Farr Vintners Medoc Tasting of the 2003 Vintage, Hong Kong

This was a great event......a group of around 30 people spending a couple of hours going through six great wines ranging from $35 per bottle to almost $1000 for the Margaux. No shortage of any of the wines, even the Margaux. Each wine seemed a big step up from the previous one even if that isn't quite clear from my scores.

• 2003 Château Meyney 86 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  Very dark purple. Shy on the nose...just a little plum. Dry and astringent. Tannic. Seems closed down.

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• 2003 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Dark but translucent colour. Gorgeous big fruity Pauillac nose. Silky on the palate and beautifully balanced with tannic structure. Good length. The most restrained of the wines we tasted.

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• 2003 Château Pontet-Canet 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Black, almost inpenetrable colour. Tight nose- tar barrels, deep dark rich and ripe fruit. Wow....the palate hits you full on- sweet, silky, poised, refined, tons of fruit. Great balance and structure; elegant and poised. Good length. Still needs a good few years to shed some tannin. Opened up more with a couple of hours in the glass. It definitely has touches of New World characteristics, I guess because of the very hot year.

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• 2003 Château Léoville Poyferré 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  Very dark and inpenetrable colour. The nose is quite open and complex- very dense and rich sweet berry fruit, distinct earthy tones and just a hint of barnyard. Gorgeous on the palate and the most drinkable wine of the night- deep luscious rich sweet fruit balanced by oak. Definite ïn your head " qualities and huge length. Impressive.

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• 2003 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  More translucent colour than the other 2003s. Great nose but still very primary. Fantastic depth and richness and balance on the palate....lots of cassis and very pure dark fruits. Chewy, lots of glycerin, unctious and very concentrated.Great purity. Great length. Absolutely gorgeous and very impressive indeed. A definite step up from the Leoville Poyferre, which is selling for almost the same price.

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• 2003 Château Margaux 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Deep, dark but translucent colour. Wonderful poised, elegant and alluring nose. Incredible purity. Much lighter than anticipated on the palate; not as extracted as the Ducru Beaucailliou and almost a touch dilute compared to the other 2003s we tasted. Very low acidity. Impressively "in your head" qualities and huge length. But at near to $1000 a bottle I'd worry about the dilute mid-palate (I think you call that English understatement).

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The overwhelming impressions are that every wine (except the entry-level Meyney) exhibit great silkiness and more of a New World character than normally associated with mainstream top-tier Bordeaux wines. Unsurprisingly, they are all still very primary.....more so than I had anticipated. Well done to the Farr team for a super and instructive evening.

We went off to dinner afterwards and indulged in a Cos D'Estournel 1986 which, even at restaurant prices, made us wonder why you would pay the prices currently demanded for the 2003s.