting below a pear tree with a heavy downpour grounding you to the soil.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is really quite nice, even charming. With 30 minutes of air, blackberry, cassis, smoke, flowers and thyme were easy to find. The wine has softened, taking on a refined quality, with an easy to like, medium/full-bodied, dark red berry and earthy finish. There is no touch of heat or jam here. The effect here is the early maturing quality and soft tannins. This is one of the best values for LLC in the marketplace today.
Agree with other tasters that this is just a touch primary at the moment. An hour of air in the bottle gave you a glimpse at the amazing potential. This is powerful and yet refined. Super long finish.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
LLC did very well in this hot vintage - although the wine did feel little ripe for my palate, but I would have never guessed anything but old world. This really needed some air time to shine but when it did, this was delightful. Definitely more on the blue/black fruit side of the spectrum and although it is drinking well now, there is a lot more development still to come. I think this will be outstanding in a few more years once it develops a little more complexity. 93+
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Full reflection of the hot 2003 vintage: very powerful and straightforward. It tastes more like young Californian wine. Intense flavors of raspberry, blackberry, and cassis...
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This showed itself to be a very enjoyable wine, albeit straightforward as pointed out in a previous note. 13% abv in a hot vintage. Primarily cassis with a touch of spearmint, it fleshed out really nicely with 3 hours of air. Very nice.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
From a magnum, no decant. Lush and expansive, quite the early drinker for a Leoville, and here the vintage works in its favor. Blue and purple fruit, ripe tannins, some toasty oak and a kind of malo richness I couldn’t quite put my finger on. About as a high a score as I would give for such a straightforward wine, highly enjoyable despite the lack of complexity.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
2003, Château Léoville Las Cases, Saint-Julien, Bordeaux, Frankreich. Kräftiges Rubin, jugendlicher Glanz. Noble, tiefe Nase, sehr dunkelfruchtig, rauchig und komplex, Kräuter, Brombeeren, Kaffee. Im Gaumen kraftvoll, voluminös, ein Mund voll Wein, mit markanten, noch etwas wilden aber sehr feinen Gerbstoffen, die Frucht wirkt reif aber nicht überreif, das hat Power und Druck und dennoch viel Finesse. Im Abgang sehr lang, dunkelfruchtig und mit grossartiger Würze. Ein Langstreckenläufer, 2023-3038+. 19+ vvPunkte (94+/100). vvWine.ch
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
75 Years of Zachys (DC) (LongView Gallery Washington DC): Planning to open a 2001 for my son's 18th in a month and so really wanted to try this (even though the years are quite different). This was late in the tasting and my palate was sort of fried but this still stood out in a positive way. One of the better older bordeaux's I tried. Nothing too funky, nice balance, really good.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped, poured, and consumed between 1 and 3 hours. Lots of currant. A little vegetal. Nice finish but a little lean at first, then it rounds out after 30+ seconds. I can't help but think that this could have benefited from a little more air and will try a decant next time.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Has not lost a step since my last bottle tasted six years ago. Decanted for an hour and a half, the red and black fruit are still ripe and rounded. Love the supple and rich finish.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This showed beautifully with dinner at the Chateau. There are some roasted flavors but the fruit is fresh, ripe and crunchy with additional note of tobacco and graphite minerals. Finishes very complex with notes of cedar and warm red spices. Just entering its peak drinking plateau.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I took my own advice and decanted for 5 hours from a split. Still needed another 5 hours in the decanter. This wine is soo damn good but so damn young! This needs another decade.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
red colour, pale rim Rather stewed-smelling on the nose and leather. Firm tannins but not much fruit, feels like it's drying out a little. I preferred the Clos de Marquis from this vintage. Maybe a little time in the glass would see it blossom.
Beautiful rich dark red color, subtle nose of fruit and tea; clung to glass when swirled; vanilla, strawberry and blueberry flavor on palate; long finish
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is just starting to enter its maturity window. While still very primary, it is beginning to unfold like a beautiful flower. Very St. Julien in style and more feminine compared to the more muscular neighbor Chateau Latour. Don’t get me wrong, feminine doesn’t mean wimpy, it just doesn’t have the fat that comes with a Pauillac wine and is just a tad bit leaner and more elegant in the St. Julien sense. This does not show any signature of overripeness that could come from the 2003 vintage and it is showing itself to have a long life of aging gracefully ahead of it. A beautiful wine in every sense!
8 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
P & p, wow what a surprise, probably my wotn, drinking very well now, sensual on the nose & seductive in the mouth, so elegant & showing its pedigree, great fruits & nothing of the heat affected characteristics, if served blind would have guessed a 90s top Bordeaux
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Leoville Las Cases Dinner; 10/26/2018-10/27/2018 (Troquet on South): Nose: Jammy black fruits, good dose of cedar and graphite. Palate: heavy handed but complete palate with broad layers of rich black fruit, noticeable tannin and great cedary spice. Finish: Strong licorice note, granite and plum tart finish.
At first it seemed like this may have pulled itself together over the past few years (as the note above suggests). Then after 3-hours flabby, reductive, prune and over oaked notes began to show up. I would suggest PNP treatment and drink sooner rather than later for most enjoyment.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I was really prepared to dislike this; I hated it 5 years ago when I had it last. And then just after it was poured, it wasn't too bad - sure, riper than the usual LLC style with a dark complexion, a tad hot, but not disastrous - 90ish. But then with air, it became totally moribund; the new oak rears its head with Bryant-like banana aromas that I don't find appealing at all. This is really not so much a LLC problem as a 2003 problem.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Here, the normally reserved, tannic, long aging wine is open. The wealth of ripe, fresh, and never hot or jammy deep fruits offers volume, length and character. Just starting to pop, you can expect even more secondary development over the next several years.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bouteille et bouchon en parfaite condition. Passé en carafe 90 minutes avant de déguster mais c’est vraiment après 150 minutes que le vin a commencé à se livrer. La couleur est très foncée, grenat violet. Le nez tout d’abord livre des arômes de chou, de soupe aux légumes, de lard grillé, il faut vraiment être patient pour recevoir les notes de cassis, de fruits rouges, de tabac et de mine de crayon que j’adore. En bouche, le vin est d’abord juste plaisant, chargé en alcool mais il développe ensuite beaucoup de distinction, de classe et de complexité. Il a juste une pointe d’amertume un brin déplaisante. Belle longueur. On sent le côté solaire du millésime mais le vin reste aristocratique et typé Bordeaux, ça me plaît! Ira loin.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Balanced, subtle (dumb?) nose, with notes of red fruit, mint, and old oak, and hints of soy sauce and caramel. Bright, fresh entry transitions into a silky, light-bodied mid-palate, finishing with mild tannin. Lots of dusty oak flavour, with a strong core of blackberry and a dash of mint.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Guys night - You know the drill: Decanted maybe 20 minutes? In your face robust gorgeous fruit. This is rich and primary, I have no trouble drinking it. It is certainly young. Consistent with previous bottle.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A lot of the tasting notes advise holding. I’m very glad I didn’t, as the cork had bled through, but after drinking, maybe more years would help if your bottle is in perfect shape. The bouquet is amazing, red fruit with a graphite/mineral edge, but the palate is austere, with the graphite overriding the fruit. There is significant depth and concentration, but it’s not all that friendly. It makes you sit up and say hmmm, but it doesn’t make it easy for you. Aerated and decanted, drank over a two-hour period, with not much change. I generally like younger wines, but this is one that might sing a sweeter note once it reaches drinking age, so to speak.
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Make it Count (Jason P's, St. Paul, MN): Very dark purple/red color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 45 minutes. This was pretty primary as one might expect. Lots of pretty dark fruits, blackberry, cassis, graphite, full boded, concentrated and youthful with plenty of tannin to nurture this. Not nearly as ready as many of the other '03 presently. Shows very good promise though. I'd give it another 5 years. 92-95pt.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
During a Magnum dinner. Not a fan of 2003 but this wine did ok. Aromas of dark fruit and the roasty side of 2003 come through. Tannisn good and not drying. More like a Napa CabSav but good.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
From split- 3 hour decant (I’d recommend 4-5 hours). You can immediately tell how much potential this wine has but it’s no where near ready. Still very enjoyable today. Hold.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A nice evening with good friends (@ PZ): Cassis and vanilla in the bouquet. On the palate ripe dark berries, graphite, charcoal, vanilla, oak, firm acidity and tannin. Classical wine which will improve over the next 5+ years. Next try around 2022? 94+
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Cellaraid Grand Tasting (La Pepa): nice, classic old-school St Julien, with good mix of red and black berries, capsicum, spices, pencil shavings, leather
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I have to say: drinking this 2003 vintage now is too early. Although the integration and complexity is quite promising, but it is really a pity to kill this baby in its infancy. Come back 10 years later!
Chateau Leoville Las Cases Vertical with James Handford MW (Handford Wines, London): Quite. Dark colour still. A lot of fruit on the nose here, especially vs the 2004, but not overdone . Richer fruit feel on the nose, soft fruit though and none of that heavy brambly cassis we would have expected from a 2003. Cedar touches , light mocha feel. Fruit forward and blind we would have thought of it of a bolgheri cab Sauv. Lacks a bit on the complexity and much like a lot of bolgheri felt one dimensional. 92 and give this 5yrs minimum more .
Bordeaux Second Growths Lunch (Capital Grille NY): This is still tightly wound and will gain a few points when it becomes more accessible. The ripeness of the vintage is evident in the sweet, almost new world vanilla nose. Linear and primary on the palette with coarse tannins. Try again in 6-10 years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was a very pleasant surprise. I've generally been rather disappointed with the 2003s. Vintage was too hot for my taste and the wines are generally overripe. This wine was excellent. Not overripe, long finish, wonderful black currant and barnyard notes. Beautiful Bordeaux.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Blackberries, currants, licorice, and earthiness in the nose. Black cherries, plums, and blackberries in the flavor. An elegant well balanced wine with rich tannins, great complexity, and a long finish. Decanted for 2 1/2 hours.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank at Citricos Orlando. Cork was dry and difficult to remove. Poured into decanter and drank over 2 hours. Improved nicely over the first hour. Better than expected.
Agree with others that this is almost over the top but stays within boundaries. Plenty of dark fruit and hints of cedar and tobacco, but still very primal. Not really enjoyable at this stage, guessing another 10+ years will bring this one together.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Displays the dark fruits characteristic of the vintage. Dense, deep, brooding - comes close to being overly ripe, but stays just within the boundaries and rounded out by moderate acidity and firm tannins. Taking on some secondary characteristics like cedar. Richly textured. Enjoyable, but should improve.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
No formal note as this was tasted at a casual offline in SoCal. I put this right behind the 96 LLC. Two completely different wines at this point in time, but nonetheless, I see the same stock here as in what's now being revealed in the 96. That said, I think it's going to take some years, likely more than 10, before this has entered its optimum window. An absolutely gorgeous wine, one with soul and grace. HOLD. highly recommended
Ok to drink now, but barely onto secondaries. Probably because of the vintage, did not remind us of other LLC, except for how beautifully built this is from front to back. Should get better, much better over time but fine to try one now if you have a few.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose is a bit shy at this point. On the palate, great fruit and surprisingly for the vintage, a good deal of balance. Specifically, great acidity and not as ripe as many '03s. A nice enough wine for today, but it was a one-off in my cellar, so this is "one and done". Probably better in 10+ years. Not that I have a wide range of experience, but this is probably the best '03 Bordeaux I've had, in terms of balance and potential longevity. A tinge of "modern" as relates to easy drinking this young, but no one will mistake this for a Michel Rolland wine.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Did a splash double decant before taking this to a work party. Initial thoughts was that this had a lot of cedar box and tobacco spice with very little fruit.
