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2003 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape |
| Vintage | 2003 |  Label 1 of 12   | |
| Type | Red | ||
| Producer | Clos des Papes (web) | ||
| Variety | Red Rhone Blend | ||
| Designation | n/a | ||
| Vineyard | n/a | ||
| Country | France | ||
| Region | Rhône | ||
| SubRegion | Southern Rhône | ||
| Appellation | Châteauneuf-du-Pape |
| Community Tasting History |
Community Tasting Notes (average 92.7 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 224 notes) | |
| Tasted by shaftlet on 1/14/2010 & rated 95 points: 1st Night -- 2hr decant Medium garnet belies it's opulence. Open and seamless like a Grand Cru from the Cotes de Nuits. Straightforward cherry-kirsch with subtle hints of dried herbs. It's the layered texture and unrelenting length that is so captivating. 2nd night -- Much different, strangely more masculine. Fruit profile is darker leaning towards cassis with white pepper, kalamatta, lavender and dried thyme, finishes with a touch of cocao. Tannins aren't quite as silky but have a charming rusticity. (1310 views) | |
| Tasted by A&C on 1/9/2010 & rated 94 points: Wow. Was this much different than I anticipated. Initially, it had a little spritz in the finish. After some time in the glass, things calmed down, and it was a rich, ripe, and wonderful wine. Paired very well with food. My recommendation is that you decant it for a couple of hours before drinking. It really improved with time in the glass. (1062 views) | |
| Tasted by Anonymous on 1/9/2010 & rated 90 points: Football & Chateauneuf du Papes @ Howard's 2010 (Old Greenwich, CT): Quite a bit of cranberry flavors, with prickly acids. Loads of Christmas spices. Medium bodied. (884 views) | |
| Tasted by schway on 12/31/2009 & rated 88 points: From a 375. Licorice, menthol, eucalyptus, meat, stones, candied red fruits (cherry, cranberry), hints of orange peel. Too much alcoholic heat. Flavors are heavy, roasted and over-ripe. Acidity feels low, at least in relation to alcohol and (stewed) fruit. Very healthy tannins. A burst of jam on the mid-palate which dissipates almost immediately, leaving lots of grippy anise and bitter herbs on the medium (20-30 second) finish. Much more aromatic after 3 hrs, and added richness, datker flavors on 2nd day. Beautiful color. Nice silky texture, at least on entry. But overall unbalanced, and lacking in precision and depth. Not corked, and no other apparent "flaws.". Just not that good. (1272 views) | |
| Tasted by tim m on 12/30/2009 & rated 93 points: This bottle may have been flawed somewhat. As compared to previous bottle drunk over a year ago, the intensity, aromas and flavors were still there however the acidity had gotten out of balance. Could still recognize the great wine, but not balanced as it was previously. (1116 views) | |
| Tasted by mukden on 12/20/2009 & rated 94 points: YES. Still great [Lot No on Capsule was L058 CLOS] . See http://www.cellartracker.com/list.asp?Table=Notes&szSearch=Clos+des+Papes+Ch%E2teauneuf%2Ddu%2DPape . (1459 views) | |
| Tasted by Finare Vinare on 12/8/2009 & rated 94 points: (1367 views) | |
| Tasted by Anonymous on 11/30/2009 & rated 88 points: 2003 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Frankrijk, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape) Kleur: Diep donkerrood, iets oranjebruine randje Aroma / bouquet: Open en uitgesproken. Opvallend rijp, rogge / rozijnen of krentenbrood, noten, pistache en maresquin-kers. Ook wat venkel, drop en laurier. Smaak / Afdronk: Prachtig gerijpt, zelfs al een wat oxidatief karakter, zacht, duidelijk rijp, ontwikkeld en jammy, rozenbottel. Sigarenkistjes. Veel - wat plakkerige - tannine, veel zuur, veel alcohol, klein zoetje en een opvallende houttoets. Algemeen / potentieel: SUPERLEKKER MET DRINKBAARHEIDSWAARSCHUWING. Nu werkelijk geweldig drinkbaar. Maar wat mij betreft maakt deze jaargang - hopelijk deze fles - een iets te vermoeide indruk om nog heel veel potentieel te hebben. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Smaak / Afdronk: 15 + Algemeen / potentieel: 7 = 88/100 (2074 views) | |
| Tasted by Jack on 10/6/2009 & rated 95 points: L054JUNG - The heat that was evident in youth is gone. This was the best bottle yet and seems like it will continue to improve. Still needs a couple of hours to show its best but very good right from the beginning. Day 3 - A glass left over is amazing. Soft and smooth on the front end that continues to build to a long finish 97 pts tonight. (2954 views) | |
