Superbly balanced with deep black fruit, ash, sweet tobacco, smokey chocolate and black pepper notes. Finishes with moderate length and without much complexity but a joy to drink.
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Evolving St. Emilion 2003 Château Troplong Mondot (gift in 2006). Mid-garnet, brick edges, not sharp; herbaceous, red fruit, tobacco, mint and cocoa nose; mid acids; mid tannins; good depth of fruit; semi-long red fruit and berry finish; opens with air. w/short ribs. 17 UC Davis scale, 92 other scales.
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Bordeaux 2003 – 20 Years On – 33 Reds: All wines tasted blind, not decanted (some wines would have needed it). Observations: 1) 2003 is not a good vintage. The wines don’t have the depth and elegance of good years. But I was positively surprised, that while it’s clearly a hot year, there are less overripe, over-extracted and prematurely dying wines than in 09/10. Still, there is no comparison to how Chateauxs handle hot years today. 2) Compared to five other vintage retrospectives, the 2003 came in last place (lower average score than 2011), with just Chateau Margaux reaching a group score above 95pts. 3) Margaux wines showed best, with the typical immediate charm, while St. Estephe and Pauillac have potential but will need more time (and/or would have needed more air). 4) Right bank wines did not show as good with some alcohol showing and a few wines being on a downhill path. I would not chase 2003 right banks.
TN: Not much precise aromas on the nose. On the palate there is a bit of red fruit, quite ripe, some oaky notes, some herbs, but not overly deep. While the structural frame is intact and comes with a good freshness, the tannins are slightly drying. Others like it more than I do.
Decanting: A short decant should do the job.
Group average: 91.0 pts Group rank: Shared 15th out of 29 reds
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Grand Bordeaux 2003 horizontal tasting (Fribourg): Bordeaux 2003 vintage horizontal hosted by a private collector and moderated by Jean-Marc Quarin. Main observations: 1/ Average quality is acceptable, but weighted down by various low-lights, esp. on the right bank. 2/ In general a tannic vintage, lacking balance. 3/ Top 3 wines were Lafite, Mouton and Margaux (all 95). See the tasting story for a complete overview and additional vintage comments.
Tasting note: More mature and aged than most in the vintage, but with still pleasant features. Leather, smoke, underwood, ripe raspberry fruit, graphite, mocha. While admittedly improving with time in the glass, this sound better than it was with a chewy palate and drying tannin.
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20 Vintages of Troplong Mondot: This was a trainwreck of a vertical tasting. An average of meager 86.8 pts, only 6 wines with a rating of more than 90pts. Almost all wines pre 2017 and a winemaker/style change have dried out. Too much extraction and heavy oak treatment produced wines that did not age well, have no fruit and charm left. I don’t have group ratings but the sentiment in the room was similar (this was the fastest tasting ever with this group). It was a root day but that can’t explain everything. Also, the provenance or storage of the bottles was no issue (all bought En Primeur, stored perfectly since). Troplong Mondot seems to be a victim of a series of bad choices, mainly the wrong consultant. Luckily, the future looks brighter.
TN: Not much on the nose. On the palate this is rather short and drying. There is a bit more mid palate weight than in others and some fruit is there but it is still not good with alcohol showing and a drying finish.
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This one was tough. Upon opening, this was completely generic and non-descript aromatically. On the palate it was much of the same showing no charm, no balance, a lack of freshness, an uncomfortable amount of extract, sandy tannin and noticeable heat framed around a ‘modern’ style that featured bitter dark chocolate and dark fruit. After 2 hours in the decanter, this showed much of the same, just more rounded and easier to drink. I get it - ‘03. But plenty of good (trotanoy and leoville Barton) and even great (Montrose and Latour come to mind) wines were made in ‘03. A change for a more modern style at this address, paired with the vintage characteristics made this a hard one to enjoy. I can’t get a read on a drinking window because this doesn’t have what it needs to in order for it to develop into anything more interesting, so I guess drink up? Or wait and see if further development brings forth something worth tasting or smelling? Weird and generic with pretty much nothing interesting going on. It simply tasted like…….’wine’, if that makes any sense. My only bottle of this and certainly not buying more
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Double decanted to serve. Cassis, mocha, blackberries, chocolate, cinnamon and oak. Modern, powerful and smoothe. It has just entered its drinking window. 91-92
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Still dark-fruited but not nearly as lush as earlier bottles. I actually found it a bit green and even slightly sour. Don't know if this representative of how this ages, but don't see any reason to let these age much more.
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This wine has developed nicely in the last two years. The tannins have resolved, and the wine is well-balanced. Still plenty of fruit. It's in a good place right now.
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Drinking perfectly now with ripe and forward black cherry, plum fruit flavors. Rich in the mouth with lingering finish and herbal, mint aromas. The high alcohol and forward, sweet fruit reminds me more of a California cult wine than Right Bank. The merlot really stands out here. Glad to have opened a bottle after being very disappointed by two T-M from 2004. What a difference a vintage makes.
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Ripe bouquet with some plum and raisins, stewed fruits, yet also Eucalyptus. Initially a bit disjointed, with the oak sticking out as well as some heat, however also some mint and freshness, integrating over time to become a lush, pleasurable wine, round, silky, more balanced, while remaining on the hedonistic side.
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Marvelous Right Bank wine. Deep dark color,soft red and dark fruit, eucalyptus, cedar, spice, oak, multiple layers of secondary and tertiary notes, sweet tannins resolved, smooth mouthfeel, elegant yet powerful, classy. Long finish. This is the real deal.
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Good open earthy nose with sweet notes. Sweetness followed thru on the palate, distinctly merlot. A bit of stewed note towards the end due to vintage. Middle of drinking window. Not too bad given the bad rep of 03 right bank.
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Dark berry preserve, undergrowth, touch of vanilla, liquor on the bouquet. Palate is fully on first night, balancing out further second and third night, lush, sweet, with nice acidity and a touch of bitterness,with very fine tannins. Has a slight overextracted touch with a tiny bit of heat but very enjoyable overall, hedonistic. In a great drinking window with still a few years left, remained stable over 3 nights.
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Dec Catch Up @ C@B!: Black fruits, red fruits, dark plums, liquorice, quite ripe and extracted in style. Quite full bodied with sweet tannins. This should improve with more time. Hold
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In the highly extracted style. Visually dense, dense on the palate. A big mouthful that pretty much lacks nuance or complexity. Chaque a son gout. An added note I recently acquired some N95 masks, and thought to search as to whether they screen out aromas. They don't. But what I've actually found is that they enhance and concentrate aromas. With the mask the aroma of this wine was more concentrated and clear than without it. I add this wine has been stored at 47 degrees since acquisition upon release. Has moved along but strikes me as pretty much primary.
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Deep red with little rim variation for a 15-year old wine. The nose is full, sweet, almost Kirsch-like cherries, leather and spices. Very promising. On the palate, tannins are fine but present the first day. On the second day, they're fully integrated. There's definitely the sweetness of Merlot but still balanced, and long. This is a great buy. Classic left bank Bordeaux and another reminder of the timelessness of great Bordeaux wines.
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Different vender, needed more air, several hour decant to open up. Same profile as before, but tasted like a young wine needing more time to integrate flavors and soften tannins. All in all, still an enjoyable wine.
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Decanted; I'm guessing this had ≈2-1/2 hrs in a small tasting glass before I got to it.
Planted to 85% Merlot, 13% C.S., & 2% C.F. [though that may not have been the case in ‘03] to soils of deep limestone deposits under layers of thick clay;
N: VANILLA with notes of leather, minerals, & RIPE berries coming on with addt'l swirling
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, almost swtish frt fairly quickly met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it pretty much works its way out by the LONG, very, VERY slightly tangy, bitterish finish with a burgeoning swtness to the DUSTY tannins. Guessing this NEEDS through '21, then making its 25th? 14% ABV; My EXC-/EXC, likely the higher with addt'l cellaring. 16, 15.5, & 14.5/20 Jancis Robinson (ult Harding, 3/21/13), + NUMEROUS other scores on wine-searcher's Tasting Notes pg. [While this vendor may or may not have addt'l bottles @ $100.95, I noticed one wine-searcher source showing 1 bottle @ $75.]
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GrandCuvee - Bordeaux 2003 Horizontal (Praelum Wine Bistro): Some vanilla, cocoa, and bit green herbal on the nose. Good balance of intensity and tannin, while the alcohol is indeed hot. Most of it is cocoa and espresso beans, and a bit of paprika. Mainly leavin milk chocolates on the back palate and finish. Would have been a blockbuster if not for the sharp hit of alcohol, but I’d say it’s really an effort well done
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Best bottle of wine all year! Perfect bottle with low to mid neck fill, good cork. Very dark allowing only a very little light around the rim. Beautiful deep ink like color. The nose erupts from the glass with dark fruits, smoke, oak, cigar box, spice box, leather multiple, layers of secondary and tertiary notes. On the palette, balanced sweet tannins still present, but receeding, smooth, caressing, and more of the nose in spades. Regal and elegant, yet powerful. Long, long finish. This wine is spectacular! I am trying to be a little conservative in my assessment. I think this wine is at it's apogee and has a moderately long life ahead of it. Bravo!
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While this is a classic Bordeaux that changed four times over 90 minutes in the glass, it is surprisingly expressive with dark blackberry, cherry fruit. Clear notes of leather and earth on the finish and palate but nicely integrated with the fruit. This is a surprisingly good Bordeaux that is drinking perfectly right now.
