Introduction

Notes from the organizer:

The 2003 vintage was a very warm one throughout France, and produced unusually powerful wines in Bordeaux, the Rhone region, and Burgundy. There was early concern based upon tasting the wines out of barrel that the wines from Chateauneuf du Pape and Burgundy would be so uncharacteristic of their regions as to be unrecognizable. However, as these wines have begun to evolve in the bottle, both the Chateauneufs and Burgs have remarkably started to reveal their classic terroir, with the Chateauneufs still showing massive dry extract but beginning to display a broad range of spices, garrigue, bacon fat and all of the other nuances which make these wines so much fun to drink and age. The vintage is looking less and less freakish and more like some of the classic heavyweight vintages of the past 1947, 1961, 1978 and 1990.

These wines now marking their 15th birthday, and they are beginning to reach their peak drinkability. The lineup on Thursday will include several of the vintage's stars, including the Cuvee du Vatican "Sixtine", Domaine de Beaurenard, Bois de Boursan Cuvee Felix, Roger Sabon Cuvee Prestige, Patrick Lesec's Cuvee Bargeton and the Cristia Renaissance . As a ringer, we will have a Rhone blend from Two Hands made by Michael Twelvetree, one of the most respected winemakers in Australia.

Flight 1 - Pre-Tasting Wine: (1 note)

Flight 2 - Main Flight: (9 notes)

Flight 3 - Post-Tasting Wine: (1 note)