At the work party, the wine opened up beautifully in the glass. The cassis was fading but it played very well with the savoury herbal notes and tobacco spice. The tannins were firm but not biting with the medium-plus acidity giving this wine good life.
I felt it was a good time to open this but if I had another bottle, I would still fill comfortable holding on to this for another 3-5 years.
An incredible experience... A journey. Tight and ungenerous on first pour after no decant. Very long and engaging but not a lot of pleasure. An hour later beginning to open up. Wow... Started dinner which was a rib eye steak and fireworks... Incredibly pure and great tension. Blueberry, cocoa but very clean and pure, great structure given the vintage. Can last 20+ years.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep purple. Nose of black currant, grilled meat, graphite, and caramel. Savory, rich, and complex, with nice acidity given the hot 2003 vintage. Long, dark finish. This is drinking perfectly right now. Enjoy for at least 15 more years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 90 minutes. There is no doubt the new world elements exist, and someone looking for classic Bordeaux will be dissappointed, but this does (to me) seem to be well made and should hold up and get a little better with time. More accessable than the bottle we had a year or so ago. A-
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted next to 2003 Cos d'Estournel. Less evolved and exuberant on the nose, more restraint here as you would maybe expect but there is still plenty of ripe cassis fruit and floral notes as well as tobacco and graphite. On the palate quite big and powerful with lots of tannic grip, but round and ripe and less of the drying kind that I find in many 2003s. Very good length. An excellent wine in this vintage and the better of the two in my view - now and probably even more so in the future as this is likely to improve further. 92-93+
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wine dinner at Blacksalt - Prévost, Krug, Pichler, Raveneau, Fevre, Grivot, LLC, Yquem & etc. (Blacksalt, Washington DC): I like how the 03s are developing as the ripe roasted fruit note diminishes. Very ripe cassis driven nose, licorice, a hint of lead pencil, milk coffee and sweet caramel. Exceptional concentration, intense sweet cassis driven palate impression, bright acidity and nicely integrated tannins. This is very California cult cab like. It is already very enjoyable if you like the primary fruit driven expression but will reach the first stage of peak in ten to fifteen years.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow! Not what I was expecting. Perhaps more representative of the vintage than the house - I found this to be racy/overly opulent/almost savage, in your face wine! Super ripe - the polar opposite of contemplative or elegant! This will be a fun wine to continue to track over the decade(s).....
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I am not great with these tasting notes because I submit the next day and tend to forget the details. However I do know that Spectator gave this wine a 97 and Parker a 96. The tannins were silky smooth and soft with plenty of fruit. The finish was amazing and long lasting. After cheating and looking at Parker and Spectator, I do remember some berries, licorice, violets, lead pencil, with an amazing balance of flavors. I loved this wine. I am finally starting to drink some 2003's including Pontet Canet which is also amazing. Parker and Spectator were right on with this wine. It was even better with a grilled filet of beef.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opening opening the nose and palate wer closed, after 2 hours of breathing, this opens up with superb aromatics and also drinks very well over the next 2 hours. WOTN among the 3 Leoville estates of 2003.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Great nose in this one! High intensity, with layers of sweet ripe red fruit and oaky scents of vanilla and butterscotch. Overly ripe raspberry and strawberry cream tart on the palate. Full body, rich on concentration and pleasant tannins. The creaminess keeps lasting on the palate.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Altaya annual wine tasting (Hong Kong): Delicious wine with good fruits, cigar box, sweet cassis and licorice. The 2003 LLC appears to be quite generous and welcoming, medium/full bodied with silky texture. Really enjoyed the wine, yet it lacks a bit of the usual masculine LLC character to make it truly memorable.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A bit of discolouration towards the rim with a quite dark centre, glossy. Surprisingly elegant on the nose - ripe fruit certainly, but nothing jammy or cooked, spices, mint, pencil shavings. Deep and complex. Accessible on the palate, quite rich and open, slightly drying tannins, good texture. Surprisingly good acidity and great finish. Lacks a bit of definition and elegance but a superb effort for 2003. There is no rush, but drinking nicely. 92-93+
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
2014 New York Wine Experience Trip; 10/14/2014-10/21/2014 (New York City, NY): The 2003 Léoville-Las Cases is surprisingly structured for the vintage. Deep ruby/red at this point, it offers aromas of crème de cassis, blacberries, licorice and pipe tobacco. Full-bodied and with medium acidity, it serves up flavors which mirror the nose and are wrapped with a cloak of substantial silky tannins. The alcohol and oak are nicely integrated and the wine is beautifully layered in the middle. Finishing long and smooth, this is classic-quality Bordeaux. If tasted blind, I would have guessed it to be one of the riper left bank wines from 2000. I suspect that this wine will have more longevity than many had previously thought. Drink now-2035.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I really enjoyed this one. Consumed with bison rib eye. As someone mentioned below, this is a great young wine. The tannins are still asserting themselves but each sip was packed with nice berries, saddle leather and a tiny hint of vanilla on this reasonably long finish. Drink now or give it another 2-3 years of aging. You wont regret it.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Powerful youngster. On it's way up and not a sign of ageing yet. Big nose, big body. Black fruit and present but balanced oak. Big boy but subtle great future ahead.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep red colour with a faint brickish tint on the edge. Medium body, medium acidity. Black currant, blackberry and pepper on the palate. Delicious. Tannins are perfectly integrated at 10 yrs and the finish lingers for awhile. Again. 2003 seems to be as good as 2000 for this wine, although it may not age quite as long. Recommended.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Just coming out of its shell. Not heavy but very rich, dark, exotic, meaty, peppery--more Syrah-tasting than Cab at this stage. Tannic. A nice touch of sweetness.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had twice in the past week. First time after an hour decant the wine still had too hard an edge to it. Next day it was quite nice. Second time with a 3 hour decant it was showing well. As expected, given the vintage, a new world style to it. But nice wine and seems to have more to it with a few more years in the cellar. A-/?
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark red in color with nice fruit intensity and soft tannins. Still young and I suspect another 4-5 years would benefit this wine. Still quite enjoyable after a 3 hour decant.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ruby in color with lightening at the edges, a mature nose of smoke, truffle, herbs and roasted blackberries open to a rapidly developing vintage of Leoville Las Cases. There is a roasted, herb quality to the dark, red fruits. Coupled with soft, opulent textures displaying the patina of age, you end up with an enjoyable to drink today, and over the next 5-10 years. However, this is not a wine to lay down for decades.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Stunning. At Fortalezza du Guincho Cascais Portugal. Sommelier one of the best anywhere in the world handled the wine perfectly. Sorry there are no notes other than WOW!!!!!!!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Full-bodied and opened up after decanting in glass over three hours. Balanced and rounded tannis that are supple and richly ripe. A fruit basket filled with red currant, black cherries, black and blue berries, and cassis. Some licorice and coffee. Mouthful and mouthfeel that are pleasureable and delicious from tongue to midpalate to luscious finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very close to new world. Chocolate, blue berry pie, heaviness that is not French, vanilla hints. Wow new world coming out. Delicious ripe blueberry, acid is quite low. Really tasty stuff. Really pie crust flavors. Good balance. My type wine, but I could see classic French fans not enjoying.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
95+ pts. Gorgeous wine that I really liked a lot. Very elegant and nicely structured. Nose blasts you of new world style black fruits - but way more in check and toned down. The balance is amazing on the palate as it is a smooth array of red currant, black fruits, dark chocolate...finishing with sweet tannins and big rich fruit. Excellent wine right now, but more to come in another 5 years or so.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Left Bank Bordeaux 2003 (semi blind) (Amsterdam Wijn Antiquariaat): One of the best at this vertical of 2003-s. Kirsch, cherries and other black fruits in the nose. Thick, supple and powerful on the palate, kirsch, licorice and sweet tones, some cocos. Very elegant wine, deserves some more patience before opening and might well gain points. 94+
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for just over an hour. A noir and garnet colour with a sanguine rim. Cassis liqueur, stewed blackberries, violets, bread pudding and pipe tobacco. Round and fleshy, the tannins are of the most seductive velvet. Long, oh so long. A pumped-up version of the enticing '98. Drink 2014 - 2034.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for 6 hours and still tight. This is too young to waste at this stage, but it will be a beauty in another five years. Big fruit with noticeable cherry and some hints of raisin with a lot of granite. The palate was pure without any hint of eucalyptus (sorry CMCARNES). Very enjoyable but I will wait a few years for the next bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Modern yuckiness; this combines red fruit and eucalyptus oil and finishes with a hint of ashtray. The eucalyptus oil stays on the lips for quite a while after the sip.