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Cork crumbled as for many in the case, but wine was fine. Initially was a bit heavy, leaning to a bitter, extracted note. With time the wine integrated and became smoother. Very round and lush, dark fruited attack, whilst the finish has subtle spices, dark chocolate and a nice length.
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UWS; early spring dinner (@ CdW and KvdK): In the bouquet dark berries and vanilla. On the palate juicy dark berries and good acidity, but the tannin is a bit drying and showing some age.
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Violet in color. 14% ABV. Ever so slight bricking at the edge of the glass. Stunning nose of red fruits, cassis liqueur, leather and graphite. Rich, plush and silky on the palate. Flavors of currants, cassis, kirsch and coffee. Exceptional length on the finish with pronounced fine grained tannins. Tremendous Bordeaux. Further affirmation for me that the top Chateaux made age worthy wines in the hot '03 vintage. Best over the next 3-5 years.
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Another Bordeaux in the monumentally extracted style. Sometimes the style works, but sometimes it doesn't for me as in - as big and powerful as this wine is, it is coarse. Blunt, lacking nuance.
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Bye Bye Browns (Cryin' Lyon's): We're working our way back in years in this "event" but the score stays the same! Another great bottle with cassis, plum, mocha, cigar, and graphite. Tannins are mellowing. Really nice with the sheep gouda. Now-2023.
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My initial impressions were a little wobbly - some great elements of a classic bordeaux, but other impressions of a green wine. Ultimately, about an hour in, everything came together very nicely. Still displays a very dark color with virtually no bricking, this had strong earthy, non-fruit elements like charcoal, sandalwood and espresso. Tannins are just about right here, in fact already a touch soft. Where this lost a point or two was on the finish where the level of complexity was good, just not great. Glad we decanted, three hours in and the wine was still showing well.
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My first Troplong Mondot. Deep dark strong serious claret - very masculine, lots of pencil lead and graphite. Pared well with a big ribeye. Actually felt a tad green, even after hour's decant. Next bottle I will leave for a few more years.
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Tasting at Kevin's. Dark brooding ccolor, earthy nose, some spice. Palate not as good as nose. I felt that after 15 as the wine aged the fruit fell off, such that the tannins now dominated. Overall I was dissapointed after reading earlier notes. Time to "fold em, if you got em"; don't hold longer.
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A Last Minute Saturday Evening: Very dark red/purple color. This probably got close to 90 minutes in the decanter. The nose is rather intense, graphite, dark and high toned, creme de cassis, some dried herb, with a savory, meatiness. The palate is rather inky with more intensity, cassis, sour cherry, kir, oak, and prominent tannins and some sharpness overall. I expected more from this. Most of the '03's that I have had have been drinking pretty well at this point, hopefully this has better years ahead.
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Pronounced and evolved aromas of black fruit- blueberry, blackberry, boysenberry , also vanilla, smoke and sweet tobacco. Lots and lots going on here on the nose.
Medium bodied with medium acidity and tannin. Some impressive stricture , in a vintage that has a reputation for being flabby. Lots of black fruit, vanilla and tobacco notes on the palate. The finish is long .
Overall very well done and a wine that totally refutes the reputation of the vintage as overcooked and lacking acidity and structure. This seems fully mature , but will certainly keep for another 5-10 years.
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Opened and decanted. I just got a small pour, but this was lovely. Very classic Bordeaux. Lots of leather and more herbal and maybe even some tea leaves. Just hints of fruit. Really enjoyable.
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Some great wines with the boy Scouts - Year 2 (BSA Fundraiser): Always a controversial vintage, I thought this was showing quite well and about on schedule for 14 years from vintage. Purple in color. The nose is dusty with cherries, ripe cherries and a hint of dried fruit. Also a bit of char. Very clean. On the palate, this is drinking well with some tannins. Plenty of cherry and dark cherry fruit. Good overall balance. Nice finish. Getting close to peak perhaps but a long life left. Nothing raisin about this to me.
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Opened to breathe for 2h. Huge fragrant nose, lots of chocolate, garden vegetables on the nose and palate, plus some cedar, vibrant red and dark fruits. This is showing very nicely now. Consistent with my note from five months ago. Excellent on day 2 as well.
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Respectable stuff, if not overly memorable. Color still holding fast, and as it suggests, the nose, too, is on the young side - or at a minimum, it's pretty tightly coiled. I did like what (little) was revealed though, plums, soil, iron, pencil lead; a somewhat conspicuous absence of florals though. The palate was also rather tight (my bad, I did not give this at least 2-3 hours in decanter like it so obviously deserved), but the flavors followed the nose with the earthen notes subtly trumping the fruit (a win for my preferences). The 14,0% is resolved. That said, I'm glad I served it at 60F, as there was always a sensation that it wasn't completely so (i.e. resolved). Very fine tannins yet to fully resolve. TONS of sediment here, you've been warned. Held since release, cork and fill like new. HOLD (sell?); thru 2030
Slow-O 1 hr, served non-blind. I'm glad I'm not sitting on a bunch of these.
** update, day 2** as expected, this is much more expressive - with respect to fruits. With 1/4 of the bottle corked overnight on a kitchen counter, this is now completely open for business. And while I like some of what I see, it still doesn't add up to much. The lesson here is be careful what you ask for: 10 years ago - when I bought it - I (i.e. thought) 'wanted' this, but now my palate's changed and I am quite disinterested in this style of wine.
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Opened to breathe for 1-2h. Oak and tobacco predominant on the nose and palate, red cherries too. Very smooth, easy to drink. A simple but solid, woodsy Bdx in its drinking window, still 3-5+ years to go.
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Blond tobacco, cigar box, hint of red and black fruit... Taste nice acidity, sappy, ripe red fruit, but dry tannins in the finish, a bit short, good but not great... also improved with air!
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Five years since the last one. A great Bordeaux for $50. A lot of oak at first glass right after opening. 90 minutes later, wow. The note from 2011 still works just fine; it's just more integrated and a bit (tiny really) more mature. Lovely Bordeaux; new world character, old world bones.
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Generoso e perfumado. Rubi profundo já com alguma opacidade. Aromas maduros de frutas azuis e negras, defumados, muita ameixa e chocolate meio amargo. Enche a boca, mais é agil e fresco, o que reduz a sensação de corpo. Repete ameixas, frutas secas e chocolate na boca. Taninos sedosos mas ainda bem notáveis, que dão estrutura e boa persistência ao conjunto. Um vinho calcado em fruta bem madura (14°GL) mas com refinamento. Já está em um belo momento devendo ser brevemente decantado devido aos sedimentos.
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Coravin 12/8/14: Medium ruby color, very little bricking appropriate for age; nose has red fruit, slight sweet spice, slight mint and herbal, youthful and a bit wound up; palate is full bodied, tannins significant but approachable throughout palate, initial red cherry fruit, tight, good depth on the palate, tart cranberry through midpalate and into finish; medium length finish with some fruit. Overall an excellent classically-styled St. Emilion, not showing the heat of 2003 on the nose (maybe slightly on palate) but showing very young and tight, if approachable, maybe a bit one-dimensional through the midpalate, though that may be its youth. Next bottle in 5+ years minimum. 90-91+ 30 min update: With some air, this does start to show the ripe fruits on the palate I expected from a hot vintage. Enjoyable, but it may hold it back from being great, as I tend to prefer the complexity of cooler climate wines. 12/27: Still quite a dense ruby color without bricking; nose is very intriguing with good complexity of mint, herbal, floral, slight nice green and bell pepper; palate is full bodied, slight spice, red and black fruits, here showing a bit of heat, nice dose of green on the palate as well that is balanced, still strong tannins. As above, very nice wine (maybe a bit better than when I first tried it) that needs a lot of time, but promising that it will improve, though likely never superb. 92+
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Color is dark garnet with lightening at the rim. Nose was initially a bit reserved but eventually showed dark fruits, tar, smoke, and roasted coffee. On the palate, the wine has dark fruit up front but this is fairly quickly met with charred wood flavors which have not fully integrated. Tannins and acidity are also present and slightly out of balance. There is still fruit there, but I'm wondering whether this wine will ever really come together.
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Warm ruby/garnet color. Oaky nose that has violet, soap and rubber fruit notes. Plummy fruit is a great opening, however the wine turns sinisterly bitter on the finish. Wow - I now know what a raw oak stave tastes like. I hope this is a bad bottle. (75)
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The colour is showing the age and the vintage quality. Must be drunk asap. The nose dominated by oak. Fruit is fading. Tannins are dry and harsh. Very extracted but fruit is not there. 2003 is a big failure on the right side of Gironde.
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Drink with Friends at a club dinner. The wine has vanilla accent upon opening. Tight, but opened up within 30 minutes. Complex and delicious. Drank and compared with another decent Malbec ($18) from Argentina, but there is truly no comparison. Troplong had so much more taste and flavor, the other wine tasted like water...
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Nose with ripe dark berries, good power, some devlopment. A classical nose but in the sweet direction. Palate with good concentration, definitely tough tannins and a hint of bitterness. Approachable now but could develop more. 90 p.
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Fully mature, this medium bodied wine is more interesting on the nose and texture than with its palate presence. The wine has developed pre maturely and needs to be drunk up.