| Tasted by JJL on 9/29/2009 & rated 86 points: I have not been very happy with the '03 vintage in general (Rhone & Bordeaux) due to the over-ripe character of many of the wines from this freaky vintage and this wine has not changed my opinion. The wine is very sweet, borderline cough syrup and yet it has very little body to it, mostly acidic with very weak tannins. I prefer Nyquil as it is cheaper, tastes better, has more body and the results kick-in faster. I have had the opposite results with '03 Bordeaux which I find for the most part is also very sweet but with huge tannins and low acidity. I rated my last bottle higher, but that was after a long day of drinking, so probably benefited from my purple tongue. Forgot to check the lot #, but with the '07 vintage here, I am not buying any more '03 Rhones. (3086 views) | |
| Tasted by TBAFB on 9/23/2009 & rated 94 points: Surprisingly dark colour for Clos des Papes, but not incredibly deep. Fades gently to a paler rim with a touch of garnet. My first sniff said "woodsy", but after a while this came into focus as clearly and incredibly balsamic (in the best sense). Later it became more complex with notes of raisin, licquorice, very ripe gummy stems, spice and always with a suggestion of latent heat and power. Perhaps roasted is the nearest I can get. In some respects this is a mature bouquet, as there is nothing remaining of fresh fruits and yet something suggests more evolution is likely. On the palate this is similarly powerful and sui generis. Entry is big and quickly broadens into perhaps plum-like fruit. The weight of alcohol and extract shows itself quickly and the texture is almost viscous throughout. The roasted, balsamic and spicy flavours are reflected in the palate. I also noted a distinct note of salinity, something which added to the melange and makes the wine quite distinctive. Surprisingly the tannins are sophisticated and fine (I've had plenty of '03s which are problematic in this respect) and are easily absorbed within the wine. The finish is long and quite warm, but I do not note the telltale alcoholic 'sting in the tail' of many other '03s. Certainly this is approachable now and in many ways has evolved rather rapidly. But I do sense that this wine has a future, provided the heat remains under control as the fruit recedes. A wonderful and true expression of the vintage. It was bakingly hot that year even by the standards of the region. (3347 views) | |
| Tasted by mukden on 9/21/2009 & rated 94 points: WOW BUY. This is still young. It has that great CNF complexity of baconish, leathery flavours but, I would say, it has a ways to go in terms of development. I have 8 bottles left and will not revisit for another year. Clos des Papes has that ligher CNF style, characterised by more Grenache I guess, and like Rayas it always amazes that a light-red wine can deliver such an alcoholic punch combined with some real taste. At present, this will make your guests say, wow this is good; but save it and it will get much better. [Lot No on Capsule was L058 CLOS] (3308 views) | |
| Tasted by Anonymous on 9/4/2009 & rated 96 points: (2494 views) | |
| Tasted by Kdawg on 8/28/2009 & rated 92 points: Grenache Smackdown (Wally's, Arlington Heights): nose: has a real cool and laid back sense to it with well balanced tones of black fruits, roast beef, liqueur, and licorice tones. Great depth and balance on the nose that is really enticing taste: succulent medium feel with really good tannins and well balanced tones of black fruits, liqueur tones, licorice tones, and a good amount of dark red cherries move well across the palate overall: Comes across as young and in an in-between stage, it had excellent aromatics and depth, but they were hanging back a bit and not really giving their full effort at this time (3420 views) | |
| Tasted by Richard Jennings on 8/27/2009 & rated 92 points: Chateauneuf du Pape Tasting Dinner (mainly '98s) (Bistro 24, San Francisco, California): Dark red violet color; nice big garrigue, plum, berry and herb nose; big, mouthfilling, berry, raspberry, spice palate, a little hot; medium-plus finish 92+ pts. (3194 views) | |
| Tasted by grapist on 8/23/2009 flawed bottle: Barely drinkable. Cooked and tasting of prunes. Second disappointment of 4 tried so far. From a CLOS batch, not SECK. (3526 views) | |