Rubis profond. Très brillant. Ocelle tuilée. Nez très fin sur les fruits rouges (cerises griottes) De merveilleuses senteurs de violettes et de cassis. Développement sur des arômes de bois vanillé, de fruits noirs, de brûlé. Attaque enveloppée laissant apparaître des goûts fruités (cassis, fraise, groseille rouge). Arômes se développant en queue de paon. Tanins ultra gourmands mais assez serrés. Beaucoup de matière en bouche. Finale interminable sur des arômes de vanille, de groseille et de fruits. Boisé totalement intégré. Légère acidité finale laissant entrevoir une très longue garde. Vin de qualité exceptionnelle. Complexité d'un premier cru du Médoc. Bu avec Pigeonneaux et Raviolis frais aux truffes et morilles.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beautiful, brilliant color. The nose is classic St Julien, showcasing ripe dark fruit, cedar, leather, flowers, oak, and a hint of herb. This is wonderfully elegant for such a big wine. On the palate, this is full bodied, with excellent concentration and outstanding finesse. A very ripe wine, this finishes with wonderful length and fairly integrated tannins.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Outstanding, graceful bottle just at the beginning of its prime. Dark garnet, opening nose of flowers, earth and subdued fruit. Extra long, smooth finish after perfectly integrated light fruit and tannins. Supposedly not one of this chateau's best efforts, but still an outstanding wine.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Oh this is going to be fantastic, but its a baby, let this sleep. Its a bit sleepy, but it's all here in a subtle package. The balance on this wine is so finely tuned. This appeared fairly elegant, nothing exaggerated or flamboyant. I'll open the next bottle in 5-10 years
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Slightly disappointing, there was a rusticity in the tannins that left a dry sensation. The aromatics were enticing with their rich, licorice, cassis, tobacco and earthy profile. Perhaps it's just the stage of development the wine is going through. Another 5 years might help. But I have my doubts. Served blind, I guessed 2000 Left Bank Bordeaux of a much lower Growth level. I was surprised to find this was 2003 Leoville Las Cases.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 4 hours and it still was very tight. This is not opened for business right now. Seemed to be in a dumb phase. On the nose I got some red berries, smoke and coffee beans. Palate: Medium bodied.. red and dark berries, leather, coffee, and pencil shavings. It took the entire 4 hours to get the majority of these notes. Overall I was a bit disappointed but I believe this needs another 3 years or so before uncorking. It has the structure to last 15 plus more years .. Enjoy
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dinner at l'Artusi 2/23/2012 (West Village): Black, opaque blood. Multidimensional nose, not oaky, iron depths -- like a foundry, coal smoke, plums, chestnuts; complicated and subtle. Not a bit overripe. Palate medium bodied, balanced to tannin a la LLC, young; not overtly masculine or patrician or strict, which I usually find LLC to be. Good length. Dry! Very, very good. Stash it and wait to try in 3-5.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had for Thanksgiving; I decanted for 3+ hours before it started opening; have to say I think it has potential but the tannins had quite a grip. Nice potential but it will need more time; at least 5 years before I try again. Started tasting graphite, green olives and the aromas started to open. I think right now I would double decant and then wait for a few hours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From one of the lowest yields ever recorded at Leoville Las Cases, 21.2 hectoliters per hectare, this assemblage of 70.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17.2% Merlot, and 12.6% Cabernet Franc produced a St. Julien wine with a complex perfume filled with fresh roasted coffee beans, creme de cassis, black cherries, minerals, spice, floral, cigar box and earthy scents. Fleshy, round and rich, but lacking the power and concentration found in the best vintages. This wine offers a lot of charm, ending with a plush, ripe, black raspberry, spice and mocha finsh.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
In the bouquet loads of cassis, cedar, smoke, graphite and beautiful luxurious oak. Same on the palate; concentrated juice, a lot of acidity, but nicely balanced by a touch of sweetness. The tannin is round and still has a beautiful bite. Very luxurious and yet classical wine. Would like to try this again around 2018 – 2020+
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Château Léoville Las Cases Back Vintage Dinner (Chambar Restaurant, Vancouver, BC): In contrast to some of the other notes below, the nose wasn't giving much, which wasn't surprising considering how young this is. I felt is was pretty shut down at the moment. Nose dominated by sweet blackberry, along with some cherry, plum, mint, asphalt, and a touch of blueberry. Tons of tar and cigar box on the ripe palate, complimented by gobs of black cherry, prune, plum, lead pencil, and some blueberry. Extremely dry with gripping tannins. Long+ finish ending with notes of cigar leaf. Very good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
expressive nose with fruit, cedar and graphite. Cassis, graphite, dark fruit and cedar on the palate. Young but very drinkable. Medium long finish. Softened over 3 hours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bordeaux Night (Binny's Grand Ave.): nose: big, rich, and bold nose of black fruits, black currants, graphite, black cherries, melted licorice, and cedar tones. This is a really roided up Las Cases. There is some of what one would expect from las cases, but its hidden behind the bigger fruit right now
taste: Full bodied, with ripe, rich, and bold tones of black currant jam, black fruits, melted licorice, black cherries, cedar and a touch of graphite. Has a more plush feel to it, but there is good tannin behind it too
overall: not fully sure what to make of this. It has a bit of the LLC graphite and darker fruits, but there is a real ripe quality to it that needs to be toned back a bit with age to let it come together more and have it balance out
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Served blind. A very ripe nose of red currant and cassis with some wood notes and a touch of earth. Lush fruit forward palate with no hard edges at all. Very evolved (as I am finding with many '03s) and I feel really shows the vintage. Still a great glass of wine, but not what I would expect from a young Leoville Las Cases.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very ripe, and almost cult cabernet-like with a soft, plush, cassis and caramel oak-influenced character. Big palate, with dense fruits and fine tannic structure. Very different sort of LLC, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Quite tight all around. The nose never really opened up much at all, despite vigorous swirling... after several hours of air the palate finally revealed some nice dark fruit with smokey, earthy undertones and firmly but smoothly embedded tannin. Needs plenty of time, of course.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted this for about 4 hours, before rebottling to take to dinner. The heat never really burned off on this, though after sitting in the glass for another 2 hours, the wine really started to open up with lots of blackberry and charcoal notes coming thru. The nose was still quite tight
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Revisited a bottle earlier than planned, and was amply rewarded. Decanted and rebottled, served 2 hours later. Beautiful alluring cassis and dark fruit aromas, deep palate and length. And then, in another 2 hours, a transformation -- cured leather and dried roses, and integration. Builds and builds. Profound and attention grabbing. I love this wine.
2003 is famous for the heat wave vintage in Bordeaux, with August temps averaging over 90 degrees for the month. Yet, this wine (70% Cabernet, 17% Merlot, 13% Cab Franc) hits only 13.3% alcohol, and does not come across as over ripe, flabby or out of balance. It started out predictably in the beautiful aromatic and dark fruit, grip and acidity very much in balance, with a core of cedar manner one would expect of a great cab. But it evolved and became something different and even more interesting in the space of a few hours. Napa cabs can hit the first marker, but at 14-15% can be a little softer, a little hotter, a little riper. And I would love to experience in a great CA Cab the evolution and transformation that great Bordeaux are able to achieve, even in a seemingly new-world heat-driven year.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fine, slightly roasted Bordeaux nose with hints of tobacco and scorched graphite. Quite a lovely silky texture with a good, full mid-palate. A pretty big wine with lovely flavors of scorched earth, graphite, tobacco and a hint of eucalyptus. Finishes with harsh, rather rustic tannins. Reminds me of a young '82 with a "hot" vintage character. Quite OK to drink tonight but the strong tannins need years to soften. I'm a bit unsure about some of the '03's because of the hot, rustic nature of the tannins but the balance and raw materials are there for a great vintage if things evolve favorably. Time will tell. 93+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Typical '03 left-bank nose of rich, stewed black fruits. On the palate, the fruit is very present and forward ... and then the tannins kick in. This baby is a monster -- not as monstrous as the '03 montrose -- but a monster nonetheless.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
You just have to admire the signature nose that emerges from a great LLC. This 2003 is not yet in a prime drinking window, but wow, is it working hard on getting there, and I love where it is going! Decanted and rested for a scant 1/2 an hour, and that intoxicating aroma begins to emerge - cassis, violets, split vanilla bean, and gorgeous, gently pressed red raspberry. Not yet in final alluring form. Deep blue in the glass. On the palate it is bordering on sensational. Still quite grippy and even a bit drying, no sense of an over-ripe soft fruit bomb, but all the makings of a wine that will continue down a great path to integrate that great backbone with beautiful fruit. Very, very long, and satisfying. Mouth still waters after 70+ seconds. If possible, decant and wait at least a couple of hours if you are presenting or serving this wine in the next year or two. And if you can hold off completely, check back any time between 2012 and 2019 -- it will keep, and handsomely reward your patience.
Update: 3 hours later, the bouquet has continued to develop, approaching the seductive fragrance of the perfect 2000 -- a little less floral, a little more earth, and a touch more heat (but, the fruit quality of the 2000 still rises to another level). That said, this 2003 in Magnum is priced less than a regular bottle 2000. That's good news!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
We brought this bottle with us and my husband and hsi football friends had several more wines at a pre tailgate dinner in Baltimore. We opened all second growths. We had 2003 Ducru Beaucaillou Cos Estournel LLC Lascombes and Montrose. The 2003 LLC was a solid performer in this cohort. This Chateau is the parent vineyard of all the leoville's found in Bdx. They have been parceled and sold over the yrs but this Chatesau is gorgeous and lies in St Julien between Ch. Beychellle and goes all the way to Ch. Latour. The bottle was in pristine condition and it is about the 5th time I was able to sample this wine from the 03 Vintage. One thing I can say with certainty is that the wine even this early is aging well. First time I had it I rated it a 90. This wine is solidly a 95 and up from my last rating 12 months ago at 93.
The wine was very deep purple to ink color. Chemistry was was very classic with 70% Cabernet, 17% Merlot and 12.5% Cab Franc. The wine is classic in style but is a bit backward in construction so it really sticks out in this cohort because most of the 2003 seconds are built in the more fruit forward and are less tannic. LLC in 2003 will make a classic Bdx lover happy. Its fruit is there but buried by velvetty tannins. this was a hot Vintage but this wine is muted because of how it was built. The aroma is of blackberry, cassis, sunflower, lilly, vanilla and allspice. Very nice aroma upon opening in the glass. the wine is not as hot as the other seconds we have tonight. The flavors developed as the wine opened and stone and wet clay appeared. The finish was long and smooth. This wine is getting better already. I think it may be a surprise winner in this vintage with time. Strong 95 tonight.............up a full 5 points since I tasted it at EP's.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I've had several nice bottles of this over the past nine months or so but it is now closing down for business...the tannins are overwhelming the fruit right now and so now i think it is indeed time to let it rest. This particularly 375 has been open for a day now and it shows no signs of relenting. Maybe I just got lucky but I had several of these that were drinking very well...not this one, though. Time for bed! Check again in a few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted from 375ml. Rather grapey and floral on the approach with some overt notes of alcohol. Altogether much rounder and more approachable than I expect from an LLC, expressing a lot of fruit and some stalk, very little minerality. It was enjoyable but lacked the depth I would hope for.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened, poured into a decanter, and served right away. Nose of toast, sour cherries, chocolate and ripe dark fruit. Flavours of sour cherries, plum, blackberries and hints of tobacco. Very smooth and velvety. Extremely long finish. Try again in 10 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is great juice! Deep rich ruby, very fruit-forward nose but there's a little bit of cedar already and lead pencil going on. It drinks big and bold, like a Napa cab, but there's a lot of earth in there as well. Parker says this needs a lot of time but I found it very approachable already (from 375). I've always loved LLC and this does not disappoint!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
4/13/2024 - alamoave Likes this wine: 94 Points
A word I don’t associate with LLC - voluptuous. This is a thing of beauty. Short decant. Long finish.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/12/2024 - the player Likes this wine: 95 Points
Lovely evolved Lascases and that's always so rare to say. Deep ruby red color hardly any signs of aging on the rim. Nose of perfumed cassis, lots of graphite, pencil lead, cigar box, blackberries, pepper. Great weight, medium to full bodied, coats mid palate with dark red and black fruits, finishes very long with some bitter chocolate notes.a hedonistic LLC at last?
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/29/2024 - Lyttelton wrote:
Best of all the ‘03 so far
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/22/2024 - liber Likes this wine: 95 Points
1st of 36, opened an hour then decanted 90 minutes, perfect level curiously crumbly but clean cork - glossy, dark but transparent ruby, purple rimmed; very much on the cassis fruit, fresh and pure for 03, hints of cigar box and graphite, fragrant, complex and classy; fullish, very long, persistent, decent concentration, fruit masking fine tannic underpinning, much simpler as yet than nose, really quite adolescent but with volume and drive of fine vintage, beautiful balance for 03, much upside here, 30+ years. At least VF (18.5)........has 1st growth quality and will take decades to show its true potential; my sense is that it's behind 62, 75, 82, 85, 86, 90, 96 and the potentially sensational 2000- time will tell!
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
3/3/2024 - Collector1855 wrote: 93 Points
During a Matter of Taste dinner, no detailed tasting notes. Dense dark fruit with torrefaction. Good enough freshness for 2003, medium complexity.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/1/2024 - hkbob Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opaque garnet. This was an excellent wine with its dark fruit, creosote, fresh tobacco and earthy notes at the fore all overlayed with a sweetness reminiscent of the ripe fruit. This wine shows quite young and vibrant with a long grippy finish which belies the torrid heat of the vintage. Just entering its prime drinking window with lots of time on the clock for further development. Delicious.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (7)
12/3/2023 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 93 Points
Late night Maison Dakota. Drank in Grassl 1855.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of tobacco cigar box, pencil lead, blackberries, black plums, dark red cherry plum, cedarwood. Developed.
On the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, medium alcohol (13%), smooth resolved high tannins, medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of dark red cherryplum, sweet black plum, blackberry, blackcurrant, cigarbox, graphite pencil lead, sweet cedar, integrated oak, bit of leather. Long finish.