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Occasional dinner group; Bordeaux 2003 plus some extras.: Day 1. The bouquet is luxurious with dark forest fruits, smoke, cedar, tobacco, leather etc. On the palate cassis, beautiful acidity and still slightly sticky tannin. All elements of the bouquet come back in the taste, but there is also something green bell peppery. Day 2 the wine was still a great pleasure, but some oxidation showed on the palate. A beautiful wine, probably drinking best between now and 2018. 92-93
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Secondary aromatics spew from the glass of truffle, eucolyptis, mentholly mint, leather, tobacco, wet creekbed, ink, pencil lead, baked blueberry, baked cherry, honey-dipped-cassis and a tad of kirsch liquor culminating in a glorious display of new world/high-alcohol/in your face awesomeness. Not for the faint of heart, the 03 Troplong is made in a blockbuster, low acid style with amped alcohol..but it still somehow retains its freshness. The tannin is still not 100% fully integrated and dusty, and there is still a bit of oak behind the cedar on the nose and palate. But this is still a silky wine. The finish is long, glycerin tinged and very coating. Still, I would like to see a little more fresh 'pizaz' and less muddled flavors (they were a pain to differentiate until well into my buzz). Very well made, this hot vintaged wine from one of the superstars from Saint-Emilions best terroirs should hold up well for at least 10 more years. I hope to have some to check in on in 2023 to see if it has the stuffing to last 10 more. On a different note, I will never understand why well made, big 03 BDX will be so controversial. If you are a purist who says Bordeaux has to be super classical and Bordeauxy..well..fine..but I'm not an aristocrat who drinks with my pinky pointed to the sky when I slurp (I make sure to point it downwards for that)- just tell me this, if this was from California, would it not kick ass?? Best from 2016-2022 if I had to guess, but I'm hesitant creating a drinking window for 03, especially on the right bank..
Dark fruits and licorice in the bouquet. On the palate still a bit reticent with dark fruits and sticky tannin. Beautiful an concentrated wine, but wait until 2016 or a bit later. 92+
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PNP after quickly polishing off a lush Rioja before it. The wine is quite dark and very lush in its own right and almost even a bit thick. The wine was easy to drink and no hint of the formidable tannins cited by Parker. The wine tasted distinctly New World to me and I would have been very hard pressed to identify it as Bordeaux. Troplong does go for lush, in general, but particularly in this vintage, it is extremely full and fruit forward. I found it very pleasant to drink and it went down easily. I can see why the purists like Neal Martin would not care for the wine, but I enjoyed it
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I thought this was awesome...opened 3 hours prior to drinking. Beautifully structured bordeaux with nice red fruit and kirsch with nice notes of oak and some smoky minerality. Best red of the night.
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Leggy garnet color. Dark coffee and chocolate, crème de cassis, stewed plums, tar, violets and cedar on the nose. Decanted 2 hours and its as perfect as this wine will get: earthy dark fruit, spice, dark roast, minerality, and sweet but firm tannins. Incredible length! Just getting into the better Bordeaux from my first round of wine buying and this is the best right bank I've had. Deep, savory fruit that goes on and on.
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Vinetasters-2003 Bordeaux (Holiday Inn, Niles IL): Nose: Very forward nose with richer tones of asian spices, red fruits, cherries, liqueur, black cherries, and some road tar tones. There is good depth to this and it seems fairly open.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with big and chewy tannins along with medium acidity. The structure is certainly there, but not overpowering along with richer tones of red fruits, licorice, cedar, liqueur, and some road tar on the back end.
Overall: This was my no.6. It was on the chunkier side and showed dark fruit to it. It wasn't overdone, but it wasn't very expressive right now either.
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Robe rouge moyen, nez sur la mure, bouche très équilibée avec des arômes de mure, de menthe. Tanins suffisament fondu : un vin interessant et bien fait
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Taste: Medium/full bodied with hard tannins and lower acidity. It isn't flabby, but it is a bit stern and with richer tones of dark red cherries, black currants, liqueur, and oak tones.
Overall: This is a richer wine that shows both the vintage and the style of the producer. I don't know if or how it will develop, but the tannins are on the hard side and don't seem to really be budging.
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Bright ruby red, almost purple color, all the way to the rim. At 10 years old, still very young and quite tight. Gradually, the wine opened up with fresh berries, cigar box, plum and minerals. Same elements present on the palate, which comes in rather soft with nice structure. Very strong, firm tannins in the mid section, definitely can use another few years in the bottle to soften up. Was hoping for some surprises, still good and hopefully will get better with time.
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Dark garnet showing slight rim. Black berries, dark chocolate, cedar, spices all the way. Slightly low in acidity with strong but well integrated tannins and mid-long finish. Didn't decant and drank in 4 hours. It showed its best in 2 1/2.
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The wine was aged in 100% new oak and reached 14% alcohol. From From 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc, notes of roasted cherry, leaf, kirsch liqueur, jam and forest aromas open to a soft, round, forward style of Troplong Mondot that offers ample chocolate and bright cherry jam. This is drinking well today.
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03 Bordeaux (Pavie, Poyferre, Troplong) (Out to dinner): This is drinking well now although no hurry, I don't see much upside. Cherries, dark cherries, cedar some kirsch notes as well as some tobacco. On the palate, this is balanced with nice fruit and mineral layering. Dark cherries, cherries, dark chocolate predominate. Nice fruit but it does seem like its trying to hard. It is a very good wine, but not in the league of the Pavie or Poyferre.
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Very powerful black fruit intensity. Hard to see much beyond that. Not really to my liking - over the top - but I recognize that what I see as over the top, others sees as right in the ballpark. Lots of 2003 Bordeaux are modern style, but they are still clearly Bordeaux. To me, not the case here. Not simply modern style, but new world.
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Crimson color. In a word, elegant. Violets, florals and red berry notes dominate the bouquet. Balanced, with lovely red fruit and cherry flavors, hints of earth and plum. Lengthy finish. Lovely fruit, with no signs of vintage ripeness. This had been double decanted for 5+ hours earlier in the day. Thanks Doug! 92+ pts.
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Slow-O 4 hours before aerating in decanter 1 hour. Dark ruby, no sign of age. Very reticent nose at first, but with proper aeration it really began to open and continued adding complexity on the nose and palate as the meal wore on. johnnyoro's notes pretty much mirror my own experience; I too enjoyed this wine and was thankful that it did not step out of bounds in terms of ripeness and/or extraction. The best has yet to come? Drink thru 2028
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Very good wine, at first a bit oaky and initial sips were a bit of a letdown as the acid was fairly prominent and finish a bit thin. After an hour or so the nose and palate really filled out and became more smooth, polished and full. Very nice.
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this was a shockingly good bottle of wine- i havent had much luck with 2003 Bordeaux on the right bank; while the '03 Montrose we had in Spain a few weeks ago was amazing, i have found that the right bank wines (as critics have noted) have been marred by a certain overipeness bordering on raisiny (compare and contrast to a 2003 Monbousquet for example)...this wine was certainly ripe and "international" in style but it was a pleasure to drink; the floral nose, the ripe full bodied fruit, the sweet strong tannins, the thick full bodied texture and the extremely long finish made this wine very enjoyable... if tasted blind, at first blush i would think Napa- but after a few sips the floral and mineral characteristics of the wine speak st. emilion- very enjoyable!
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Tour de Bordeaux; Next stop: St. Emilion @ Roel's (Netherlands): Thick inky chocolatey blackcherry nose. No overripe-ness or over-extraction! Quite fresh and clear, actually. Especially when you consider the vintage. Still a little backward, but starting to approach its prime drinking window. Try again in 1 year. Very pretty wine and one of my favourite Bdx-03s. 17,5/20
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Dark crimson red in the glass. Slightest scent of alcohol. Thick and and velvet all the way through. Hard to say if this will improve with age but delicious right now.
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Brief decant. Pencil lead, cassis, blackberry, cedar, and tobacco. Soft round tannins. Easy to pour another glass . . . and another after that. Excellent.
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For now. Rather large vanilla oak overlay leads to a pretty much closed wine. Plenty of extract in there however. More than a few years away, but it is pretty much all there.
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Popped and poured, and this was a mistake. Completely closed off. Next day was a different story, beautiful nose of lead and spice which opened to a silky floral and oak. Finish was smooth. Needs another year in the bottle before I open another one.
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Velvety, coffee, truffled mashed potatoes, this baby has a 30+ seconds finish. It's rare that my rating is better than Parker's. Great wine but it really isn't a classic Bordeaux at all.
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Popped and poured. Nice nose of pencil led and currants. A little tight on the palate and tannins still have a lot of grip. Softens with time in the glass. Showed a little better then the last time around about 3 months ago but still has quite a ways to go before peaking.
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94+ at the moment, drinkable but far from the peak! The pure silky merlot is just 100% perfect, very very tight, very rich but you still can sense the tannins underneath. Serious stuff! Drink 2012 - 2027
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Opened and sat in the bottle for a couple of hours but could have used a much longer (5-6 hour) full decant as it was still quite tight and tannic throughout the meal. However, you can feel that underneath all of that is a great wine waiting to emerge in a few years. From what I understand, the 04s are actually the ones to drink now while the 03 rests. I'll pop an 04 soon for comparison.
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Weekend in the Santa Ynez Valley; 3/27/2009-3/30/2009 (Solvang, Los Olivos, Lompoc, and surround areas): Brought to The Brother's Restaurant in Los Olivos, CA. Opened 3 hours prior to dinner, but left in bottle. This showed very chocolate and spicy vanilla on the nose at first, but opened to show more floral and damp earth notes mingled with plums and blackberries. It was a bit of a rollercoaster once it really got into the air as it showed ripe fruits at first, then the tannins took over for about 45 minutes, but then the tannins integrated into a very structured wine. Very feminine in styling with lovely blackberry, plum, spice, and leather flavors. This is still a baby and not quite ready to go yet. Give this 5+ years or a nice looooong decant and you won't be disappointed.
