Decanted for 2 hours. Unfortunately, this bottle was not perfect. The wine was still reasonably good, but no comparison to the best bottles. Too bad. No rating.
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Wines you should have bought by cases (San Shu Gong): Blinded. Served with the other Bordeaux, this had lots of graphite, pencil lead, red fruits. Drinking beautifully. Impressive showing from a hot vintage, had none of the jammy fruits.
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PnP'ed (almost; had it breathed in btl for ~1+hrs before serving), blinded. This immediately nosed of dark-fruits, toast, pencil-lead, cigar with most guesses pointing to a Pauillac. Served beside a (blinded) '05 Malescot St. Exupery, this (Margaux) was discernable as the more powerful of the two, with structure & freshness to still go the distance. Fast-forward another hour+ or so (where we moved on to other wines), this had then put on a almost 180-degrees transformation, where the bouquet turned extremely floral & complex (the pencil-lead/graphite component was gone) which was more reminiscent of a good Margaux wine. It has also gotten more harmonized, and showed more elegantly & more red-fruits where before, it was much more darker & blue. Finished long, fresh & velvety. A very good showing, but I do expect it to hit a higher plateau as it gains more secondary/tertiary complexity with more bottle-age...
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당연히 기대가 되는 그리고 기대를 해야만 하는 5대샤또, 그 중에서도 아시아에서 가장 잘 나가는 샤또 마고였다. 첫 5대샤또를 (2번이나 마신) 오브리옹으로 경험해봤기 때문에 마고에서도 비슷한, 혹은 그 이상의 경험을 기대하였다. 결론부터 말하자면 가격을 잊고 마신다면 흠결이 없는 와인이지만 가성비까지 생각하면 흠...
노즈에서는 가장 먼저 느껴지는 건 방구 냄새 혹은 마굿간 계열의 환원취였다. 곧이어 과실향도 아주 약간이나마 느껴지는데 보르도에서 기대하는 검은 과실보다는 붉은 과실에 가까웠다. 이어서 흑연과 가죽향이 느껴지는데 강렬하다기 보다는 은은하게 풍기는 정도였다.
조금 시간이 지나면 약간 달달한 건지, 플로럴한건지 싶은데 이것을 "제비꽃 향기"라고 알려주었다. 제비꽃을 본적도, 혹은 봤어도 기억을 못하기 때문에 정확하게는 모르겠다. 하지만 만약 마고에서 느껴지는 화려한 꽃향기가 이런 계열이라면 조금은 당황스러웠다.
팔렛에서는 말그대로 실키하여 거슬리는 것이 전혀없었다. 과실미에 집중되어 있는 것도 아니고, 그렇다고 스모크에 치중된 것이 아닌 조화로움이 있었다. 탄닌 역시 제대로 잘 풀려 술술 넘어갔는데, 여기에는 튀지 않는 밸런스 잡힌 산도도 제 역할을 한 것으로 보인다.
여러 사람의 의견을 들어보면 블라인드로 하였으면 "오래된 BDM 혹은 최소한 산지오베제", "부르고뉴 루즈", "캘리포니아 보르도 블렌드"라고 말했을 거라고 한다. 즉, 우리가 생각하는 보르도의 맛과는 무언가 다른 것이 있긴 했다. 다만, 5대샤또라는 지나친 기대감때문에 다소 아쉬움을 느끼지 않았나 싶으나 와인의 내공이 깊지 않은 사람도 호불호없이 즐길 수 있다는 점만큼은 높이 평가할만 하다.
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I enjoyed this and it stood up well being flighted against a 1959. I'd rate this as very good bdx, but not in the upper 90's region (i.e. great) as many here on CT find it. That's what makes a market.