Very good quality. Doesn't have a whole lot of ripeness as I thought of a 2003. Quite complex although it seems to lack depth and full bodied oomph. A well-controlled 13% alc. Drinking well already.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/25/2023 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
One of the fresher, more vibrant wines from the vintage that is notorious for so many jammy wines. Medium-bodied, ready-to-drink, plummy, earthy, tobacco, and blackberry-filled wine with a softness in the finish and no signs of jam or fig notes. Drink from 2023-2037.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/27/2023 - JLCFan Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very, very big fruit and very, very young-tasting. Intense red fruit, grippy tannins, still a lot of structure. Not a lot of tertiary development
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/19/2023 - d'Artagnan wrote: 93 Points
Nez typique médoc, cèdre et cassis. Vin rond, dodu et un peu fumé, encore boisé et jeune, avec des tanins enrobés. Il n’a pas encore développé la complexité d’un vieux vin, il parait très jeune. 93++
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/7/2023 - Martyl9 wrote: 60 Points
the wine was cooked , in a half bottle
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (1)
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.
At this point in the tasting, my will to drink and analyze another red wine was very low, so take this score and review with a grain of salt. The three Leovilles all had less charm and precision than the Pauillac’s but especially the Margauxs before. From memory, the Poyferre (93pts) was the best of the three Leovilles. This is surprising as it is usually riper and more modern than the two others which doesn’t seem like a great fit for a hot vintage. The wine showed a bit rounder and more harmonious than the others but without an exciting complexity. The Las Cases and Barton (both 92pts) were a step below but probably just would have needed a bit of air to open up.
Decanting: My guess is that this needs a few hours in the decanter.
Group average: 93.2 pts
Group rank: Shared 18th out of 29 reds
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/23/2023 - SH Wu wrote: 92 Points
Well-structured bordeaux with the minerality and acidity to match. This gets easily overshadowed in a tasting line-up of more showy wines, but it certainly draws you in as it starts to show its tobacco and cedar.
This feels like it has much to run, though the tannins are already in a good place. Two hours of air in bottle and it is already showing great.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/22/2023 - Purple Tooth wrote: 92 Points
Always happy to drink this and excited to try it again, but this has never excited me enough to go looking for it. Lots of deep red fruit, good freshness (A bit too much and lacking in progress) and a middle of the road amount of fruit and some cedary notes floating off the top that tell you that you are drinking something with some age on it. A very nice and long finish with traces of oak creme, cedar, and deep red fruit. Drink
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/20/2023 - sirpat00 wrote: 88 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:
A cool, more mineral driven bouquet with aging notes of barnyard and leather. Only limited fruit expression (cherry). Un-exiting palate which lacks aromas. Drying tannins. The weakest of the Léovilles in this vintage.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
3/2/2023 - dream Likes this wine: 92 Points
Overall the St. Julien's show more richness of fruit than the Pauillac's but also a slightly coarser texture and more heat-affected tannins with a slight roasted quality. That was the case with the LLC but still a lovely drink with plenty of depth and will be longer-lived than most in this vintage.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/28/2023 - BillStensrud wrote:
This was really nice wine
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2023 - DavidWong168 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for 2+ hours. Powerful perfume of cassis, tobacco leaf, cedar and accents of sandalwood and clove. Broad and silky entry redolent of raspberry and plum, with retronasal sandalwood echoes. Tannins felt a little grainy and the finish is somewhat clipped.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/4/2023 - devraj Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark purple ruby in color. 2 h in decanter reveals aggressive aromas of dark cassis & raspberries, lead pencil, cedar. Massive in the mouth showing inky black fruits, dark florals, graphite, medium-low acidity, sneaky but fine tannins and a long smoky finish. This is massive and has not budged one bit.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/8/2022 - alamoave Likes this wine: 91 Points
First of a case. Good, but less interesting and complex than the 2000, 1989 and 1986 LLCs consumed at the same tasting dinner. The 2003 came in fourth from 8 of the 10 participants.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/5/2022 - DonJr Likes this wine: 95 Points
This wine is drinking well now but I suspect it has at least a decade of life left in it. Let this one breath for about an hour, you’ll be glad you did. Had with filet mignon and asparagus, such a treat.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/30/2022 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow! Gorgeous! Big fruit, per the year. Big structure behind, as you would expect from this producer and the hot year. BlackBerry, hints of spice and leather but mainly primary fruit. Could be Cali cab it is so big and ripe. Long and complex. Drink now and next 20 to 30 years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/23/2022 - Happytoro Likes this wine: 97 Points
This is in a great drinking window. Decanted for 1.5 to 2 hours and drank over 2 hours. The wine was well balanced, without any one element overpowering the other. The tannins were velvety and soft, yet there was still some fresh acidity. I drank thiswith friends over dinner so didn't have opportunity to write detailed tasting notes. Would definitely buy again!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/10/2022 - tomoem Likes this wine: 93 Points
The University Club NYC "Joy of Wine" 2022 event
I rarely present notes with food as I believe wine is best judged solo, but at an event like this where food flavors loom so heavily I felt the need to disclose.
At 16 years we have here a 2nd growth which can hold its own against any 1st growth wine. The nose is aged black fruits, some raisin, aged leather, dark cherry bordering on prune. In mouth the flavors are younger with cherry, tobacco, compote and a finish which includes mushroom and cigar ash. Truly complex and certainly perhaps well matched with the Roast saddle of Lamb. The wine kept changing which is why I think the need to disclose food. What can be better than aged Las Cases......... Not much !
Palate is silky smooth. feminine, complex, leather, aged bordeaux, nice tannin structure and very very long and luxurious. Long dry finish with a touch of tannin dryness.
Very satisfied with this wine and would buy again.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/17/2022 - Rani wrote: 89 Points
Jammy and one dimensional, though on the palate there’s fine but form tannins. I hope it will balance out with age.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/8/2022 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Similar to prior note after double decanting for 2 hrs; outstanding & ready to drink, no rush
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/13/2022 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
This is in an ideal place for my palate.
Popped and poured into glasses about 1 hour prior to drinking.
Just a hint of bricking on the rim.
Nose is lovely with heavy rose notes, saddle leather, cherry compote, light spice element to add interest. Seems to evolve with air. I like it.
Palate is silky smooth. feminine, complex, leather, aged bordeaux, nice tannin structure and very very long and luxurious. Long dry finish with a touch of tannin dryness.
Very satisfied with this wine and would buy again.
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/21/2022 - mchern02 wrote: 94 Points
2 hour decant
Quite a nice nose of wet tobacco, cigar wrapper, smoke, spicy black fruit. Attractive texture with balance and freshness, young remaining tannins, and a longer finish. A vintage I generally stay away from him, this doesn’t show much heat at all and has a nice freshness and vivacity today. A nice early drinking LLC
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/6/2022 - Annapolis Does not like this wine: 80 Points
so tannic and lacking any charm. not mutil faceted. will it ever evolve? out of a half bottle
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/18/2022 - advinm41 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Awesome 2nd growth, 1 hr decant brought it well together although there are still plenty of tannins left to age further. Complex nose of black fruit, leather, truffles. Palate is medium body, black and red fruit, plenty of delicious tannins, secondary characteristics and long finish. Will definitely improve with age, potential 95-96 pts
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/4/2022 - NEducatedGes Likes this wine: 93 Points
Solid 93
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/8/2022 - macmac007 Likes this wine: 95 Points
A friend popped this for his birthday dinner -- roast chicken, truffle sauce -- and it was a seamless joy. Soft and silky and assured -- nice mix of dark fruit and leather. Not a powerhouse year, so this was quite feminine compared to some of the tannic brick LLC powerhouse vintages. Obviously the prices are now bonkers even for a not epic year (nearing $300 or so), but I envy anyone who bought this en primeur and stored carefully.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/22/2021 - guido23 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted this time and consumed over ~3 hours. Everything is very subtle with this wine - not a blockbuster and a little tart before opening up but very pleasant.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/15/2021 - Purple Tooth wrote: 93 Points
Its important to say that this was from a Chateau released 1/2 bottle shared by a friend. We each had one full glass and to be honest, I was expecting a pretty aged wine, given that this was a fast aging 03 and from a split. In fact, this was either too youthful or already dried out and propped up by its acidity. A deep appearance was followed by a somewhat mediocre faint Bordeaux experience, but with a wine full of power and linger. The first impression was new oak creme on the nose, followed by ripe flavors that relaxed and started showing faint scorch flavors. Its nice to try this and scratch it off my want list. Good to know! Drink or Hold
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/10/2021 - The_Cat wrote: 95 Points
Deep Crimson red. Intense flvors of ripe bleuberry, blackberry and raspberry some licorice and fine resine notes. Dense concentratet with lots of velvety tannins and never ending finish
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/26/2021 - jmcnewjersey Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wine was impressive upon first pour. Still young with many years to go. Offered dark red fruit notes on nose and palate, with a long finish. (EB NY on Aug. 23)
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/5/2021 - Ericsson Likes this wine: 94 Points
2 1/2 ans depuis ma dernière bouteille. Mid neck.
Carafée durant 1 heure avant consommation.
Robe prune avec un bord légèrement plus clair.
Après 30 minutes dans les verres, les arômes de cassis, de fruits noirs, de fleurs et de mines de crayon émergent.
Au palais, aucune surmaturité, le vin est précis, concentré mais aérien, avec un filet d’acidité pour tendre la fin de bouche.
Tanins encore présents, qui tachent aussi, finale longue et minérale cette fois-ci, le léger côté végétal ressenti en 2018 ayant totalement disparu.
Selon moi, à quelques années de la pleine maturité mais donne déjà beaucoup de plaisir.
Tiendra encore min. 15 ans
94++
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2021 - Honeyburst Likes this wine: 95 Points
In a really good spot right now yet with many years ahead of it. Incredible depth and a fascinating balance between primary and secondary notes.
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (3)
4/8/2021 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Showing no signs of heat or overripeness, the wine offers a spicy dark berry, cigar wrapper, wet earth, forest leaf and mint-packed nose. On the palate, the wine is round, full-bodied, ripe, and fleshy, but not at all over the top or overripe. The finish remains on the sweet, but fresh fruit side with ample red and black fruits and dusty tannins in the finish. My instincts are to enjoy this now and over the next 12-15 years. The wine blends 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc, 13.15% ABV. Picking is one of the estates' earliest harvest periods, September 11-26.
7 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/26/2021 - EM_MB wrote: 91 Points
Flash double decant and then back in the bottle for 5 hours. Tons of sediment. Not sure what to make of this. Wine was good but certainly didn’t love it. Would prefer a well made Napa cab over this any day.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/27/2021 - Annapolis Does not like this wine: 80 Points
rough and tannic. no charm. have 2 more cases in 1/2s so will monitor for another decade.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
2/6/2021 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Double decanted for 2 hrs, deep ruby, no bricking, dark fruit with some leather, med/firm tannins, long finish; outstanding, drink or hold. It was however outshone by a 2000 PB that followed
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/9/2021 - VlgJeff Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for 3 hours before the start of our meal - with lots of sediment.
Initially: The color was ruby red fading to the rim. The nose had dark red fruits, some cedar, and a touch of mint. The palate was relatively smooth, but with very little fruit and only some earth.
After 3 hours: The wine had opened and turned to a deeper purple color. The medium bodied palate yielded dark red fruits, earth, some cedar, and touches of cassis and chocolate. The acidity was balanced, the tannins were integrated, and the wine was a pleasure to drink.
However, the last half glass, at the 4 hour mark, was the best as the wine had continued to open and integrate. This wine can probably hold for the next 5 years, or more, but is very pleasurable now.