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Decanted around 6 hours. Beautiful deep purple color. Extremely tight and closed down. Hints of sweet cherries, blueberries, with a touch of leather on the nose. Concentrated and tannic, with more berries, tobacco and lavender, and a bit of smokiness. More concentrated on the top and sides of the tongue. 45 second length. Overall pleasureable but waaaaay too young to really judge. I wish I had saved some for the next few days to see how it continues to develop. This will be a beautiful wine in about 10-15 years.
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A Michel Rolland style of wine; a lot of everything; chocolate, leather, blood. Well dosed new toasted oak and an enormous concentration. Very good modern style wine. Young already very tempting, but can age as well.
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Complex and complete bouquet with cassis, plum, spices, chocolate, leather and luxurious oak. It is a mouth full of wine, but it hardly gives itself at the moment. Plenty of ripe cassis fruit and firm tannin. Give it time; 5+ years.
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Nose a little bit muted with vanilla, coffee some black fruit and a hint of mushrooms and sous-bois
In the mounth it shows red fruits with loads of integrated tannins ending with an aftertaste of ripe green paprika, it is a bit closed at the moment and you can feel loads of red fruit hidden behing the tannins, this wine will centainly take 5-10 years to show it's full potential, but shoule be a great wine! I preferred the 2000 and 2001 at the same age.
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Surprisingly accessable and great bottle. Deep translucent cherry color, muted nose when first opened, gradually coming around, slightly to reveal beautiful dark fruit, tobacco, and casis aromas. the palate followed the nose, being slightly muted at first and giving a little more with time. Great structure and balance This is going to be a fabulous wine in 5 to 10 years. I assume it will close down further before it re-emerges. Possibly warrants higher score later. JP
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I raved about this bottle early this year, but this was a good bit tighter. I double deacnted, but it really did not get a lot of air time. I think this needs 2-3+ hours of air now to really perform. Had a little too much herbal and leather for me and was lacking the spice and fruit I got in the spring. Still glad to own this.
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Served as part of a flight on Day 2 at the Wine Club SF. Opened but not decanted for 3 hours. All the wines IMO, excluding the Lafite, were tight, tannic and pretty unapproachable. Have to use the imagination on how these might evolve. Maroon purple in color; dry cherries and tight tannins on the palate.
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This wine was tight as a drum...opened 3 hours before dinner and double decanted. Color is dark garnet/purple. Nose is very reticent, but eventually shows coffee, cassis, and smoke (char). On the palate, there is a feel of significant weight consisting of dark fruit framed in mocha, smoke, and wood. Withering tannins on the finish close the wine down significantly at this point, but there is a good deal of potential here.
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TN: 2003 Red Bordeaux (Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux Tasting); 1/26/2006-1/27/2006 (Drake Hotel, Chicago, Illinois): This wine competed for top honors from St. Emilion in this tasting. Exotic spice aromas. One of the few St. Emilion wines which showed the sweet fruit that was present in the 2003 wines from so many other appelations. An upfront wine with bold powerful tannins. Much of the fruit was hidden but I liked the full mouth feel and underlying complexity. 92-93+ points.
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Very pleasant and distinctly chocolate aroma. The palate is not jammy, yet manages to be very rich with plum, dark cherry and again chocolate. Has gained in body since the barrel tasting and one of the best Saint Emilions in 2003.
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19:28: First try. Nose initially dominated by cloves, followed by impressions of jammy black fruit, iron, syrup ... The palate is very expressive and surprisingly accessible for such a young Bdx. Dusty sweet mouth coating tannins, glycerine, sweet (but not overly) black fruit, chcolate, moccha, iron... delicious, but maybe a bit (only a bit) flabby.
22:00: I'm starting to worry about this. It is not bad, it is even good, but you can hardly call it a Bordeaux. This is now overripe, sweet, alcoholic... a monster wine, but with little nuance, not enough acidity, too much alcohol and little balance. Very different from the 2001 and maybe I like that more. I'm closing the bottle, letting it rest till tomorrow. For now degraded from 93 to 90.
The next evening: Nose almost shut down. I'm getting some kirsch and a lot of alcohol. Taste is rather sweet, but there is now some refreshing acidity shining through. Chewy tannins, black fruitsyrup, somewhat burning aftertaste. Better then the last sip yesterday but not a lot. Too sweet and alcoholic for my taste (the label states 14% but I think it will be more like 15% or even higher), with little underlying complexity or promise thereof. Drink sooner than later. I hope not all Bdx 2003's will be as overripe as this.
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4/29/2024 - NebHeadLA Likes this wine:
The wine as singing after decanting for 45 minutes and paired well with a ribeye steak. It’s holding up very well.
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12/31/2023 - 6831 wrote: 92 Points
Superbly balanced with deep black fruit, ash, sweet tobacco, smokey chocolate and black pepper notes. Finishes with moderate length and without much complexity but a joy to drink.
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11/19/2023 - sdwineguru Likes this wine: 92 Points
Evolving St. Emilion 2003 Château Troplong Mondot (gift in 2006). Mid-garnet, brick edges, not sharp; herbaceous, red fruit, tobacco, mint and cocoa nose; mid acids; mid tannins; good depth of fruit; semi-long red fruit and berry finish; opens with air. w/short ribs. 17 UC Davis scale, 92 other scales.
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5/7/2023 - Cailles wrote: 89 Points
Bordeaux 2003 – 20 Years On – 33 Reds: All wines tasted blind, not decanted (some wines would have needed it). Observations: 1) 2003 is not a good vintage. The wines don’t have the depth and elegance of good years. But I was positively surprised, that while it’s clearly a hot year, there are less overripe, over-extracted and prematurely dying wines than in 09/10. Still, there is no comparison to how Chateauxs handle hot years today. 2) Compared to five other vintage retrospectives, the 2003 came in last place (lower average score than 2011), with just Chateau Margaux reaching a group score above 95pts. 3) Margaux wines showed best, with the typical immediate charm, while St. Estephe and Pauillac have potential but will need more time (and/or would have needed more air). 4) Right bank wines did not show as good with some alcohol showing and a few wines being on a downhill path. I would not chase 2003 right banks.
TN: Not much precise aromas on the nose. On the palate there is a bit of red fruit, quite ripe, some oaky notes, some herbs, but not overly deep. While the structural frame is intact and comes with a good freshness, the tannins are slightly drying. Others like it more than I do.
Decanting: A short decant should do the job.
Group average: 91.0 pts
Group rank: Shared 15th out of 29 reds
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3/20/2023 - sirpat00 wrote: 91 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:
More mature and aged than most in the vintage, but with still pleasant features. Leather, smoke, underwood, ripe raspberry fruit, graphite, mocha. While admittedly improving with time in the glass, this sound better than it was with a chewy palate and drying tannin.
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11/23/2022 - Cailles wrote: 85 Points
20 Vintages of Troplong Mondot: This was a trainwreck of a vertical tasting. An average of meager 86.8 pts, only 6 wines with a rating of more than 90pts. Almost all wines pre 2017 and a winemaker/style change have dried out. Too much extraction and heavy oak treatment produced wines that did not age well, have no fruit and charm left. I don’t have group ratings but the sentiment in the room was similar (this was the fastest tasting ever with this group). It was a root day but that can’t explain everything. Also, the provenance or storage of the bottles was no issue (all bought En Primeur, stored perfectly since). Troplong Mondot seems to be a victim of a series of bad choices, mainly the wrong consultant. Luckily, the future looks brighter.
TN: Not much on the nose. On the palate this is rather short and drying. There is a bit more mid palate weight than in others and some fruit is there but it is still not good with alcohol showing and a drying finish.
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8/17/2022 - Andyrodriguez87 wrote: 90 Points
This one was tough. Upon opening, this was completely generic and non-descript aromatically. On the palate it was much of the same showing no charm, no balance, a lack of freshness, an uncomfortable amount of extract, sandy tannin and noticeable heat framed around a ‘modern’ style that featured bitter dark chocolate and dark fruit. After 2 hours in the decanter, this showed much of the same, just more rounded and easier to drink. I get it - ‘03. But plenty of good (trotanoy and leoville Barton) and even great (Montrose and Latour come to mind) wines were made in ‘03. A change for a more modern style at this address, paired with the vintage characteristics made this a hard one to enjoy. I can’t get a read on a drinking window because this doesn’t have what it needs to in order for it to develop into anything more interesting, so I guess drink up? Or wait and see if further development brings forth something worth tasting or smelling? Weird and generic with pretty much nothing interesting going on. It simply tasted like…….’wine’, if that makes any sense. My only bottle of this and certainly not buying more
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5/6/2022 - Swintonblade Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted at the winery restaurant Les Belles Perdrix
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4/17/2022 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 91 Points
Double decanted to serve. Cassis, mocha, blackberries, chocolate, cinnamon and oak. Modern, powerful and smoothe. It has just entered its drinking window. 91-92
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12/31/2021 - Mr T wrote:
Still dark-fruited but not nearly as lush as earlier bottles. I actually found it a bit green and even slightly sour. Don't know if this representative of how this ages, but don't see any reason to let these age much more.
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12/1/2021 - Ara Kafafian wrote: 90 Points
Blind, a tad disappointing, medium body, short finish, simple and linear, no complexity, an off bottle?
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9/10/2021 - Nicolas Beirens wrote: 93 Points
Bit of an off vintage, but what an intensity. Nose of smoke, oak and chocolate. Taste of chocolate and black fruit. The vintage is good to drink now.
