Based on the last bottle of this I had in 2017, I gave it only a brief decant before serving in Riedel Vinum burg stems. Color was much darker than I expected, and nicely saturated throughout. On the nose, brambly black fruits, plums, a bit pine-y, touch of mint, some more developed elements, but nothing at all roasted or overdone. First sip struck me as pretty classic Gevrey, a little rustic, well integrated, perhaps a touch woody (not oaky, just a little dry), nothing standing out. The fruit is dark cherry and blackberry, not stewed at all. I would never have called this as an '03 blind, as it wasn't particularly ripe let alone over ripe. The typical Bachelet restraint seems to have mitigated the vintages less appealing elements. I quite liked this. I don't doubt it will hold here for a while, but the touch of dryness to the fruit makes me think perhaps it's not going to develop into something more impressive. I'll drink my other few bottles in the next 5 years, I'd guess. Also a very good match with leftover coq au vin, which should surprise exactly no one.
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Finally a decent bottle from what has been a very disappointing case. Clearly challenged by the very hot summer of 2003, this wine has underperformed until this bottle which had some complexity and interest though mature & without a lot of fruit rather than mildly unpleasant as previous bottles had been.
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Much more classic than the one opened in 2006. Of course, the acidity is still on the lowish side, but it is becoming more what you would expect from a Burgundy and from Bachelet. A little more tannic and round than usual for Bachelet, but I am confident that the remaining bottles will develop beautifully over the medium term (5 to 10 years).
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Decanted for an hour or so. Starting to shut down. Sour cherries and some raspberries. Not too earthy. I don't know if I would guess it to be a burg but it's not bad. Balanced with some spices. I was hoping for more of a mushroom/earthy note but not from this bottle I guess. Nothing wrong with the bottle but nothing amazing either.
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Very dark ruby color, darker than usual for Bachelet but in tune with other 2003s. At first, I thought the nose was very typical Bachelet, but that changed quickly. A big bruiser of a wine with very low acidity. Still balanced but missing the tell-tale elegance of Bachelets wines from other years. I am a big fan of this bottling, but the 2003 left me scratching my head... There is no way that you could find this to be a Burgundy if tasted blind...With some air (drank over two days) this got better and exhibited at least some faint resemblance to a pinot. But I think the typicity will return in a few years. Although I don't like most 2003s for drinking now, I think they have the stuffing and power to develop into something special after, say, 10 to 15 years in the cellar. Let's wait and see. Drink 2015-2020.
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11/5/2021 - NYC_Maenad Likes this wine:
Based on the last bottle of this I had in 2017, I gave it only a brief decant before serving in Riedel Vinum burg stems. Color was much darker than I expected, and nicely saturated throughout. On the nose, brambly black fruits, plums, a bit pine-y, touch of mint, some more developed elements, but nothing at all roasted or overdone. First sip struck me as pretty classic Gevrey, a little rustic, well integrated, perhaps a touch woody (not oaky, just a little dry), nothing standing out. The fruit is dark cherry and blackberry, not stewed at all. I would never have called this as an '03 blind, as it wasn't particularly ripe let alone over ripe. The typical Bachelet restraint seems to have mitigated the vintages less appealing elements. I quite liked this. I don't doubt it will hold here for a while, but the touch of dryness to the fruit makes me think perhaps it's not going to develop into something more impressive. I'll drink my other few bottles in the next 5 years, I'd guess. Also a very good match with leftover coq au vin, which should surprise exactly no one.
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7/28/2017 - burlingtonm Likes this wine: 89 Points
Finally a decent bottle from what has been a very disappointing case. Clearly challenged by the very hot summer of 2003, this wine has underperformed until this bottle which had some complexity and interest though mature & without a lot of fruit rather than mildly unpleasant as previous bottles had been.
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1/3/2012 - pdadams66 wrote: 89 Points
At Kim's for Randy's birthday. Solid burgundy. Has some weight, but mainly cherry fruit, still some tannin and acid but drinking well now.
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8/4/2008 - micha_e wrote:
Much more classic than the one opened in 2006. Of course, the acidity is still on the lowish side, but it is becoming more what you would expect from a Burgundy and from Bachelet. A little more tannic and round than usual for Bachelet, but I am confident that the remaining bottles will develop beautifully over the medium term (5 to 10 years).
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11/14/2007 - hudamang wrote: 86 Points
Decanted for an hour or so. Starting to shut down. Sour cherries and some raspberries. Not too earthy. I don't know if I would guess it to be a burg but it's not bad. Balanced with some spices. I was hoping for more of a mushroom/earthy note but not from this bottle I guess. Nothing wrong with the bottle but nothing amazing either.
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2/15/2006 - micha_e wrote: 89 Points
Very dark ruby color, darker than usual for Bachelet but in tune with other 2003s. At first, I thought the nose was very typical Bachelet, but that changed quickly. A big bruiser of a wine with very low acidity. Still balanced but missing the tell-tale elegance of Bachelets wines from other years. I am a big fan of this bottling, but the 2003 left me scratching my head... There is no way that you could find this to be a Burgundy if tasted blind...With some air (drank over two days) this got better and exhibited at least some faint resemblance to a pinot. But I think the typicity will return in a few years. Although I don't like most 2003s for drinking now, I think they have the stuffing and power to develop into something special after, say, 10 to 15 years in the cellar. Let's wait and see. Drink 2015-2020.
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