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: Medium expressive nose with ripe dark red fruit, some medicinal notes, some toasty notes, some chocolate, minerality. Quite layered and precise. On the palate this is expressive, intense with lots of blue and black fruit, some red nuances, cedar and crushed rocks, some coffee notes. Not as fine as the Margauxs before but still quite round and harmonious. One of the winners on the right bank in this tasting.
Decanting: Didn’t need much air. No extensive decanting needed.
Group average: 92.0 pts Group rank: Shared 10th 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: Fruit-forward, red berry-like aroma profile. Ripe and concentrated but still in acceptable territory. Herbal spices, salad seasoning, earthy undertones and a floral layer add attractive complexity. A juicy and well-balanced palate but plenty (which is to say: too much) of tannic structure.
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Best bottle (@Private location): Glass: Josephinenhütte White/Universal Popped and poured. Tasted blind. Clear, deep ruby color, youthful. Clean, classic BDX nose, dense, spicy, herbaceous and lots of ripe red fruit. Wonderful luscious ripe fruit, spices, finest tannin, very warm, a bit hot, sweet, concentrated, mineral and a bit chubby still. Very long and creamy. I would give this bottle another decade to fully shine. 94-95+
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Earthy, smoky, plummy, stone filled aromatics, plush, soft, round textures and a sweet, ripe, mineral driven finish are delivered with this wine. This has developed quickly for La Mondotte, which normally takes quite a while to show its charms.
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5/7/2023 - Cailles wrote: 91 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: Medium expressive nose with ripe dark red fruit, some medicinal notes, some toasty notes, some chocolate, minerality. Quite layered and precise. On the palate this is expressive, intense with lots of blue and black fruit, some red nuances, cedar and crushed rocks, some coffee notes. Not as fine as the Margauxs before but still quite round and harmonious. One of the winners on the right bank in this tasting.
Decanting: Didn’t need much air. No extensive decanting needed.
Group average: 92.0 pts
Group rank: Shared 10th out of 29 reds
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3/20/2023 - sirpat00 wrote: 93 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:
Fruit-forward, red berry-like aroma profile. Ripe and concentrated but still in acceptable territory. Herbal spices, salad seasoning, earthy undertones and a floral layer add attractive complexity. A juicy and well-balanced palate but plenty (which is to say: too much) of tannic structure.
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11/23/2019 - NoTrollingerPlease wrote: 94 Points
Best bottle (@Private location): Glass: Josephinenhütte White/Universal
Popped and poured. Tasted blind. Clear, deep ruby color, youthful. Clean, classic BDX nose, dense, spicy, herbaceous and lots of ripe red fruit.
Wonderful luscious ripe fruit, spices, finest tannin, very warm, a bit hot, sweet, concentrated, mineral and a bit chubby still. Very long and creamy. I would give this bottle another decade to fully shine. 94-95+
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10/1/2017 - MarcelloW Likes this wine: 93 Points
In a perfect spot. Full bodied with an opulent ripe fruit. A bit of heat. And a bit pricey.
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12/18/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Earthy, smoky, plummy, stone filled aromatics, plush, soft, round textures and a sweet, ripe, mineral driven finish are delivered with this wine. This has developed quickly for La Mondotte, which normally takes quite a while to show its charms.
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