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9/1/2021 - MLwine Likes this wine: 92 Points
This wine has developed nicely in the last two years. The tannins have resolved, and the wine is well-balanced. Still plenty of fruit. It's in a good place right now.
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8/30/2021 - tom_wine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking perfectly now with ripe and forward black cherry, plum fruit flavors. Rich in the mouth with lingering finish and herbal, mint aromas. The high alcohol and forward, sweet fruit reminds me more of a California cult wine than Right Bank. The merlot really stands out here. Glad to have opened a bottle after being very disappointed by two T-M from 2004. What a difference a vintage makes.
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7/23/2021 - Édifice Likes this wine: 94 Points
Ripe bouquet with some plum and raisins, stewed fruits, yet also Eucalyptus. Initially a bit disjointed, with the oak sticking out as well as some heat, however also some mint and freshness, integrating over time to become a lush, pleasurable wine, round, silky, more balanced, while remaining on the hedonistic side.
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2/18/2021 - Geoff Likes this wine: 94 Points
Marvelous Right Bank wine. Deep dark color,soft red and dark fruit, eucalyptus, cedar, spice, oak, multiple layers of secondary and tertiary notes, sweet tannins resolved, smooth mouthfeel, elegant yet powerful, classy. Long finish. This is the real deal.
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2/5/2021 - Andice wrote: 92 Points
Good open earthy nose with sweet notes. Sweetness followed thru on the palate, distinctly merlot. A bit of stewed note towards the end due to vintage. Middle of drinking window. Not too bad given the bad rep of 03 right bank.
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1/9/2021 - Édifice Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark berry preserve, undergrowth, touch of vanilla, liquor on the bouquet. Palate is fully on first night, balancing out further second and third night, lush, sweet, with nice acidity and a touch of bitterness,with very fine tannins. Has a slight overextracted touch with a tiny bit of heat but very enjoyable overall, hedonistic. In a great drinking window with still a few years left, remained stable over 3 nights.
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12/18/2020 - dnnk88 wrote: 91 Points
Dec Catch Up @ C@B!: Black fruits, red fruits, dark plums, liquorice, quite ripe and extracted in style. Quite full bodied with sweet tannins. This should improve with more time. Hold
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9/13/2020 - theusualsuspect wrote: 90 Points
In the highly extracted style. Visually dense, dense on the palate. A big mouthful that pretty much lacks nuance or complexity. Chaque a son gout.
An added note I recently acquired some N95 masks, and thought to search as to whether they screen out aromas. They don't. But what I've actually found is that they enhance and concentrate aromas. With the mask the aroma of this wine was more concentrated and clear than without it.
I add this wine has been stored at 47 degrees since acquisition upon release. Has moved along but strikes me as pretty much primary.
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4/20/2020 - tbone wrote:
Drinking fantastic now with quick decant.
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4/18/2020 - frenchiecagowine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep red with little rim variation for a 15-year old wine. The nose is full, sweet, almost Kirsch-like cherries, leather and spices. Very promising. On the palate, tannins are fine but present the first day. On the second day, they're fully integrated. There's definitely the sweetness of Merlot but still balanced, and long. This is a great buy. Classic left bank Bordeaux and another reminder of the timelessness of great Bordeaux wines.
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1/5/2020 - Geoff Likes this wine: 93 Points
Different vender, needed more air, several hour decant to open up. Same profile as before, but tasted like a young wine needing more time to integrate flavors and soften tannins. All in all, still an enjoyable wine.
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1/4/2020 - srh Likes this wine:
Winebar [4 Whites, 8 Reds, & 6 *shared* bottles] from 01/03/19 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): You started off 2020 with a BANG by so graciously sharing this, Dr. Tom! :)
Decanted; I'm guessing this had ≈2-1/2 hrs in a small tasting glass before I got to it.
Planted to 85% Merlot, 13% C.S., & 2% C.F. [though that may not have been the case in ‘03] to soils of deep limestone deposits under layers of thick clay;
N: VANILLA with notes of leather, minerals, & RIPE berries coming on with addt'l swirling
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, almost swtish frt fairly quickly met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it pretty much works its way out by the LONG, very, VERY slightly tangy, bitterish finish with a burgeoning swtness to the DUSTY tannins. Guessing this NEEDS through '21, then making its 25th? 14% ABV; My EXC-/EXC, likely the higher with addt'l cellaring. 16, 15.5, & 14.5/20 Jancis Robinson (ult Harding, 3/21/13), + NUMEROUS other scores on wine-searcher's Tasting Notes pg. [While this vendor may or may not have addt'l bottles @ $100.95, I noticed one wine-searcher source showing 1 bottle @ $75.]
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12/28/2019 - dischome wrote: 89 Points
8/10 rating Very good. Don't know cost
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9/19/2019 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 92 Points
GrandCuvee - Bordeaux 2003 Horizontal (Praelum Wine Bistro): Some vanilla, cocoa, and bit green herbal on the nose. Good balance of intensity and tannin, while the alcohol is indeed hot. Most of it is cocoa and espresso beans, and a bit of paprika. Mainly leavin milk chocolates on the back palate and finish. Would have been a blockbuster if not for the sharp hit of alcohol, but I’d say it’s really an effort well done
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9/7/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Another Saturday at Chevalier...Mostly Blind Bordeaux (Chevalier Fine Wines - Chicago IL): Tasted double blind. Rich and ripe black plum and currant with some sweetness, but also easily retains balance for the vintage. Plenty of structure in the near background. Good now, upside from here.
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7/26/2019 - MLwine wrote: 90 Points
Solid fruit, but the tannins are still somewhat overwhelming, even on the second day. Unfortunate, as otherwise the wine is really quite good.
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7/12/2019 - Geoff Likes this wine: 96 Points
Best bottle of wine all year! Perfect bottle with low to mid neck fill, good cork. Very dark allowing only a very little light around the rim. Beautiful deep ink like color. The nose erupts from the glass with dark fruits, smoke, oak, cigar box, spice box, leather multiple, layers of secondary and tertiary notes. On the palette, balanced sweet tannins still present, but receeding, smooth, caressing, and more of the nose in spades. Regal and elegant, yet powerful. Long, long finish. This wine is spectacular! I am trying to be a little conservative in my assessment. I think this wine is at it's apogee and has a moderately long life ahead of it. Bravo!
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7/2/2019 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 93 Points
While this is a classic Bordeaux that changed four times over 90 minutes in the glass, it is surprisingly expressive with dark blackberry, cherry fruit. Clear notes of leather and earth on the finish and palate but nicely integrated with the fruit. This is a surprisingly good Bordeaux that is drinking perfectly right now.
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6/26/2019 - yipen Likes this wine:
Cork was broken while opening, this wine is nice and singing with dark cherry. Not feeling the heat or tannic . Good wine worth every penny
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6/8/2019 - Édifice Likes this wine: 94 Points
Cork crumbled as for many in the case, but wine was fine. Initially was a bit heavy, leaning to a bitter, extracted note. With time the wine integrated and became smoother. Very round and lush, dark fruited attack, whilst the finish has subtle spices, dark chocolate and a nice length.
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2/9/2019 - Zweder wrote: 90 Points
UWS; early spring dinner (@ CdW and KvdK): In the bouquet dark berries and vanilla. On the palate juicy dark berries and good acidity, but the tannin is a bit drying and showing some age.
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11/4/2018 - Thilo wrote:
Corked.
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11/3/2018 - Kavine wrote: 93 Points
Very pleasantly surprised by the smoothness, soft fruit, no dryness on the back, medium bodied and finally well worth finding again.
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10/26/2018 - tomlee wrote: 94 Points
Violet in color. 14% ABV. Ever so slight bricking at the edge of the glass. Stunning nose of red fruits, cassis liqueur, leather and graphite. Rich, plush and silky on the palate. Flavors of currants, cassis, kirsch and coffee. Exceptional length on the finish with pronounced fine grained tannins. Tremendous Bordeaux. Further affirmation for me that the top Chateaux made age worthy wines in the hot '03 vintage. Best over the next 3-5 years.
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10/12/2018 - theusualsuspect wrote: 90 Points
Another Bordeaux in the monumentally extracted style. Sometimes the style works, but sometimes it doesn't for me as in - as big and powerful as this wine is, it is coarse. Blunt, lacking nuance.
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9/7/2018 - Grinner wrote: 94 Points
Bye Bye Browns (Cryin' Lyon's): We're working our way back in years in this "event" but the score stays the same! Another great bottle with cassis, plum, mocha, cigar, and graphite. Tannins are mellowing. Really nice with the sheep gouda. Now-2023.
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5/20/2018 - Mr T wrote:
Much more Bdx like at this point after decanting. Still drinks young and needs air. Pretty well balanced
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4/21/2018 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 91 Points
My initial impressions were a little wobbly - some great elements of a classic bordeaux, but other impressions of a green wine. Ultimately, about an hour in, everything came together very nicely. Still displays a very dark color with virtually no bricking, this had strong earthy, non-fruit elements like charcoal, sandalwood and espresso. Tannins are just about right here, in fact already a touch soft. Where this lost a point or two was on the finish where the level of complexity was good, just not great. Glad we decanted, three hours in and the wine was still showing well.
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3/17/2018 - macmac007 Likes this wine: 92 Points
My first Troplong Mondot. Deep dark strong serious claret - very masculine, lots of pencil lead and graphite. Pared well with a big ribeye. Actually felt a tad green, even after hour's decant. Next bottle I will leave for a few more years.