Our bottle was purchased from a local store upon release and stored in a professional wine cellar until being consumed.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2020 - WineCPA wrote: 93 Points
Nose shows musty earth. Firm tannins. Medium-full bodied. Leather, smoked meat and dried fruit.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/31/2020 - Miceri Likes this wine: 96 Points
Medium dark red; chocolate, leather, dark notes; rounded slightly closed, sweet tones, dark intense chocolate, blueberries; really good now, but can last much longer (even though everybody says drink up 03)
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/20/2020 - baxter67 wrote:
Leoville Las Cases is my favourite of all clarets. Just not this bottle. In my cellar for 10 years, but not sure about the first years of its life. After a strong typical St Julien nose and first taste it went quickly downhill. Tried over 2 hours. Balance towards acidity, fruit fading. Disappointing. *
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/10/2020 - Fatty Cat wrote: 93 Points
0.375 L bottle early Oct 2020: rubin red color; bouquet of cassis, blueberries, sour cherries and slightly licorice; well-balanced on the palate, reminded a bit on cherry juice with tannins; strong tannic backbone; long finish. 93+/100
This excellent LLC 2003 is still in adolescence. Guess it needs another 5-10 years for this wine to reach the first stages of maturity.
That evening we tried five Bordeaux reds. The LLC 2003 came in at 3rd place. Contenders were Haut-Bailly 1995, Canon 2001, Lafite-Rothschild 2002 and Haut-Maurac 2015 (see my other tasting notes).
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2020 - mathwonk Likes this wine:
I happily received a bday gift certificate comparable to the $225 retail price of this wine, so thanks to the very compelling reviews here I bought it. Thank you. It was worth it. I have often remarked here that I wound up adding a decent ($32) rioja to many overrated more expensive wines to smooth them out. Not this one. Owing to prescient reviews calling for 1-10 hours air, we opened it at 1 pm for dinner, sampling it after one hour and every hour after that until steak dinner at about 5:40, at which point it was very well received. The last glasses, after 6 o'clock were the best, so maybe 5 hours is optimal. I also decanted it, after an hour or two in bottle showed only slow improvement.
All wine experiences are relative, and compared to this, the rioja that has stood me in such good stead over many months, is barely drinkable, and has no aroma at all. This Leoville is as enjoyable to smell as to drink, while it lasts. I have less than one inch left. Cheers!
Oh and if you like this sort of comparison, it tastes vaguely like ripe cherries, tart when first opened , then riper and smoother when aired for 4-5 hours.
And at "only" 13% ABV, it is easier on the head than many modern wines.
For those who like me drink this only very occasionally, I admit it does not have the gravitas or depth of the ones from the 1990's that I drank 10-15 years ago, but it is as enjoyable, maybe moreso for some.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/9/2020 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 95 Points
What I love about most vintages of Leoville Las Cases is the richness of the dark blackberry fruit but at the same time, the subtlety of the earthy Bordeaux terroir...all perfectly integrated, balanced...in harmony. This 03 version is no different despite the super hot summer in Bordeaux. Secondary notes of olive, cassis and lavender. Must decant for at least an hour and two will even be better.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/25/2020 - kcsteve Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened several hours before consuming. Though early in the drinking window, this wine is very, very good. Blackberry, slight touch of earth, flowers, and lithe though medium bodied. It was dancing. Consumed at dinner with the 2004. The '04 was much more brooding. Harsher tannins, less fruit and a less acidity. Both wines stored in temprature controlled environments.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/11/2020 - Sundbyberg wrote: 94 Points
A friend brought this to a dinner.
It was great. We only decanted 1 hour or so and the wine improved the whole dinner so a longer decant would probably have made the wine even better.
Really soft, old school, with nice fruit
Previously the vintages of 1996, 2006, 2008 and 2011 of this wine.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/22/2020 - wardamnwine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Solid.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/17/2020 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 93 Points
6 hour decant and that was barely enough. Last drank 14 months ago with similar notes. This wine still needs at least 6 hours in the decanter. 10 would be ideal. Pure Bordeaux- everything you would expect from this estate. Nice finish and balance is improving since I first tasted in 2018. This should reach prime in about 5-7 years and hold for at least 3 decades.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/10/2020 - maw246 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Nose of dark red fruits, cassis, leather. Onpalate much of same. M acidity, M+ tannin, M alcohol. Long finish. This everything it should be and more.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2020 - JEP007 Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is one of the first encounters I've had with LLC. While the wine was enjoyable, nothing really stood out to me. I appreciated it for what I know about it- great house, not a great vintage, just entering its drinking window, good value. Medium to full body, fruit forward and tannins that are softening. No complexity or wild perfume. Somewhat elegant, but not regal. Glad I got this for only $100 on sale a few years back. The only other LLC I have in my cellar are 2015 and 2016. I really hope when I open them in another ten years, I'll have the AHA that others speak about.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/23/2020 - winecoffee wrote: 94 Points
Vanilla, cherry, and tiramisu on the nose. Tart lime, velvet, mushrooms, and mud on the palate. With a long rich finish. Like sitting below a pear tree with a heavy downpour grounding you to the soil.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/28/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
This is really quite nice, even charming. With 30 minutes of air, blackberry, cassis, smoke, flowers and thyme were easy to find. The wine has softened, taking on a refined quality, with an easy to like, medium/full-bodied, dark red berry and earthy finish. There is no touch of heat or jam here. The effect here is the early maturing quality and soft tannins. This is one of the best values for LLC in the marketplace today.
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (3)
2/3/2020 - Sniffy-Sniff Likes this wine: 95 Points
Agree with other tasters that this is just a touch primary at the moment. An hour of air in the bottle gave you a glimpse at the amazing potential. This is powerful and yet refined. Super long finish.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2020 - jonanator wrote: 93 Points
LLC did very well in this hot vintage - although the wine did feel little ripe for my palate, but I would have never guessed anything but old world. This really needed some air time to shine but when it did, this was delightful. Definitely more on the blue/black fruit side of the spectrum and although it is drinking well now, there is a lot more development still to come. I think this will be outstanding in a few more years once it develops a little more complexity. 93+
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/28/2019 - martin_e Likes this wine: 90 Points
Full reflection of the hot 2003 vintage: very powerful and straightforward. It tastes more like young Californian wine. Intense flavors of raspberry, blackberry, and cassis...
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/27/2019 - Isaac L Likes this wine: 93 Points
This showed itself to be a very enjoyable wine, albeit straightforward as pointed out in a previous note. 13% abv in a hot vintage. Primarily cassis with a touch of spearmint, it fleshed out really nicely with 3 hours of air. Very nice.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/3/2019 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 93 Points
From a magnum, no decant. Lush and expansive, quite the early drinker for a Leoville, and here the vintage works in its favor. Blue and purple fruit, ripe tannins, some toasty oak and a kind of malo richness I couldn’t quite put my finger on. About as a high a score as I would give for such a straightforward wine, highly enjoyable despite the lack of complexity.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/2/2019 - vvWine.ch Likes this wine: 94 Points
2003, Château Léoville Las Cases, Saint-Julien, Bordeaux, Frankreich. Kräftiges Rubin, jugendlicher Glanz. Noble, tiefe Nase, sehr dunkelfruchtig, rauchig und komplex, Kräuter, Brombeeren, Kaffee. Im Gaumen kraftvoll, voluminös, ein Mund voll Wein, mit markanten, noch etwas wilden aber sehr feinen Gerbstoffen, die Frucht wirkt reif aber nicht überreif, das hat Power und Druck und dennoch viel Finesse. Im Abgang sehr lang, dunkelfruchtig und mit grossartiger Würze. Ein Langstreckenläufer, 2023-3038+. 19+ vvPunkte (94+/100). vvWine.ch
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/22/2019 - yeti575rider wrote: 93 Points
75 Years of Zachys (DC) (LongView Gallery Washington DC): Planning to open a 2001 for my son's 18th in a month and so really wanted to try this (even though the years are quite different). This was late in the tasting and my palate was sort of fried but this still stood out in a positive way. One of the better older bordeaux's I tried. Nothing too funky, nice balance, really good.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/28/2019 - guido23 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Popped, poured, and consumed between 1 and 3 hours. Lots of currant. A little vegetal. Nice finish but a little lean at first, then it rounds out after 30+ seconds. I can't help but think that this could have benefited from a little more air and will try a decant next time.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/7/2019 - gsquireh Likes this wine: 94 Points
Has not lost a step since my last bottle tasted six years ago. Decanted for an hour and a half, the red and black fruit are still ripe and rounded. Love the supple and rich finish.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/6/2019 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
This showed beautifully with dinner at the Chateau. There are some roasted flavors but the fruit is fresh, ripe and crunchy with additional note of tobacco and graphite minerals. Finishes very complex with notes of cedar and warm red spices. Just entering its peak drinking plateau.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/22/2019 - SonnyChiba wrote:
Unfortunately a bad bottle. Drinkable but clearly not right.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/28/2019 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 93 Points
I took my own advice and decanted for 5 hours from a split. Still needed another 5 hours in the decanter. This wine is soo damn good but so damn young! This needs another decade.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/28/2019 - Cikgoo Likes this wine: 95 Points
Powerful! Intense!
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/7/2019 - henrygjeffreys wrote:
red colour, pale rim
Rather stewed-smelling on the nose and leather.
Firm tannins but not much fruit, feels like it's drying out a little. I preferred the Clos de Marquis from this vintage.
Maybe a little time in the glass would see it blossom.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
12/22/2018 - LARich Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wonderful but so tight it was painful to drink this young. Give it another 4-6 years to fully develop beyond this primary and massive beauty.
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/8/2018 - patatty Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful rich dark red color, subtle nose of fruit and tea; clung to glass when swirled; vanilla, strawberry and blueberry flavor on palate; long finish
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/5/2018 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is just starting to enter its maturity window. While still very primary, it is beginning to unfold like a beautiful flower. Very St. Julien in style and more feminine compared to the more muscular neighbor Chateau Latour. Don’t get me wrong, feminine doesn’t mean wimpy, it just doesn’t have the fat that comes with a Pauillac wine and is just a tad bit leaner and more elegant in the St. Julien sense. This does not show any signature of overripeness that could come from the 2003 vintage and it is showing itself to have a long life of aging gracefully ahead of it. A beautiful wine in every sense!
8 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/2/2018 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 94 Points
P & p, wow what a surprise, probably my wotn, drinking very well now, sensual on the nose & seductive in the mouth, so elegant & showing its pedigree, great fruits & nothing of the heat affected characteristics, if served blind would have guessed a 90s top Bordeaux
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/11/2018 - Nutty08 wrote:
Yves's Memorial; 11/10/2018-11/11/2018 (MO): Disappointing in this lineup. One dimensional and still showing distinct vanilla with red fruits,
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/9/2018 - MWes Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank with Leo Poy and Leo Bart from the same year. This was more refined and elegant. Really fantastic.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/26/2018 - RockinCabs wrote: 88 Points
Leoville Las Cases Dinner; 10/26/2018-10/27/2018 (Troquet on South): Nose: Jammy black fruits, good dose of cedar and graphite. Palate: heavy handed but complete palate with broad layers of rich black fruit, noticeable tannin and great cedary spice. Finish: Strong licorice note, granite and plum tart finish.
At first it seemed like this may have pulled itself together over the past few years (as the note above suggests). Then after 3-hours flabby, reductive, prune and over oaked notes began to show up. I would suggest PNP treatment and drink sooner rather than later for most enjoyment.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/26/2018 - englishman's claret wrote: 85 Points
I was really prepared to dislike this; I hated it 5 years ago when I had it last. And then just after it was poured, it wasn't too bad - sure, riper than the usual LLC style with a dark complexion, a tad hot, but not disastrous - 90ish. But then with air, it became totally moribund; the new oak rears its head with Bryant-like banana aromas that I don't find appealing at all. This is really not so much a LLC problem as a 2003 problem.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/24/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Here, the normally reserved, tannic, long aging wine is open. The wealth of ripe, fresh, and never hot or jammy deep fruits offers volume, length and character. Just starting to pop, you can expect even more secondary development over the next several years.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/18/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Wine Spectator newbies; 10/18/2018-10/20/2018 (Marriott Marquis): Another very tight bordeaux. Not ready at all. Lots of leather and cigar and more library notes. Fruit more muted. Still a nice wine.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/5/2018 - Ericsson wrote: 94 Points
Bouteille et bouchon en parfaite condition. Passé en carafe 90 minutes avant de déguster mais c’est vraiment après 150 minutes que le vin a commencé à se livrer.
