April 14, 2024 - this was WOTN - had a few weeks ago with friends - each person brought a bottle - this was decanted two hours - really really pretty fruit, good tobacco and pencil lead hints but very medium+ pretty bordeaux sensibility on this. a tad more fruit driven relfecting the hotter vintage and compared to a 2018 CA cab the complexity, elegance and enjoyment on this was much higher
April 1, 2024 - Decanted for two hours. Dark garnet color. On the nose and palate there are secondary nuances among the dark, ripe/juicy fruits but on the human scale of maturity it has a sense of being unfinished, like a young adult who needs to quit partying and and settle down.
March 16, 2024 - Beautiful. The book says it is only a fifth growth but after many vintages drunk this is way better than that. Bought this bottle on release at $60. Looks like you can get it now around $125. Such a deal. Classic Bordeaux on the nose and in the mouth. Get a steak and this bottle and enjoy life.
February 29, 2024 - I agree with Mark1npt's note of 2/9/2024. I would only add that I purchased these as futures and stored at 55 degrees until it's trip to Naples. I think these are drinking very well and still have years to go. 95 Points
February 25, 2024 - Now mature, or early maturity at least...teenage-hood. Takes 20-30 minutes to open up, then good to go. Black olive, solid fruit. You can taste the heat of the vintage, but it's tamed. Stylistically this is between a modern old world and an old style new world wine. Soft structure, tons of fruit. Really solid muscular wine. Excellent.
February 24, 2024 - Weinclub
Wine 9: Left Bank Hot vs. Cold Vintage
Never had a better bottle than this and I love this wine for a long time. Fully on apex but no signs of fading!
The fruit just popped at you but all in balance with deep minerality.
The braised paliron and filet of veal was sublime but with the two wines it got even better.
Slow ox’d for 4h
Now - 2033
98p
February 23, 2024 - Lovely dark fruited nose. Cherry and cassis. Well balanced for the vintage. Ample acidity and silky tannins with some air. Still quite enjoyable after a week of slow ox.
February 11, 2024 - From magnum. Showed quite young still in the larger format, with a sweet nose of bing cherry, Chinese 5-spice, garrigue and a pronounced marine note. The sweetness did not follow through to the palate where the abundant fruit was quite dry, but not drying, and most of the action was on the front to mid-palate with a modest grippy finish. Paired beautifully with beef bourguignon (which itself had been constructed with a generous infusion of CdP). Excellent.
February 9, 2024 - A bottle brought to the dinner by new CT friend sastewart and spouse. Decanted for about 90 minutes then placed back into the cleaned bottle under stopper to take to the restaurant. Mild barnyard needed about an hour of the decant to blow off. Mild sediment in the bottle.
This one is perfectly integrated at that point in time. Soft silky texture in the mouth. Loads of graphite and leather on the nose and the palate. A hint of barnyard remaining on the nose early on during dinner. Wonderful balance between nose and palate, acidity and soft tannins. Still plenty of time as this one still has legs to evolve its tertiary self, further, but how does it get any better than it is right now? I just love these. 95-96 for me tonight and a great evening of food and conversation with S & M!
January 25, 2024 - Really nice classic Bordeaux. As a 2003 one might expect over ripe stewed fruits and perhaps over extracted but not a bit of it. This is plush, polished and beautifully balanced. Blackcurrant, blackberry and cassis, quite restrained. Medium plus body, plenty of acidity and grippy fine tannins. Some leather developing. Long and complex. Drinking now, though this is really still really in its primary youth, will be better in 5 years.