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3/13/2018 - robertgf wrote: 89 Points
Tasting at Kevin's. Dark brooding ccolor, earthy nose, some spice. Palate not as good as nose. I felt that after 15 as the wine aged the fruit fell off, such that the tannins now dominated. Overall I was dissapointed after reading earlier notes. Time to "fold em, if you got em"; don't hold longer.
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3/10/2018 - rocknroller wrote: 90 Points
A Last Minute Saturday Evening: Very dark red/purple color. This probably got close to 90 minutes in the decanter. The nose is rather intense, graphite, dark and high toned, creme de cassis, some dried herb, with a savory, meatiness. The palate is rather inky with more intensity, cassis, sour cherry, kir, oak, and prominent tannins and some sharpness overall. I expected more from this. Most of the '03's that I have had have been drinking pretty well at this point, hopefully this has better years ahead.
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4/28/2017 - Vancouver wrote: 94 Points
Medium ruby appearance.
Pronounced and evolved aromas of black fruit- blueberry, blackberry, boysenberry , also vanilla, smoke and sweet tobacco. Lots and lots going on here on the nose.
Medium bodied with medium acidity and tannin. Some impressive stricture , in a vintage that has a reputation for being flabby. Lots of black fruit, vanilla and tobacco notes on the palate. The finish is long .
Overall very well done and a wine that totally refutes the reputation of the vintage as overcooked and lacking acidity and structure. This seems fully mature , but will certainly keep for another 5-10 years.
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3/25/2017 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Opened and decanted. I just got a small pour, but this was lovely. Very classic Bordeaux. Lots of leather and more herbal and maybe even some tea leaves. Just hints of fruit. Really enjoyable.
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3/24/2017 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 93 Points
Some great wines with the boy Scouts - Year 2 (BSA Fundraiser): Always a controversial vintage, I thought this was showing quite well and about on schedule for 14 years from vintage. Purple in color. The nose is dusty with cherries, ripe cherries and a hint of dried fruit. Also a bit of char. Very clean. On the palate, this is drinking well with some tannins. Plenty of cherry and dark cherry fruit. Good overall balance. Nice finish. Getting close to peak perhaps but a long life left. Nothing raisin about this to me.
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1/26/2017 - skurtz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened to breathe for 2h. Huge fragrant nose, lots of chocolate, garden vegetables on the nose and palate, plus some cedar, vibrant red and dark fruits. This is showing very nicely now. Consistent with my note from five months ago. Excellent on day 2 as well.
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8/29/2016 - Tim Heaton wrote:
Respectable stuff, if not overly memorable. Color still holding fast, and as it suggests, the nose, too, is on the young side - or at a minimum, it's pretty tightly coiled. I did like what (little) was revealed though, plums, soil, iron, pencil lead; a somewhat conspicuous absence of florals though. The palate was also rather tight (my bad, I did not give this at least 2-3 hours in decanter like it so obviously deserved), but the flavors followed the nose with the earthen notes subtly trumping the fruit (a win for my preferences). The 14,0% is resolved. That said, I'm glad I served it at 60F, as there was always a sensation that it wasn't completely so (i.e. resolved). Very fine tannins yet to fully resolve. TONS of sediment here, you've been warned. Held since release, cork and fill like new. HOLD (sell?); thru 2030
Slow-O 1 hr, served non-blind. I'm glad I'm not sitting on a bunch of these.
** update, day 2** as expected, this is much more expressive - with respect to fruits. With 1/4 of the bottle corked overnight on a kitchen counter, this is now completely open for business. And while I like some of what I see, it still doesn't add up to much. The lesson here is be careful what you ask for: 10 years ago - when I bought it - I (i.e. thought) 'wanted' this, but now my palate's changed and I am quite disinterested in this style of wine.
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8/21/2016 - skurtz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened to breathe for 1-2h. Oak and tobacco predominant on the nose and palate, red cherries too. Very smooth, easy to drink. A simple but solid, woodsy Bdx in its drinking window, still 3-5+ years to go.
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8/20/2016 - Philippe_C wrote: 92 Points
Blond tobacco, cigar box, hint of red and black fruit... Taste nice acidity, sappy, ripe red fruit, but dry tannins in the finish, a bit short, good but not great... also improved with air!
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5/17/2016 - jonnyoro wrote: 95 Points
Five years since the last one. A great Bordeaux for $50. A lot of oak at first glass right after opening. 90 minutes later, wow. The note from 2011 still works just fine; it's just more integrated and a bit (tiny really) more mature. Lovely Bordeaux; new world character, old world bones.
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9/28/2015 - MARCOSNITEROI wrote: 93 Points
Generoso e perfumado. Rubi profundo já com alguma opacidade. Aromas maduros de frutas azuis e negras, defumados, muita ameixa e chocolate meio amargo. Enche a boca, mais é agil e fresco, o que reduz a sensação de corpo. Repete ameixas, frutas secas e chocolate na boca. Taninos sedosos mas ainda bem notáveis, que dão estrutura e boa persistência ao conjunto. Um vinho calcado em fruta bem madura (14°GL) mas com refinamento. Já está em um belo momento devendo ser brevemente decantado devido aos sedimentos.
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7/3/2015 - drunkstar wrote: 90 Points
the merlot really came through.....very approachable indeed. wish i had a few more bottles
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12/8/2014 - aagrawal wrote: 92 Points
Coravin 12/8/14: Medium ruby color, very little bricking appropriate for age; nose has red fruit, slight sweet spice, slight mint and herbal, youthful and a bit wound up; palate is full bodied, tannins significant but approachable throughout palate, initial red cherry fruit, tight, good depth on the palate, tart cranberry through midpalate and into finish; medium length finish with some fruit. Overall an excellent classically-styled St. Emilion, not showing the heat of 2003 on the nose (maybe slightly on palate) but showing very young and tight, if approachable, maybe a bit one-dimensional through the midpalate, though that may be its youth. Next bottle in 5+ years minimum. 90-91+
30 min update: With some air, this does start to show the ripe fruits on the palate I expected from a hot vintage. Enjoyable, but it may hold it back from being great, as I tend to prefer the complexity of cooler climate wines.
12/27: Still quite a dense ruby color without bricking; nose is very intriguing with good complexity of mint, herbal, floral, slight nice green and bell pepper; palate is full bodied, slight spice, red and black fruits, here showing a bit of heat, nice dose of green on the palate as well that is balanced, still strong tannins. As above, very nice wine (maybe a bit better than when I first tried it) that needs a lot of time, but promising that it will improve, though likely never superb. 92+
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11/5/2014 - dimdic wrote: flawed
Declined. Not much left. No fruitiness.
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8/7/2014 - Thilo wrote: 87 Points
Color is dark garnet with lightening at the rim. Nose was initially a bit reserved but eventually showed dark fruits, tar, smoke, and roasted coffee. On the palate, the wine has dark fruit up front but this is fairly quickly met with charred wood flavors which have not fully integrated. Tannins and acidity are also present and slightly out of balance. There is still fruit there, but I'm wondering whether this wine will ever really come together.
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8/4/2014 - dbkitc wrote: 75 Points
Warm ruby/garnet color. Oaky nose that has violet, soap and rubber fruit notes. Plummy fruit is a great opening, however the wine turns sinisterly bitter on the finish. Wow - I now know what a raw oak stave tastes like. I hope this is a bad bottle. (75)
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3/30/2014 - Thracian Alvarinho Does not like this wine: 88 Points
The colour is showing the age and the vintage quality. Must be drunk asap. The nose dominated by oak. Fruit is fading. Tannins are dry and harsh. Very extracted but fruit is not there. 2003 is a big failure on the right side of Gironde.
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1/18/2014 - eiseis wrote: 95 Points
Drink with Friends at a club dinner. The wine has vanilla accent upon opening. Tight, but opened up within 30 minutes. Complex and delicious. Drank and compared with another decent Malbec ($18) from Argentina, but there is truly no comparison. Troplong had so much more taste and flavor, the other wine tasted like water...
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1/11/2014 - Vintomas wrote: 90 Points
Nose with ripe dark berries, good power, some devlopment. A classical nose but in the sweet direction. Palate with good concentration, definitely tough tannins and a hint of bitterness. Approachable now but could develop more. 90 p.
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12/18/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 91 Points
Fully mature, this medium bodied wine is more interesting on the nose and texture than with its palate presence. The wine has developed pre maturely and needs to be drunk up.
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11/9/2013 - G_H Likes this wine: 91 Points
2003s now and in 10 years - Blind tasting (Martin's House): Beef stock, a hint of plastic, cassis, chamomile tea, really strong tannin structure, needs time
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11/3/2013 - Grinner wrote: 93 Points
17th Annual Lyon 10 Year Retrospective (The Lyon's Tree House): So begins a great flight! Sweet tobacco, brooding black fruit, tar, leather, and herbs. Very thick and long on the palate. Has 10 years. 93 on days 2 and 3.
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10/11/2013 - Strikermax wrote: 92 Points
Fraaie neus. Wat hard en stroef in de mond.