La couleur est très foncée, grenat violet. Le nez tout d’abord livre des arômes de chou, de soupe aux légumes, de lard grillé, il faut vraiment être patient pour recevoir les notes de cassis, de fruits rouges, de tabac et de mine de crayon que j’adore.
En bouche, le vin est d’abord juste plaisant, chargé en alcool mais il développe ensuite beaucoup de distinction, de classe et de complexité. Il a juste une pointe d’amertume un brin déplaisante.
Belle longueur.
On sent le côté solaire du millésime mais le vin reste aristocratique et typé Bordeaux, ça me plaît!
Ira loin.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/13/2018 - Drinking Trees wrote:
Balanced, subtle (dumb?) nose, with notes of red fruit, mint, and old oak, and hints of soy sauce and caramel. Bright, fresh entry transitions into a silky, light-bodied mid-palate, finishing with mild tannin. Lots of dusty oak flavour, with a strong core of blackberry and a dash of mint.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/22/2018 - galewskj wrote: 92 Points
Guys night - You know the drill: Decanted maybe 20 minutes? In your face robust gorgeous fruit. This is rich and primary, I have no trouble drinking it. It is certainly young. Consistent with previous bottle.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/22/2018 - Mark3548 Likes this wine: 91 Points
A lot of the tasting notes advise holding. I’m very glad I didn’t, as the cork had bled through, but after drinking, maybe more years would help if your bottle is in perfect shape. The bouquet is amazing, red fruit with a graphite/mineral edge, but the palate is austere, with the graphite overriding the fruit. There is significant depth and concentration, but it’s not all that friendly. It makes you sit up and say hmmm, but it doesn’t make it easy for you. Aerated and decanted, drank over a two-hour period, with not much change. I generally like younger wines, but this is one that might sing a sweeter note once it reaches drinking age, so to speak.
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/20/2018 - rocknroller wrote:
Make it Count (Jason P's, St. Paul, MN): Very dark purple/red color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 45 minutes. This was pretty primary as one might expect. Lots of pretty dark fruits, blackberry, cassis, graphite, full boded, concentrated and youthful with plenty of tannin to nurture this. Not nearly as ready as many of the other '03 presently. Shows very good promise though. I'd give it another 5 years. 92-95pt.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/10/2018 - Collector1855 wrote: 94 Points
During a Magnum dinner. Not a fan of 2003 but this wine did ok. Aromas of dark fruit and the roasty side of 2003 come through. Tannisn good and not drying. More like a Napa CabSav but good.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/19/2018 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 93 Points
From split- 3 hour decant (I’d recommend 4-5 hours). You can immediately tell how much potential this wine has but it’s no where near ready. Still very enjoyable today. Hold.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/20/2018 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
A nice evening with good friends (@ PZ): Cassis and vanilla in the bouquet. On the palate ripe dark berries, graphite, charcoal, vanilla, oak, firm acidity and tannin. Classical wine which will improve over the next 5+ years. Next try around 2022? 94+
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/30/2018 - jmoon Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very enjoyable, more subdued fruit vs two years ago, needs a 2 hour decant to really sing.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (3)
3/17/2018 - Eric wrote:
2003 Bordeaux at 15 years courtesy of Mark Taylor; 3/17/2018-3/18/2018 (Atlanta, GA): Ripe, lots of alcohol, pickle juice, is this Pavie? Very sweet, red fruit, plum, nearly over the top. Guessed as Pavie, but this is Las Cases. Ranked 6 out of 6 and the group #3.
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
2/16/2018 - Unclepao Likes this wine: 95 Points
เปิดมามีกลิ่นหนังสัตว์ ผลไม้บางๆ หลังจาก 2 ชั่งโมงครึ่ง ใน decanter นุ่ม ซับซ้อน ละเอียดอ่อน
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/23/2018 - xzwine wrote:
Super ripe, black fruit, mineral. Silky tannins, balanced. Mature, truffle. Classic Bordeaux left bank from a great vintage.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/23/2017 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cellaraid Grand Tasting (La Pepa): nice, classic old-school St Julien, with good mix of red and black berries, capsicum, spices, pencil shavings, leather
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/14/2017 - onboisduvin Likes this wine: 92 Points
I have to say: drinking this 2003 vintage now is too early. Although the integration and complexity is quite promising, but it is really a pity to kill this baby in its infancy. Come back 10 years later!
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
11/7/2017 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
Chateau Leoville Las Cases Vertical with James Handford MW (Handford Wines, London): Quite. Dark colour still. A lot of fruit on the nose here, especially vs the 2004, but not overdone . Richer fruit feel on the nose, soft fruit though and none of that heavy brambly cassis we would have expected from a 2003. Cedar touches , light mocha feel. Fruit forward and blind we would have thought of it of a bolgheri cab Sauv. Lacks a bit on the complexity and much like a lot of bolgheri felt one dimensional. 92 and give this 5yrs minimum more .
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (4)
9/19/2017 - ctc wrote: 96 Points
An incredible wine. One of the greats.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2017 - lesz wrote: 92 Points
Needed to sit in glass for about 20 minutes
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/9/2017 - overhill wrote: 92 Points
Bordeaux Second Growths Lunch (Capital Grille NY): This is still tightly wound and will gain a few points when it becomes more accessible. The ripeness of the vintage is evident in the sweet, almost new world vanilla nose. Linear and primary on the palette with coarse tannins. Try again in 6-10 years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/30/2017 - kenthargis wrote: 94 Points
This was a very pleasant surprise. I've generally been rather disappointed with the 2003s. Vintage was too hot for my taste and the wines are generally overripe. This wine was excellent. Not overripe, long finish, wonderful black currant and barnyard notes. Beautiful Bordeaux.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/26/2017 - buckeye76 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Blackberries, currants, licorice, and earthiness in the nose. Black cherries, plums, and blackberries in the flavor. An elegant well balanced wine with rich tannins, great complexity, and a long finish. Decanted for 2 1/2 hours.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/26/2017 - galewskj wrote: 92 Points
Luis Turns 60 (St. Genevieve): Slow o'd for about 6 hours. Rich red fruit and great complexity for being so young. I got some alcohol on the finish.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/23/2017 - King Julien wrote: 95 Points
Drank at Citricos Orlando. Cork was dry and difficult to remove. Poured into decanter and drank over 2 hours. Improved nicely over the first hour. Better than expected.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
2/19/2017 - JEP007 wrote: 93 Points
Agree with others that this is almost over the top but stays within boundaries. Plenty of dark fruit and hints of cedar and tobacco, but still very primal. Not really enjoyable at this stage, guessing another 10+ years will bring this one together.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/19/2017 - bordeaux_bro Likes this wine: 94 Points
Displays the dark fruits characteristic of the vintage. Dense, deep, brooding - comes close to being overly ripe, but stays just within the boundaries and rounded out by moderate acidity and firm tannins. Taking on some secondary characteristics like cedar. Richly textured. Enjoyable, but should improve.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/30/2016 - grafstrb wrote:
Dark violet color of medium-deep depth. Medium bodied; dark-fruited on the palate; tannic; medium-coarse tannins are grippy/drying.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/30/2016 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
No formal note as this was tasted at a casual offline in SoCal. I put this right behind the 96 LLC. Two completely different wines at this point in time, but nonetheless, I see the same stock here as in what's now being revealed in the 96. That said, I think it's going to take some years, likely more than 10, before this has entered its optimum window. An absolutely gorgeous wine, one with soul and grace. HOLD. highly recommended
Served non-blind.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
5/15/2016 - capacious Likes this wine: 93 Points
Ok to drink now, but barely onto secondaries. Probably because of the vintage, did not remind us of other LLC, except for how beautifully built this is from front to back. Should get better, much better over time but fine to try one now if you have a few.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/19/2016 - vanpe003 wrote: 94 Points
Nose is a bit shy at this point. On the palate, great fruit and surprisingly for the vintage, a good deal of balance. Specifically, great acidity and not as ripe as many '03s. A nice enough wine for today, but it was a one-off in my cellar, so this is "one and done". Probably better in 10+ years. Not that I have a wide range of experience, but this is probably the best '03 Bordeaux I've had, in terms of balance and potential longevity. A tinge of "modern" as relates to easy drinking this young, but no one will mistake this for a Michel Rolland wine.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/3/2016 - sixtoedjack Likes this wine: 95 Points
Did a splash double decant before taking this to a work party. Initial thoughts was that this had a lot of cedar box and tobacco spice with very little fruit.
At the work party, the wine opened up beautifully in the glass. The cassis was fading but it played very well with the savoury herbal notes and tobacco spice. The tannins were firm but not biting with the medium-plus acidity giving this wine good life.
I felt it was a good time to open this but if I had another bottle, I would still fill comfortable holding on to this for another 3-5 years.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
2/12/2016 - jmoon wrote: 95 Points
An incredible experience... A journey. Tight and ungenerous on first pour after no decant. Very long and engaging but not a lot of pleasure. An hour later beginning to open up. Wow... Started dinner which was a rib eye steak and fireworks... Incredibly pure and great tension. Blueberry, cocoa but very clean and pure, great structure given the vintage. Can last 20+ years.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/4/2016 - TGLeroy Likes this wine: 89 Points
Drank from 375ml. A nice wine to be sure, but didn't meet expectations.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/26/2015 - rlove wrote: 94 Points
Deep purple. Nose of black currant, grilled meat, graphite, and caramel. Savory, rich, and complex, with nice acidity given the hot 2003 vintage. Long, dark finish. This is drinking perfectly right now. Enjoy for at least 15 more years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/8/2015 - brouigu1 wrote: flawed
Oh what a disappointment. The wine was a tad corked... Not bad but enough to ruin the experience and enjoyment of this wine.
I could see though some of the taint and get the mellowed fruits but I was unable to finish the bottle.
Big bummer!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/11/2015 - SonnyChiba wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful wine, full bodied with ripe black fruits. Very modern in style. Great mouth feel. Ready to drink now as not sure where this is headed.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/25/2015 - MC wrote:
Decanted 90 minutes. There is no doubt the new world elements exist, and someone looking for classic Bordeaux will be dissappointed, but this does (to me) seem to be well made and should hold up and get a little better with time. More accessable than the bottle we had a year or so ago. A-
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2015 - rossi.wine wrote: 93 Points
Tasted next to 2003 Cos d'Estournel. Less evolved and exuberant on the nose, more restraint here as you would maybe expect but there is still plenty of ripe cassis fruit and floral notes as well as tobacco and graphite. On the palate quite big and powerful with lots of tannic grip, but round and ripe and less of the drying kind that I find in many 2003s. Very good length. An excellent wine in this vintage and the better of the two in my view - now and probably even more so in the future as this is likely to improve further. 92-93+
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/12/2015 - EhrlichDY wrote: 92 Points
Similar impression to Kevin. I just didn't like it as much as he did.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/11/2015 - dcwino wrote: 94 Points
Wine dinner at Blacksalt - Prévost, Krug, Pichler, Raveneau, Fevre, Grivot, LLC, Yquem & etc. (Blacksalt, Washington DC): I like how the 03s are developing as the ripe roasted fruit note diminishes. Very ripe cassis driven nose, licorice, a hint of lead pencil, milk coffee and sweet caramel. Exceptional concentration, intense sweet cassis driven palate impression, bright acidity and nicely integrated tannins. This is very California cult cab like. It is already very enjoyable if you like the primary fruit driven expression but will reach the first stage of peak in ten to fifteen years.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/6/2015 - nortonnose wrote: 94 Points
Wow! Not what I was expecting. Perhaps more representative of the vintage than the house - I found this to be racy/overly opulent/almost savage, in your face wine! Super ripe - the polar opposite of contemplative or elegant! This will be a fun wine to continue to track over the decade(s).....