| Tasted by KPB on 8/9/2009 & rated 86 points: After all this time, I finally ran into a chance to try the Clos des Papes from a pristine bottle, white-market import (Julienne Imports, Chicago), lot 057 BVVI. And guess what? I still dislike this wine and can't fathom the high scores people have (continued) to bestow on it. Nose on this bottle is a bit high-toned, with cranberry and beeswax, musky aromas. with more air, a gentle aroma of shellac displaces the brioche note. I find none of the harsh iodine and maple syrup I was finding in my own (nine) bottles of Clos des Papes, but certainly not a particularly aluring nose, considering that I normally love this producer. But the problem is evident on the palate, which is harsh and disjointed with an upfront note of brioche (normally a positive thing) but taken to a degree that is positively aggressive. The mid palate seems short and rough, and the finish is a bit bitter. Noticably hot, too. The fruit is dominated by these odd flavors just as the nose is dominated by relatively unthrilling aromas. My conclusion? The bad bottles I've experienced were indeed bad, in the sense that they took all of these aspects even further. There can be little doubt in my mind that the 056 SECK bottling was from a different selection of barrels. Yet it was the same wine. Here, in the 057 BVVI, those flaws aren't as exaggerated. But still very much evident. (3699 views) | |
| Tasted by JJL on 7/19/2009 & rated 92 points: (3072 views) | |
| Tasted by clembos on 7/16/2009 & rated 95 points: First nose: port and raisins. After that an amazing development. Instense rosehip, spices (esp. cloves), candied cherry, amazing complexity and length. Tobacco, cedar, leather, cranberry. You just can't stop tasting. Very good stuff! (3993 views) | |
| Tasted by rnellans on 7/5/2009 & rated 89 points: I was anxious to taste with all of the hype surrounding this wine. I see by CT notes that there is a lot of bottle variation . This bottle was very port like, ripe, pruny, and very hot on the nose and palate. Not to my liking. The palate was very fruit driven with soft tannins. Interesting. This bottle will not age well in my opinion...It appears that other bottles described are much better. (4350 views) | |
| Tasted by grapist on 6/29/2009 flawed bottle: Decanted, never opened, clearly corked. Whattapisser (4648 views) | |
| Tasted by Eric on 6/23/2009 & rated 94 points: Since there has been so much reported variability on this wine I keep tabs of the lot number from the foil. This was from one of the supposedly problematic lots L 056 SECK, but it was far from problematic. Nothing roasted or pruney or Zin-like on the nose. No heat. Quite reticent at first, but a 30 minute decant shook that free to release glorious waves of Grenachey goodness. Pure, glorious, well-fruited, yet with fresh, classic CNDP flavors going on. Peppery and vibrant, this was at its best with some rotisserie chicken. I have had some bottles show better, and if anything this is a bit sulky and closed, but I was glad to check in on it for the first time in 18+ months. (4917 views) | |
| Tasted by Anonymous on 5/24/2009 & rated 93 points: (3718 views) | |
| Tasted by tannic.bastard on 4/29/2009 & rated 91 points: Fantastic nose, could use much more time fore the palate to develop. 91+ (5745 views) | |
| Tasted by futronic on 4/29/2009 & rated 92 points: April 2009 FWR Tasting (FWR, Toronto, Canada): Light-medium ruby colour. Crystal clear. Nose of kirsch, raspberry, currant, alcohol, herbes de Provence, brown sugar/molasses. Full-bodied, a little roasted, with prunes, raisins, raspberry coulis, and herbes de Provence. Long finish, ~45-50s, with more raspberries and raisins. The alcohol was as little more prevalent that I would have liked. I hope with more aging the alcohol is soaked up by the wine so it shows a bit better balance. This is a very big wine. (4023 views) | |
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About red wine On CellarTracker, Red Rhone Blend is the term for a wine consisting of two or more of the traditional 13 Southern Rhone grape varieties. Typically it's the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre or Cinsault grapes, but can also contain the Muscardin, Counoise, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, Roussanne, Terret Noir, Picardan or Vaccarese grapes. Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia) The Rhône Valley/Le Vins de la Vallée du Rhône (Comité Interprofession des vins AOC Côtes et vallée du Rhône) Southern Rhône Châteauneuf-du-Pape Appellation Another site on this appellation |
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