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10/11/2013 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Occasional dinner group; Bordeaux 2003 plus some extras.: Day 1. The bouquet is luxurious with dark forest fruits, smoke, cedar, tobacco, leather etc. On the palate cassis, beautiful acidity and still slightly sticky tannin. All elements of the bouquet come back in the taste, but there is also something green bell peppery. Day 2 the wine was still a great pleasure, but some oxidation showed on the palate. A beautiful wine, probably drinking best between now and 2018. 92-93
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8/27/2013 - Brmaso Likes this wine: 93 Points
Secondary aromatics spew from the glass of truffle, eucolyptis, mentholly mint, leather, tobacco, wet creekbed, ink, pencil lead, baked blueberry, baked cherry, honey-dipped-cassis and a tad of kirsch liquor culminating in a glorious display of new world/high-alcohol/in your face awesomeness. Not for the faint of heart, the 03 Troplong is made in a blockbuster, low acid style with amped alcohol..but it still somehow retains its freshness. The tannin is still not 100% fully integrated and dusty, and there is still a bit of oak behind the cedar on the nose and palate. But this is still a silky wine. The finish is long, glycerin tinged and very coating. Still, I would like to see a little more fresh 'pizaz' and less muddled flavors (they were a pain to differentiate until well into my buzz). Very well made, this hot vintaged wine from one of the superstars from Saint-Emilions best terroirs should hold up well for at least 10 more years. I hope to have some to check in on in 2023 to see if it has the stuffing to last 10 more. On a different note, I will never understand why well made, big 03 BDX will be so controversial. If you are a purist who says Bordeaux has to be super classical and Bordeauxy..well..fine..but I'm not an aristocrat who drinks with my pinky pointed to the sky when I slurp (I make sure to point it downwards for that)- just tell me this, if this was from California, would it not kick ass?? Best from 2016-2022 if I had to guess, but I'm hesitant creating a drinking window for 03, especially on the right bank..
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6/7/2013 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Dark fruits and licorice in the bouquet. On the palate still a bit reticent with dark fruits and sticky tannin. Beautiful an concentrated wine, but wait until 2016 or a bit later. 92+
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6/2/2013 - Harry Cantrell Likes this wine: 90 Points
Shy nose and mouth. Clearly still in a shell. Tightest of the night. Nothing off just diminutive. Give it time. Add a plus to the score.
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5/5/2013 - Mr T wrote:
PNP after quickly polishing off a lush Rioja before it. The wine is quite dark and very lush in its own right and almost even a bit thick. The wine was easy to drink and no hint of the formidable tannins cited by Parker. The wine tasted distinctly New World to me and I would have been very hard pressed to identify it as Bordeaux. Troplong does go for lush, in general, but particularly in this vintage, it is extremely full and fruit forward. I found it very pleasant to drink and it went down easily. I can see why the purists like Neal Martin would not care for the wine, but I enjoyed it
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3/25/2013 - awilliamson4 Likes this wine: 95 Points
I thought this was awesome...opened 3 hours prior to drinking. Beautifully structured bordeaux with nice red fruit and kirsch with nice notes of oak and some smoky minerality. Best red of the night.
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3/21/2013 - neilemc Likes this wine: 94 Points
Leggy garnet color. Dark coffee and chocolate, crème de cassis, stewed plums, tar, violets and cedar on the nose. Decanted 2 hours and its as perfect as this wine will get: earthy dark fruit, spice, dark roast, minerality, and sweet but firm tannins. Incredible length! Just getting into the better Bordeaux from my first round of wine buying and this is the best right bank I've had. Deep, savory fruit that goes on and on.
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3/10/2013 - KeithAkers wrote: 90 Points
Vinetasters-2003 Bordeaux (Holiday Inn, Niles IL): Nose: Very forward nose with richer tones of asian spices, red fruits, cherries, liqueur, black cherries, and some road tar tones. There is good depth to this and it seems fairly open.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with big and chewy tannins along with medium acidity. The structure is certainly there, but not overpowering along with richer tones of red fruits, licorice, cedar, liqueur, and some road tar on the back end.
Overall: This was my no.6. It was on the chunkier side and showed dark fruit to it. It wasn't overdone, but it wasn't very expressive right now either.
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3/9/2013 - mdonovan wrote: 90 Points
Vin carafé deux heures (1h30 était suffisant)
Robe rouge moyen, nez sur la mure, bouche très équilibée avec des arômes de mure, de menthe. Tanins suffisament fondu : un vin interessant et bien fait
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3/2/2013 - beezer6 wrote: 90 Points
Domaine Wine Storage Saturday BYOB (Domaine Wine Storage (Chicago)): Musty nose. Touches of ripe red fruit. Barnyard. Palate dark showing brown sugar play. Molasses.
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3/2/2013 - KeithAkers wrote: 88 Points
Another Saturday at Domaine (Domaine Wine Storage, Chicago IL): Nose: This shows a richer side to it with tones of dark red cherries, a good dose of oak, cassis, and liqueur tones.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with hard tannins and lower acidity. It isn't flabby, but it is a bit stern and with richer tones of dark red cherries, black currants, liqueur, and oak tones.
Overall: This is a richer wine that shows both the vintage and the style of the producer. I don't know if or how it will develop, but the tannins are on the hard side and don't seem to really be budging.
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3/2/2013 - tooch wrote: 89 Points
Saturday Afternoon at Domaine (Domaine Wine Storage - Chicago, IL): A good deal of juicy dark fruits, smokey minerals, and dried tobacco. The palate was quite lush, and juicy but had some nice lingering acidity to pull it all together.
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3/1/2013 - Lord Rayas wrote: 91 Points
Dinner with KH, Bunny, 正龍, Philip, Gordon, Martin and wives (The Principal): from magnum. lots of cherry, kirsch and jam. almost new world, but in a good way. will benefit from a couple of hours in decanter.
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2/2/2013 - Cheungtp wrote: 90 Points
Bright ruby red, almost purple color, all the way to the rim. At 10 years old, still very young and quite tight. Gradually, the wine opened up with fresh berries, cigar box, plum and minerals. Same elements present on the palate, which comes in rather soft with nice structure. Very strong, firm tannins in the mid section, definitely can use another few years in the bottle to soften up. Was hoping for some surprises, still good and hopefully will get better with time.
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11/4/2012 - cubswinws wrote: 93 Points
Dark fruit and soft but present tannins. Well structured but really nice. Obviously has a ways to go but drinking well at present.
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10/26/2012 - Philippe_C wrote: 93 Points
Nose of pure ripe red fruit, sous-bois... in the mouth, very concentrated, fruity, loads of ripe tannins
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10/22/2012 - R. Hung Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark garnet showing slight rim. Black berries, dark chocolate, cedar, spices all the way. Slightly low in acidity with strong but well integrated tannins and mid-long finish. Didn't decant and drank in 4 hours. It showed its best in 2 1/2.
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10/3/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 91 Points
The wine was aged in 100% new oak and reached 14% alcohol. From From 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc, notes of roasted cherry, leaf, kirsch liqueur, jam and forest aromas open to a soft, round, forward style of Troplong Mondot that offers ample chocolate and bright cherry jam. This is drinking well today.
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9/9/2012 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 92 Points
03 Bordeaux (Pavie, Poyferre, Troplong) (Out to dinner): This is drinking well now although no hurry, I don't see much upside. Cherries, dark cherries, cedar some kirsch notes as well as some tobacco. On the palate, this is balanced with nice fruit and mineral layering. Dark cherries, cherries, dark chocolate predominate. Nice fruit but it does seem like its trying to hard. It is a very good wine, but not in the league of the Pavie or Poyferre.
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7/15/2012 - theusualsuspect wrote: 90 Points
Very powerful black fruit intensity. Hard to see much beyond that. Not really to my liking - over the top - but I recognize that what I see as over the top, others sees as right in the ballpark. Lots of 2003 Bordeaux are modern style, but they are still clearly Bordeaux. To me, not the case here. Not simply modern style, but new world.
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3/17/2012 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Crimson color. In a word, elegant. Violets, florals and red berry notes dominate the bouquet. Balanced, with lovely red fruit and cherry flavors, hints of earth and plum. Lengthy finish. Lovely fruit, with no signs of vintage ripeness. This had been double decanted for 5+ hours earlier in the day. Thanks Doug! 92+ pts.
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2/6/2012 - Tim Heaton wrote:
Slow-O 4 hours before aerating in decanter 1 hour. Dark ruby, no sign of age. Very reticent nose at first, but with proper aeration it really began to open and continued adding complexity on the nose and palate as the meal wore on. johnnyoro's notes pretty much mirror my own experience; I too enjoyed this wine and was thankful that it did not step out of bounds in terms of ripeness and/or extraction. The best has yet to come? Drink thru 2028
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1/11/2012 - Jorgy wrote:
Very good wine, at first a bit oaky and initial sips were a bit of a letdown as the acid was fairly prominent and finish a bit thin. After an hour or so the nose and palate really filled out and became more smooth, polished and full. Very nice.
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11/16/2011 - jonnyoro wrote: 94 Points
this was a shockingly good bottle of wine- i havent had much luck with 2003 Bordeaux on the right bank; while the '03 Montrose we had in Spain a few weeks ago was amazing, i have found that the right bank wines (as critics have noted) have been marred by a certain overipeness bordering on raisiny (compare and contrast to a 2003 Monbousquet for example)...this wine was certainly ripe and "international" in style but it was a pleasure to drink; the floral nose, the ripe full bodied fruit, the sweet strong tannins, the thick full bodied texture and the extremely long finish made this wine very enjoyable... if tasted blind, at first blush i would think Napa- but after a few sips the floral and mineral characteristics of the wine speak st. emilion- very enjoyable!
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8/7/2011 - cubswinws wrote: 91 Points
A bit clunky at this time. Nice dark fruit. Touch of earth but needs some more time to come together.