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/15/2015 - BBickert wrote: 97 Points
I am not great with these tasting notes because I submit the next day and tend to forget the details. However I do know that Spectator gave this wine a 97 and Parker a 96. The tannins were silky smooth and soft with plenty of fruit. The finish was amazing and long lasting. After cheating and looking at Parker and Spectator, I do remember some berries, licorice, violets, lead pencil, with an amazing balance of flavors. I loved this wine. I am finally starting to drink some 2003's including Pontet Canet which is also amazing. Parker and Spectator were right on with this wine. It was even better with a grilled filet of beef.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/7/2015 - bhof2121 Likes this wine: 95 Points
No detailed notes, but enjoyed very much. Believe this will continue to improve for at least another 5 years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/19/2015 - Keru Likes this wine: 97 Points
Opening opening the nose and palate wer closed, after 2 hours of breathing, this opens up with superb aromatics and also drinks very well over the next 2 hours. WOTN among the 3 Leoville estates of 2003.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/10/2014 - Bobhelge wrote: 91 Points
Great nose in this one! High intensity, with layers of sweet ripe red fruit and oaky scents of vanilla and butterscotch. Overly ripe raspberry and strawberry cream tart on the palate. Full body, rich on concentration and pleasant tannins. The creaminess keeps lasting on the palate.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/30/2014 - fatfishzsy wrote: 90 Points
开瓶就适饮，甜美的有些非典型，用新桶的比例应该很大，香草、奶油的气息在三小时后涌现的很明显，黑色水果，架构依然很大
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
11/22/2014 - Cheungtp wrote: 93 Points
Altaya annual wine tasting (Hong Kong): Delicious wine with good fruits, cigar box, sweet cassis and licorice. The 2003 LLC appears to be quite generous and welcoming, medium/full bodied with silky texture. Really enjoyed the wine, yet it lacks a bit of the usual masculine LLC character to make it truly memorable.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/20/2014 - rossi.wine wrote: 93 Points
A bit of discolouration towards the rim with a quite dark centre, glossy. Surprisingly elegant on the nose - ripe fruit certainly, but nothing jammy or cooked, spices, mint, pencil shavings. Deep and complex. Accessible on the palate, quite rich and open, slightly drying tannins, good texture. Surprisingly good acidity and great finish. Lacks a bit of definition and elegance but a superb effort for 2003. There is no rush, but drinking nicely. 92-93+
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/7/2014 - HonorAmerica wrote: 92 Points
Butterscotch nose, red fruit. Drinking well now, but could wait even longer.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/7/2014 - winecoffee wrote: 94 Points
Phenomenal wine, but definitely needs to age. This would taste wonderful in 10 years or so!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/17/2014 - lolo66 wrote: 92 Points
NY Wine Experience 2014 (Marriot Marquis): dark fruits but not too ripe. fine tannins. a bit dry. some forest floor, some cedar shavings. tobacco. this is good.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/16/2014 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 95 Points
2014 New York Wine Experience Trip; 10/14/2014-10/21/2014 (New York City, NY): The 2003 Léoville-Las Cases is surprisingly structured for the vintage. Deep ruby/red at this point, it offers aromas of crème de cassis, blacberries, licorice and pipe tobacco. Full-bodied and with medium acidity, it serves up flavors which mirror the nose and are wrapped with a cloak of substantial silky tannins. The alcohol and oak are nicely integrated and the wine is beautifully layered in the middle. Finishing long and smooth, this is classic-quality Bordeaux. If tasted blind, I would have guessed it to be one of the riper left bank wines from 2000. I suspect that this wine will have more longevity than many had previously thought. Drink now-2035.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/18/2014 - vinodonpedro Likes this wine: 94 Points
I really enjoyed this one. Consumed with bison rib eye. As someone mentioned below, this is a great young wine. The tannins are still asserting themselves but each sip was packed with nice berries, saddle leather and a tiny hint of vanilla on this reasonably long finish. Drink now or give it another 2-3 years of aging. You wont regret it.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/18/2014 - fine137 wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 4 hours or so, good, but not great. Will try again in 5 years and hope for something better.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2014 - cepageyakima wrote: 95 Points
Stunning wine
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/30/2014 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 95 Points
See previous notes. Long, long, long and blackberry heaven. Enamored.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/4/2014 - Kriz Likes this wine: 94 Points
Powerful youngster. On it's way up and not a sign of ageing yet. Big nose, big body. Black fruit and present but balanced oak. Big boy but subtle great future ahead.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/11/2014 - eschaefer Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep red colour with a faint brickish tint on the edge. Medium body, medium acidity. Black currant, blackberry and pepper on the palate. Delicious. Tannins are perfectly integrated at 10 yrs and the finish lingers for awhile. Again. 2003 seems to be as good as 2000 for this wine, although it may not age quite as long. Recommended.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/5/2014 - cooberp wrote: 90 Points
Just coming out of its shell. Not heavy but very rich, dark, exotic, meaty, peppery--more Syrah-tasting than Cab at this stage. Tannic. A nice touch of sweetness.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/21/2013 - MC wrote:
Had twice in the past week. First time after an hour decant the wine still had too hard an edge to it. Next day it was quite nice. Second time with a 3 hour decant it was showing well. As expected, given the vintage, a new world style to it. But nice wine and seems to have more to it with a few more years in the cellar. A-/?
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/20/2013 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark red in color with nice fruit intensity and soft tannins. Still young and I suspect another 4-5 years would benefit this wine. Still quite enjoyable after a 3 hour decant.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/18/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Ruby in color with lightening at the edges, a mature nose of smoke, truffle, herbs and roasted blackberries open to a rapidly developing vintage of Leoville Las Cases. There is a roasted, herb quality to the dark, red fruits. Coupled with soft, opulent textures displaying the patina of age, you end up with an enjoyable to drink today, and over the next 5-10 years. However, this is not a wine to lay down for decades.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/30/2013 - englishman's claret wrote: 88 Points
God-awfully oaky. Hot on the palate. Jesus, it tastes like generic Napa from a hot year. A monster. Where is the breed? This is so plebeian.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (4)
10/24/2013 - BillyT wrote: 93 Points
Stunning. At Fortalezza du Guincho Cascais Portugal. Sommelier one of the best anywhere in the world handled the wine perfectly. Sorry there are no notes other than WOW!!!!!!!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/8/2013 - gsquireh Likes this wine: 94 Points
Full-bodied and opened up after decanting in glass over three hours. Balanced and rounded tannis that are supple and richly ripe. A fruit basket filled with red currant, black cherries, black and blue berries, and cassis. Some licorice and coffee. Mouthful and mouthfeel that are pleasureable and delicious from tongue to midpalate to luscious finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/28/2013 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very close to new world. Chocolate, blue berry pie, heaviness that is not French, vanilla hints. Wow new world coming out. Delicious ripe blueberry, acid is quite low. Really tasty stuff. Really pie crust flavors. Good balance. My type wine, but I could see classic French fans not enjoying.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/26/2013 - SonnyChiba wrote: 95 Points
95+ pts. Gorgeous wine that I really liked a lot. Very elegant and nicely structured. Nose blasts you of new world style black fruits - but way more in check and toned down. The balance is amazing on the palate as it is a smooth array of red currant, black fruits, dark chocolate...finishing with sweet tannins and big rich fruit. Excellent wine right now, but more to come in another 5 years or so.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/21/2013 - Ary wrote: 94 Points
Left Bank Bordeaux 2003 (semi blind) (Amsterdam Wijn Antiquariaat): One of the best at this vertical of 2003-s. Kirsch, cherries and other black fruits in the nose. Thick, supple and powerful on the palate, kirsch, licorice and sweet tones, some cocos. Very elegant wine, deserves some more patience before opening and might well gain points. 94+
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/14/2013 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for just over an hour. A noir and garnet colour with a sanguine rim. Cassis liqueur, stewed blackberries, violets, bread pudding and pipe tobacco. Round and fleshy, the tannins are of the most seductive velvet. Long, oh so long. A pumped-up version of the enticing '98. Drink 2014 - 2034.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/25/2013 - sandwich Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for 6 hours and still tight. This is too young to waste at this stage, but it will be a beauty in another five years. Big fruit with noticeable cherry and some hints of raisin with a lot of granite. The palate was pure without any hint of eucalyptus (sorry CMCARNES). Very enjoyable but I will wait a few years for the next bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/22/2013 - Charlie Carnes Does not like this wine: 74 Points
Modern yuckiness; this combines red fruit and eucalyptus oil and finishes with a hint of ashtray. The eucalyptus oil stays on the lips for quite a while after the sip.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (8)
4/30/2013 - OW_SOSPEL Likes this wine: 96 Points
Rubis profond. Très brillant. Ocelle tuilée.
Nez très fin sur les fruits rouges (cerises griottes) De merveilleuses senteurs de violettes et de cassis. Développement sur des arômes de bois vanillé, de fruits noirs, de brûlé.
Attaque enveloppée laissant apparaître des goûts fruités (cassis, fraise, groseille rouge). Arômes se développant en queue de paon. Tanins ultra gourmands mais assez serrés. Beaucoup de matière en bouche.
Finale interminable sur des arômes de vanille, de groseille et de fruits. Boisé totalement intégré. Légère acidité finale laissant entrevoir une très longue garde.
