August 5, 2023 - Not decanted but a little muddy poured from the bottle with a ruby core and little bricking. Rotting leaf and blackcurrant plus some floral notes too. The palate is generous and ripe with plenty of black fruit, soft, beautiful balance and a savoury, tapenade finish. So much to enjoy.
May 7, 2023 - Bordeaux 2003 – 20 Years On – 33 Reds: All wines tasted blind, not decanted (some wines would have needed it). Observations: 1) 2003 is not a good vintage. The wines don’t have the depth and elegance of good years. But I was positively surprised, that while it’s clearly a hot year, there are less overripe, over-extracted and prematurely dying wines than in 09/10. Still, there is no comparison to how Chateauxs handle hot years today. 2) Compared to five other vintage retrospectives, the 2003 came in last place (lower average score than 2011), with just Chateau Margaux reaching a group score above 95pts. 3) Margaux wines showed best, with the typical immediate charm, while St. Estephe and Pauillac have potential but will need more time (and/or would have needed more air). 4) Right bank wines did not show as good with some alcohol showing and a few wines being on a downhill path. I would not chase 2003 right banks.
TN: Beautiful dark fruit and blue fruit nose, complex with toasty notes, herbs, minerality, cedar. Superb nose, precise, intriguing. On the palate the same layerdness with fine dark, dark red and blue fruit, fresh fruit, not too ripe, lots of cedar and some crushed rocks as well as some toasty or nutty notes. Very fine tannins, round and well-integrated acidity, superb balance and an almost airy texture without being thin. With time, however, it gets a bit thinner, loosing a bit of its appeal. But strong showing and one of the winners of the tasting.
Decanting: No extensive decanting needed.
Group average: 92.3 pts
Group rank: Shared 8th out of 29 reds
April 25, 2023 - En Primeur campaign for the 2022 vintage Day Four (Bordeaux): From Magnum. Meaty, savoury, forest floor, earth, slight leathery, sweet spice, black hued fruits. Medium plus intensity acidity, quite hard and bitter, tannins are drying. Nose better than the palate. Hmm
March 20, 2023 - Grand Bordeaux 2003 horizontal tasting (Fribourg): Bordeaux 2003 vintage horizontal hosted by a private collector and moderated by Jean-Marc Quarin. Main observations: 1/ Average quality is acceptable, but weighted down by various low-lights, esp. on the right bank. 2/ In general a tannic vintage, lacking balance. 3/ Top 3 wines were Lafite, Mouton and Margaux (all 95). See the tasting story for a complete overview and additional vintage comments.
Tasting note:
Ripe cherry fruit, extracted and concentrated but with decent definition. Earthy and smoky notes as well as a bit of leather. High-octane palate with lacking mid-palate presence. Not a great vintage for Rauzan Ségla.
February 7, 2023 - Really in a perfect spot. Earth, graphite, tight and youthful. Really delicious with a nice dry and long pull. Rauzan segla is a sleeper of a Bordeaux , but this baby is freshly woken. Still, this has lots of legs left. Drink or Hold
October 2, 2022 - Earth; lean; light blackberry and raspberry; light tannin; moderate finish.
October 1, 2022 - 5/8, good cork. Decanted 1/2 hr.
Medium/deep ruby core, pale garnet rim. Gentle, red-fruited nose - strawberries, notes of caramel and cedar. Medium bodied, elegant, strawberru fruited, cedar, soft tannins, balanced acidity, touch of spice and savour on the good length finish. Really good effort for the vintage, drinking well but see no reason for haste.
September 26, 2022 - 12.5% abv.
Received a partial bottle to try from my oenophile neighbor.
Had a sip. Rather disappointing, particularly as this is the first sample I can remember trying from Margaux. Dark brownish red on the pour and in the glass. Tantalizing nose of tobacco, sweet cherry and cola, held a lot of promise, but that's just about it. Fruit is mostly gone, leaving some tannin and acidity for the tart, lingering finish.
Second the tasting note I found @ thewinecellarinsider "wine expresses earth, tobacco and cedar scents. The fruit has started to fade. It’s time to drink up, " this from 2013. Admittedly 2003 isn't the best year for Bordeaux (excessive heat during the summer) but despite that the wine was still considered a 90 point contender. It doesn't seem appropriate to rate this particular bottle as it is clearly past its drinking window.
August 4, 2022 - Just a little less yummy than the one I drank on 11-08-20. I think the wine has just gone past its peak. Wine was good with the rack of lambs prepared in the French country style at Cafe Vin in Minneapolis.
June 7, 2022 - Classic aged bordeaux, probably near peak, but dome years left Only 12,5 % alcohol, despite the warm vintage, these were the old times… Blackberries, boysenberries., leather, earth, cigar box. Medium long finish, very good. Not cheap, but QPR still okay (upper limit).