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2/21/2011 - jkoenen wrote: 90 Points
Tour de Bordeaux; Next stop: St. Emilion @ Roel's (Netherlands): Thick inky chocolatey blackcherry nose. No overripe-ness or over-extraction! Quite fresh and clear, actually. Especially when you consider the vintage. Still a little backward, but starting to approach its prime drinking window. Try again in 1 year. Very pretty wine and one of my favourite Bdx-03s. 17,5/20
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11/14/2010 - pkumkim wrote: 93 Points
Good wine.....Good acceptable Price....
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9/15/2010 - pikemasterflash wrote: 93 Points
Dark crimson red in the glass. Slightest scent of alcohol. Thick and and velvet all the way through. Hard to say if this will improve with age but delicious right now.
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8/28/2010 - Al-Vino wrote: 90 Points
This will benefit from further cellaring...but likely won't score more than a point or two higher than it is now.
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7/11/2010 - brianngibson wrote: 92 Points
Brief decant. Pencil lead, cassis, blackberry, cedar, and tobacco. Soft round tannins. Easy to pour another glass . . . and another after that. Excellent.
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6/1/2010 - theusualsuspect wrote: 89 Points
For now. Rather large vanilla oak overlay leads to a pretty much closed wine. Plenty of extract in there however. More than a few years away, but it is pretty much all there.
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1/20/2010 - bnord81 wrote: 93 Points
Popped and poured, and this was a mistake. Completely closed off. Next day was a different story, beautiful nose of lead and spice which opened to a silky floral and oak. Finish was smooth. Needs another year in the bottle before I open another one.
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1/15/2010 - G_H wrote: 91 Points
Velvety, coffee, truffled mashed potatoes, this baby has a 30+ seconds finish. It's rare that my rating is better than Parker's. Great wine but it really isn't a classic Bordeaux at all.
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6/20/2009 - Rob MacKay wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured. Nice nose of pencil led and currants. A little tight on the palate and tannins still have a lot of grip. Softens with time in the glass. Showed a little better then the last time around about 3 months ago but still has quite a ways to go before peaking.
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4/4/2009 - Tao wrote: 94 Points
94+ at the moment, drinkable but far from the peak! The pure silky merlot is just 100% perfect, very very tight, very rich but you still can sense the tannins underneath. Serious stuff! Drink 2012 - 2027
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3/28/2009 - Rob MacKay wrote:
Opened and sat in the bottle for a couple of hours but could have used a much longer (5-6 hour) full decant as it was still quite tight and tannic throughout the meal. However, you can feel that underneath all of that is a great wine waiting to emerge in a few years. From what I understand, the 04s are actually the ones to drink now while the 03 rests. I'll pop an 04 soon for comparison.
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3/28/2009 - jhannah27 wrote: 91 Points
Weekend in the Santa Ynez Valley; 3/27/2009-3/30/2009 (Solvang, Los Olivos, Lompoc, and surround areas): Brought to The Brother's Restaurant in Los Olivos, CA. Opened 3 hours prior to dinner, but left in bottle. This showed very chocolate and spicy vanilla on the nose at first, but opened to show more floral and damp earth notes mingled with plums and blackberries. It was a bit of a rollercoaster once it really got into the air as it showed ripe fruits at first, then the tannins took over for about 45 minutes, but then the tannins integrated into a very structured wine. Very feminine in styling with lovely blackberry, plum, spice, and leather flavors. This is still a baby and not quite ready to go yet. Give this 5+ years or a nice looooong decant and you won't be disappointed.
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1/31/2009 - concorde wrote: 90 Points
Decanted around 6 hours. Beautiful deep purple color. Extremely tight and closed down. Hints of sweet cherries, blueberries, with a touch of leather on the nose. Concentrated and tannic, with more berries, tobacco and lavender, and a bit of smokiness. More concentrated on the top and sides of the tongue. 45 second length. Overall pleasureable but waaaaay too young to really judge. I wish I had saved some for the next few days to see how it continues to develop. This will be a beautiful wine in about 10-15 years.
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8/16/2008 - Grinner wrote: 93 Points
A deep dark merlot w/ mocha, plum, and tobacco/cigar box. Great wine that already has a minute long finish and is just a baby!
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7/2/2008 - AzorianMatador wrote: 90 Points
Clean and well made but nothing special here, will wait at least 2 years to try again.
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5/8/2008 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
A Michel Rolland style of wine; a lot of everything; chocolate, leather, blood. Well dosed new toasted oak and an enormous concentration. Very good modern style wine. Young already very tempting, but can age as well.
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10/17/2007 - DavidK wrote: 91 Points
Pretty backward. Fruitcake. Powerwine. Don't touch this again before 2012. Guess this will go to sleep soon.
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8/14/2007 - Zweder wrote: 91 Points
Complex and complete bouquet with cassis, plum, spices, chocolate, leather and luxurious oak. It is a mouth full of wine, but it hardly gives itself at the moment. Plenty of ripe cassis fruit and firm tannin. Give it time; 5+ years.
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8/11/2007 - Philippe_C wrote: 91 Points
Nose a little bit muted with vanilla, coffee some black fruit and a hint of mushrooms and sous-bois
In the mounth it shows red fruits with loads of integrated tannins ending with an aftertaste of ripe green paprika, it is a bit closed at the moment and you can feel loads of red fruit hidden behing the tannins, this wine will centainly take 5-10 years to show it's full potential, but shoule be a great wine! I preferred the 2000 and 2001 at the same age.
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6/2/2007 - jolson wrote: 91 Points
Drinking pretty well for such a young wine, very accessible. Unfortunately didn't take notes on it.
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4/15/2007 - vintage61 wrote: 94 Points
Surprisingly accessable and great bottle. Deep translucent cherry color, muted nose when first opened, gradually coming around, slightly to reveal beautiful dark fruit, tobacco, and casis aromas. the palate followed the nose, being slightly muted at first and giving a little more with time. Great structure and balance This is going to be a fabulous wine in 5 to 10 years. I assume it will close down further before it re-emerges. Possibly warrants higher score later. JP
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12/1/2006 - Hillbilly wrote: 90 Points
I raved about this bottle early this year, but this was a good bit tighter. I double deacnted, but it really did not get a lot of air time. I think this needs 2-3+ hours of air now to really perform. Had a little too much herbal and leather for me and was lacking the spice and fruit I got in the spring. Still glad to own this.
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11/29/2006 - MRichman wrote:
2003 Bordeaux Horizontal at Post House, NYC
Tons of Coffee. Dense, dark, a little stiff with some tropical lush fruit. Some herbs.
B/B+
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10/29/2006 - tanglenet wrote:
Served as part of a flight on Day 2 at the Wine Club SF. Opened but not decanted for 3 hours. All the wines IMO, excluding the Lafite, were tight, tannic and pretty unapproachable. Have to use the imagination on how these might evolve. Maroon purple in color; dry cherries and tight tannins on the palate.
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1/27/2006 - Thilo wrote: 92 Points
This wine was tight as a drum...opened 3 hours before dinner and double decanted. Color is dark garnet/purple. Nose is very reticent, but eventually shows coffee, cassis, and smoke (char). On the palate, there is a feel of significant weight consisting of dark fruit framed in mocha, smoke, and wood. Withering tannins on the finish close the wine down significantly at this point, but there is a good deal of potential here.
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1/26/2006 - Vino Me wrote: 93 Points
TN: 2003 Red Bordeaux (Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux Tasting); 1/26/2006-1/27/2006 (Drake Hotel, Chicago, Illinois): This wine competed for top honors from St. Emilion in this tasting. Exotic spice aromas. One of the few St. Emilion wines which showed the sweet fruit that was present in the 2003 wines from so many other appelations. An upfront wine with bold powerful tannins. Much of the fruit was hidden but I liked the full mouth feel and underlying complexity. 92-93+ points.
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1/23/2006 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very pleasant and distinctly chocolate aroma. The palate is not jammy, yet manages to be very rich with plum, dark cherry and again chocolate. Has gained in body since the barrel tasting and one of the best Saint Emilions in 2003.
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1/1/2006 - winefool wrote: 90 Points
Lovely aroma. Spicy good red fruit on the palate. 1/06
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12/13/2005 - Jozefs wrote: 90 Points
16:45 CET: Opened bottle.
19:28: First try. Nose initially dominated by cloves, followed by impressions of jammy black fruit, iron, syrup ... The palate is very expressive and surprisingly accessible for such a young Bdx. Dusty sweet mouth coating tannins, glycerine, sweet (but not overly) black fruit, chcolate, moccha, iron... delicious, but maybe a bit (only a bit) flabby.
22:00: I'm starting to worry about this. It is not bad, it is even good, but you can hardly call it a Bordeaux. This is now overripe, sweet, alcoholic... a monster wine, but with little nuance, not enough acidity, too much alcohol and little balance. Very different from the 2001 and maybe I like that more. I'm closing the bottle, letting it rest till tomorrow. For now degraded from 93 to 90.
The next evening: Nose almost shut down. I'm getting some kirsch and a lot of alcohol. Taste is rather sweet, but there is now some refreshing acidity shining through. Chewy tannins, black fruitsyrup, somewhat burning aftertaste. Better then the last sip yesterday but not a lot. Too sweet and alcoholic for my taste (the label states 14% but I think it will be more like 15% or even higher), with little underlying complexity or promise thereof. Drink sooner than later. I hope not all Bdx 2003's will be as overripe as this.
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4/1/2004 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Ch. Beau-Sejour Becot: Rasp. int. nose; hint of cassis & smoke; Grt. frt. mth, bug t’s, softer than others.
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