Vin de qualité exceptionnelle. Complexité d'un premier cru du Médoc. Bu avec Pigeonneaux et Raviolis frais aux truffes et morilles.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/2/2013 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
Nose - big, dark fruit
palate - soft, big fruit, luscious mouth feel, long tarry finish
would buy
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/20/2013 - aajder wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful, brilliant color. The nose is classic St Julien, showcasing ripe dark fruit, cedar, leather, flowers, oak, and a hint of herb. This is wonderfully elegant for such a big wine. On the palate, this is full bodied, with excellent concentration and outstanding finesse. A very ripe wine, this finishes with wonderful length and fairly integrated tannins.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/30/2012 - EJKIII wrote: 95 Points
Outstanding, graceful bottle just at the beginning of its prime. Dark garnet, opening nose of flowers, earth and subdued fruit. Extra long, smooth finish after perfectly integrated light fruit and tannins. Supposedly not one of this chateau's best efforts, but still an outstanding wine.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/23/2012 - robertgoulet wrote:
Oh this is going to be fantastic, but its a baby, let this sleep. Its a bit sleepy, but it's all here in a subtle package. The balance on this wine is so finely tuned. This appeared fairly elegant, nothing exaggerated or flamboyant. I'll open the next bottle in 5-10 years
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/17/2012 - BradKNYC wrote:
In which I host the Supper Club- Burg, Bordeaux and boeuf Bourguignon. (My place.): Perhaps an off bottle, but we all found this dreadful. What fruit is there is overripe, but alcohol and bitter wood notes dominated the wine. There's no real mid-palate and the finish was harsh. C and I'm being generous.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
9/5/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 91 Points
Slightly disappointing, there was a rusticity in the tannins that left a dry sensation. The aromatics were enticing with their rich, licorice, cassis, tobacco and earthy profile. Perhaps it's just the stage of development the wine is going through. Another 5 years might help. But I have my doubts. Served blind, I guessed 2000 Left Bank Bordeaux of a much lower Growth level. I was surprised to find this was 2003 Leoville Las Cases.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/19/2012 - vinopa wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 4 hours and it still was very tight. This is not opened for business right now. Seemed to be in a dumb phase. On the nose I got some red berries, smoke and coffee beans. Palate: Medium bodied.. red and dark berries, leather, coffee, and pencil shavings. It took the entire 4 hours to get the majority of these notes. Overall I was a bit disappointed but I believe this needs another 3 years or so before uncorking. It has the structure to last 15 plus more years .. Enjoy
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/23/2012 - Matt Neel wrote:
Dinner at l'Artusi 2/23/2012 (West Village): Black, opaque blood. Multidimensional nose, not oaky, iron depths -- like a foundry, coal smoke, plums, chestnuts; complicated and subtle. Not a bit overripe. Palate medium bodied, balanced to tannin a la LLC, young; not overtly masculine or patrician or strict, which I usually find LLC to be. Good length. Dry! Very, very good. Stash it and wait to try in 3-5.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/25/2011 - mactheknife wrote: 91 Points
Had for Thanksgiving; I decanted for 3+ hours before it started opening; have to say I think it has potential but the tannins had quite a grip. Nice potential but it will need more time; at least 5 years before I try again. Started tasting graphite, green olives and the aromas started to open. I think right now I would double decant and then wait for a few hours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/12/2011 - meatbomb013 wrote: 96 Points
After a 3 hour decant, this wine is fabulous. Will age for 10-15 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/17/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
From one of the lowest yields ever recorded at Leoville Las Cases, 21.2 hectoliters per hectare, this assemblage of 70.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17.2% Merlot, and 12.6% Cabernet Franc produced a St. Julien wine with a complex perfume filled with fresh roasted coffee beans, creme de cassis, black cherries, minerals, spice, floral, cigar box and earthy scents. Fleshy, round and rich, but lacking the power and concentration found in the best vintages. This wine offers a lot of charm, ending with a plush, ripe, black raspberry, spice and mocha finsh.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/18/2011 - Zweder wrote: 97 Points
In the bouquet loads of cassis, cedar, smoke, graphite and beautiful luxurious oak. Same on the palate; concentrated juice, a lot of acidity, but nicely balanced by a touch of sweetness. The tannin is round and still has a beautiful bite. Very luxurious and yet classical wine. Would like to try this again around 2018 – 2020+
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/4/2011 - MattTM wrote:
Château Léoville Las Cases Back Vintage Dinner (Chambar Restaurant, Vancouver, BC): In contrast to some of the other notes below, the nose wasn't giving much, which wasn't surprising considering how young this is. I felt is was pretty shut down at the moment. Nose dominated by sweet blackberry, along with some cherry, plum, mint, asphalt, and a touch of blueberry. Tons of tar and cigar box on the ripe palate, complimented by gobs of black cherry, prune, plum, lead pencil, and some blueberry. Extremely dry with gripping tannins. Long+ finish ending with notes of cigar leaf. Very good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/9/2011 - kelpcowboy wrote: 94 Points
expressive nose with fruit, cedar and graphite. Cassis, graphite, dark fruit and cedar on the palate. Young but very drinkable. Medium long finish. Softened over 3 hours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/1/2011 - signotim wrote: 94 Points
Extremely elegant, silky.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/19/2010 - dferreir wrote: 93 Points
very good...needs at least 5 more years
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/5/2009 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
Bordeaux Night (Binny's Grand Ave.): nose: big, rich, and bold nose of black fruits, black currants, graphite, black cherries, melted licorice, and cedar tones. This is a really roided up Las Cases. There is some of what one would expect from las cases, but its hidden behind the bigger fruit right now
taste: Full bodied, with ripe, rich, and bold tones of black currant jam, black fruits, melted licorice, black cherries, cedar and a touch of graphite. Has a more plush feel to it, but there is good tannin behind it too
overall: not fully sure what to make of this. It has a bit of the LLC graphite and darker fruits, but there is a real ripe quality to it that needs to be toned back a bit with age to let it come together more and have it balance out
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/3/2009 - MatthewF wrote:
Served blind. A very ripe nose of red currant and cassis with some wood notes and a touch of earth. Lush fruit forward palate with no hard edges at all. Very evolved (as I am finding with many '03s) and I feel really shows the vintage. Still a great glass of wine, but not what I would expect from a young Leoville Las Cases.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/2/2009 - psmith wrote:
Very ripe, and almost cult cabernet-like with a soft, plush, cassis and caramel oak-influenced character. Big palate, with dense fruits and fine tannic structure. Very different sort of LLC, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/29/2009 - AdamWallstein wrote: 92 Points
Quite tight all around. The nose never really opened up much at all, despite vigorous swirling... after several hours of air the palate finally revealed some nice dark fruit with smokey, earthy undertones and firmly but smoothly embedded tannin. Needs plenty of time, of course.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/20/2009 - remeny1 wrote: 94 Points
Decanted this for about 4 hours, before rebottling to take to dinner. The heat never really burned off on this, though after sitting in the glass for another 2 hours, the wine really started to open up with lots of blackberry and charcoal notes coming thru. The nose was still quite tight
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/4/2009 - City Wine Journal wrote: 97 Points
Revisited a bottle earlier than planned, and was amply rewarded. Decanted and rebottled, served 2 hours later. Beautiful alluring cassis and dark fruit aromas, deep palate and length. And then, in another 2 hours, a transformation -- cured leather and dried roses, and integration. Builds and builds. Profound and attention grabbing. I love this wine.
2003 is famous for the heat wave vintage in Bordeaux, with August temps averaging over 90 degrees for the month. Yet, this wine (70% Cabernet, 17% Merlot, 13% Cab Franc) hits only 13.3% alcohol, and does not come across as over ripe, flabby or out of balance. It started out predictably in the beautiful aromatic and dark fruit, grip and acidity very much in balance, with a core of cedar manner one would expect of a great cab. But it evolved and became something different and even more interesting in the space of a few hours. Napa cabs can hit the first marker, but at 14-15% can be a little softer, a little hotter, a little riper. And I would love to experience in a great CA Cab the evolution and transformation that great Bordeaux are able to achieve, even in a seemingly new-world heat-driven year.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/8/2009 - dream wrote: 93 Points
Fine, slightly roasted Bordeaux nose with hints of tobacco and scorched graphite. Quite a lovely silky texture with a good, full mid-palate. A pretty big wine with lovely flavors of scorched earth, graphite, tobacco and a hint of eucalyptus. Finishes with harsh, rather rustic tannins. Reminds me of a young '82 with a "hot" vintage character. Quite OK to drink tonight but the strong tannins need years to soften. I'm a bit unsure about some of the '03's because of the hot, rustic nature of the tannins but the balance and raw materials are there for a great vintage if things evolve favorably. Time will tell. 93+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/15/2009 - BFG wrote: 92 Points
Typical '03 left-bank nose of rich, stewed black fruits. On the palate, the fruit is very present and forward ... and then the tannins kick in. This baby is a monster -- not as monstrous as the '03 montrose -- but a monster nonetheless.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/5/2009 - City Wine Journal wrote: 96 Points
You just have to admire the signature nose that emerges from a great LLC. This 2003 is not yet in a prime drinking window, but wow, is it working hard on getting there, and I love where it is going! Decanted and rested for a scant 1/2 an hour, and that intoxicating aroma begins to emerge - cassis, violets, split vanilla bean, and gorgeous, gently pressed red raspberry. Not yet in final alluring form. Deep blue in the glass. On the palate it is bordering on sensational. Still quite grippy and even a bit drying, no sense of an over-ripe soft fruit bomb, but all the makings of a wine that will continue down a great path to integrate that great backbone with beautiful fruit. Very, very long, and satisfying. Mouth still waters after 70+ seconds. If possible, decant and wait at least a couple of hours if you are presenting or serving this wine in the next year or two. And if you can hold off completely, check back any time between 2012 and 2019 -- it will keep, and handsomely reward your patience.
Update: 3 hours later, the bouquet has continued to develop, approaching the seductive fragrance of the perfect 2000 -- a little less floral, a little more earth, and a touch more heat (but, the fruit quality of the 2000 still rises to another level). That said, this 2003 in Magnum is priced less than a regular bottle 2000. That's good news!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/3/2008 - Pavie Princess wrote: 95 Points
We brought this bottle with us and my husband and hsi football friends had several more wines at a pre tailgate dinner in Baltimore. We opened all second growths. We had 2003 Ducru Beaucaillou Cos Estournel LLC Lascombes and Montrose. The 2003 LLC was a solid performer in this cohort. This Chateau is the parent vineyard of all the leoville's found in Bdx. They have been parceled and sold over the yrs but this Chatesau is gorgeous and lies in St Julien between Ch. Beychellle and goes all the way to Ch. Latour. The bottle was in pristine condition and it is about the 5th time I was able to sample this wine from the 03 Vintage. One thing I can say with certainty is that the wine even this early is aging well. First time I had it I rated it a 90. This wine is solidly a 95 and up from my last rating 12 months ago at 93.
The wine was very deep purple to ink color. Chemistry was was very classic with 70% Cabernet, 17% Merlot and 12.5% Cab Franc. The wine is classic in style but is a bit backward in construction so it really sticks out in this cohort because most of the 2003 seconds are built in the more fruit forward and are less tannic. LLC in 2003 will make a classic Bdx lover happy. Its fruit is there but buried by velvetty tannins. this was a hot Vintage but this wine is muted because of how it was built. The aroma is of blackberry, cassis, sunflower, lilly, vanilla and allspice. Very nice aroma upon opening in the glass. the wine is not as hot as the other seconds we have tonight. The flavors developed as the wine opened and stone and wet clay appeared. The finish was long and smooth. This wine is getting better already. I think it may be a surprise winner in this vintage with time. Strong 95 tonight.............up a full 5 points since I tasted it at EP's.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2007 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
WS NYWE Grand Tastings; 10/25/2007-10/26/2007 (Marriott Marquis): Medium deep red color. Lovely ripe red fruit nose with spicy complex notes. Nice rich ripe black fruit with graphite, spice, and a long tannic finish. 93-94 pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/29/2007 - nvandyk wrote: 91 Points
I've had several nice bottles of this over the past nine months or so but it is now closing down for business...the tannins are overwhelming the fruit right now and so now i think it is indeed time to let it rest. This particularly 375 has been open for a day now and it shows no signs of relenting. Maybe I just got lucky but I had several of these that were drinking very well...not this one, though. Time for bed! Check again in a few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/21/2007 - Eric wrote:
Tasted from 375ml. Rather grapey and floral on the approach with some overt notes of alcohol. Altogether much rounder and more approachable than I expect from an LLC, expressing a lot of fruit and some stalk, very little minerality. It was enjoyable but lacked the depth I would hope for.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/14/2007 - godx wrote: 93 Points
Opened, poured into a decanter, and served right away. Nose of toast, sour cherries, chocolate and ripe dark fruit. Flavours of sour cherries, plum, blackberries and hints of tobacco. Very smooth and velvety. Extremely long finish. Try again in 10 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/12/2007 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
eBob Angelus vs. Leoville Las Cases Vertical (Onesixtyblue): Full red purple color. Big aroma of black fruit and mocha. Big mouthful of black fruit with mocha notes carrying through to the finish. Young and ripe.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/15/2006 - nvandyk wrote: 95 Points
This is great juice! Deep rich ruby, very fruit-forward nose but there's a little bit of cedar already and lead pencil going on. It drinks big and bold, like a Napa cab, but there's a lot of earth in there as well. Parker says this needs a lot of time but I found it very approachable already (from 375). I've always loved LLC and this does not disappoint!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment