2003 Château Puy Guilhem Fronsac

Community Tasting Notes (10) Avg Score: 90.2 points

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  6/9/2018 - WineKnurd Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Popped and poured into 2 wine glasses and another small portion into a small ~6 oz decanter. The remainder of the bottle I let audoze with the cork out. Sampled the first glass about 30 minutes later and was met with a fabulous nose of rich blackcurrants, black cherries, and spicy anise. The palate displays all of the above along with persimmon and baking spices with a cinnamon-leafy green-tobacco finish before the tannins kick in with spicy black pepper, anise, and bitter tree bark notes.
  
  Definitely needs some air- after about a hour the wine gets richer and fuller in texture and intensity. Notes of Ouzo and blackberries start to emerge, the tannins become less bitter, and the texture smooths out along with developing more mineral depth and black tea notes.
  
  The acidity and tannins are in a very harmonious balance with the tannins slightly bitter but no longer astringent, allowing the acid to carry the wine across a complex palate transition that ultimately ends with a lengthy grape skin finish.
  
  Noticeable sediment left in the bottle. Has definitely aged well- 15 years for a Fronsac from 2003 is incredible considering. Won’t be mistaken for the upper echelon of Bordeaux but if you have any bottles remaining you will slap yourself when you realize this was only $21. Based on the ridiculous price and unexpected age-worthiness of this wine, got to up my overall to a solid A (93) evaluation.
  
  A bit of ‘Knurd family history- this was the 2nd wine overall and the first red wine Mrs. Knurd and I drank as a married couple back in 2009...

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  7/12/2014 - tzelmer wrote: 89 Points

  This was much better than anticipated. It showed mature characteristics and was well integrated and balanced. Savory notes were the most interesting. Black olives and herbs.

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  4/22/2013 - wine&roses wrote: 89 Points

  Yes, it is now on the downhill slope. Still pleasant, but how lovely it was a year ago.

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  3/28/2013 - wine&roses Likes this wine: 90 Points

  I am so grateful to Wineknurd for the heads-up. I hadn't planned to drink mine yet, but clearly now is the time. Yes, it's filled with sediment, but, carefully decanted, it is still lovely. And thanks too to Eric LeVine for the technology that makes all this communication possible.

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  2/20/2012 - WineKnurd wrote: flawed

  5 bottles in a row, dead and full of sediment. I guess 9 years was too much for this 03 Fronsac but it was a great wine while it lasted!

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