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: Wow from the first sniff to the intense finish, this was a very convincing performance. Toasty notes, burnt sugar, dark ripe fruit, lots of fresh blue fruit, a strong core of minerality – a complex, intriguing bouquet. This continues on the palate where the typical elegant, Bordeaux toast/coffee notes complement a layered fruit core with bright red, fresh blue and ripe dark berries. Some additional notes of herbs and crushed rock. Aromatically quite deep and well delineated. Fine and harmonious. No excess weight, ultra-fine tannin, fine acidity, airy and quite long. I’ve had this before and rated it 92pts only. Beside the usual bottle variation, it shows how important the context of a tasting sometimes can be: A Chateau Margaux 2003 drunk with other 2003s will always shine brighter than a bottle in a lineup of 13 vintages of Chateau Margaux, no matter how strongly we try to avoid letting it influence our judgement.
Decanting: This was good from the go and a short decant should be sufficient, as it seems.
Group average: 96.0 pts Group rank: Shared 1st out of 29 reds
Elegant; subtle and velvety; opened up at dinner w dad and Sol in Miami; dried berries, light flavors; fantastic finish; not overwhelming but subtle in its power.
Medium red with a bit of mahogany in the rim. Berries and a hint of smoke in the bouquet, one detects some maturity here. Ripe, soft fruit flavor. So much fruit concentration here masks any tannins that might be present. A beautiful wine with delicious berry fruit throughout. Delicious now, I’m really unsure how long it will hold.
Tasted this at Mark’s yearly Bordeaux tasting. Sampled 12 vintages each of Château Haut Brion and Château Margaux. Great wines and comradeship, what an exceptional event to be part of! Thanks to our host for his generosity in presenting a once in a lifetime Bordeaux tasting experience. Tasted blind.
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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: This one showed nice aging notes including some Cognac-like features. Dark cherry and black currant fruit and sweet oaky notes and coffee build the character. Bold and towering but still light. A fruit-forward and ripe palate with lots of power behind, but well balanced.
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Impenetrably dark and opaque with ruby at the rim. Deep red currant, lavender, and cocoa on the nose. Youthful, rich and so profound, the alcohol level seems higher than 13%. The palate offered dark red berries, currants, and plums. It was just beginning to open up at 2.5 hours. This wine has a long ways to go.
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Just as you would hope, the 2003 Margaux shows off the best attributes of the vintage while avoiding the hazards posed by the weather. In a year so hot that the vegetative cycle was blocked for up to 2 weeks, this shows a ripe raspberry nose - neither overripe nor vegetal. Aromatically voluminous and forthcoming, it’s unmistakably Margaux, layer after layer of elegant red fruited, rosy aromas unfolding. Lush and deep on the palate with velvety tannins, there’s really no appreciable sense of heat. I’m not sure this really has the structure or cut to last decades and decades, but it does what all truly great wines do - and that’s to honestly reflect the vintage character with competence in the style of the estate.
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Monumental modern Bdx, with none of the heat of this vintage present but a classic nose full of barnyard, leather, ash, and savory aromas. The palate was intense without being cloying or overconcentrated, I found this wine to be an absolute masterclass and shockingly a touch better than the 70 Latour we had a couple days before. It's too bad it's trading as such a high price now, this was quite the steal when it was showing up on auction sites in the high $300 - low $400s.
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Flamboyant, opulent, rich, full-bodied, showy styled Margaux that is about as hedonistic as you can get. Precocious, so you can enjoy it today, or feel free to age it for another decade or 2, this is a gorgeous wine from start to finish.
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A very complete wine. It has finesse and power at the same time. The mid palate does not drop one iota and it keeps going from attack to the long finish. Still young I felt better wait a few more years.
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After a few hours in the decanter, it was still too young and restrained but started to give a peek into its potential. I was surprised not to find denser and more overripe fruit elements. Despite its relative density, it was nearly silky smooth with long pliable tannins. Would love to come back in 5 years for a new visit.
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I’ve had this so many times and it never goes wrong. Drank from a mag tonight which is always fun. This wine is rich and luxurious with perfect velvet tanin. They did a great job because it’s not showing the hallmarks from the hot vintage . Not sure this has the style to last another half century but it’s drinking fabulously now and likely will keep for many more years.
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Drank from 1.5L. This wine is firing on all cylinders. In spite of what others have said about the hot 2003 vintage, I have had great luck finding gems. This wine has loads of fruit, leather, forrest floor. Long finish, velvety tannins, very classy. My WOTN.
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Tonight this wine wasn’t open. Decanted 4 hours and didn’t budge. Became more lively when we splashed hot water around the decanted to jolt it up 2degrees to probably 22c, but overall a bit dark and brooding. Undoubtedly has the stuffing to be a majestic wine in 5 years, it wasn’t accessible tonight. Good but not reflecting it’s greatness.
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NYWE Sweet black fruits, violets and dark spices. Dark pure ripe flavors with fascinating freshness given the vintage. Beautiful texture and finesse with loads of complexity while so well balanced. Lively herbal finish. Electric. Absolutely delicious.
83% Cabernet Sauvignon, very extreme hot year.
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brought out of the cellar and paired with a bottle of 2009 Verite La Muse, for a family birthday/anniversary celebration at Russell's. first impression upon pulling cork was fantastic. very long, plum forward sip. Smokey and chocolate with delicate flower nose. saved for main dishes. unfortunately, while decanting over 1 and 1/2 hour starters and talk, it closed up some. paired mine with a blue filet always classic
the La Muse was the winner tonight 99pts to me
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Decanted 3 hours. Cork and level were perfect, the bottle not. It was still pretty good and improved during the dinner, but it never reached the heights of my first two bottles (96 and 98 pts).
From magnum. This was excellent right out of the bottle, but double decanted and recorked for 5 hours, then decanted and served over 2 hours. Agree with all the notes that there is no hint of heat or over ripe fruit. This has dark, ripe fruits and great concentration but a very Bordeaux feel and finish to it. Just wonderful and plenty of time left in this format but it does feel ready to go now. A
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The 2003 Chateau Margaux, my last bottle unfortunately, has always delivered. It does not show any alcoholic heat, over-ripe aromas or under-ripe phenolics which are the three issues that plague the 2003 Bordeaux. It is a wine full of ripe fruit with spices, very much in the brown-red aroma spectrum vs. the blue-green of cooler vintages. While the wine is exuberant, everything is in balance. One of the best wines of the vintage. This bottle was pristine and felt early in the drinking window. Looks like I rushed through this case too fast.
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beautifully made, the tannins are soft as is the wine but I feel this needed more time, both in the bottle and in the glass, to develop more complexity - leave
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I opened this bottle for a very special occasion with family. I say this because this is not a regular bottle in my cellar and I've always struggled with the right time to pop the cork on a bottle of this stature. Tonight the stars aligned to pull the trigger on this beauty.
The wine was paired with a grilled CA Reserve Picanha steak. It was drank out of a Riedel SOMM Bordeaux glass. I have minimal experience with First Growths but I have previously enjoyed a 1982 and 2004 Château Margaux. This was my most memorable experience with the wine.
The wine was decanted for 2 hours, in part thanks to the guidance from Jeff Leve. It was drank over another 2 hours and it continued to improve with each glass poured. The color was purple with dark brick red edges. There was a nice bouquet with some hints of black fruits/berries, leather and cedar. There were primary and secondary flavors present. There were hints of black fruits/berries, plum and fig present. There were flavors of cedar, spices and some minerality providing a hint of sweetness. The body was medium to medium-full with medium minus acidity. The tannins were well integrated and smooth. I agree with other reviews that there was no signs of heat, which was a fear of the 2003 vintage.
This wine was a true delight to drink. However, it fell just short of being mentioned as my WOTY, which to date is the 1990 Ridge Monte Bello. My score is a 96+ and definitely has some room to improve with a little bit more time in the cellar. However, it is definitely in a very good drinking window and if you have the right reason to open this bottle, I would not hesitate to pop the cork!
Château Margaux Vertical 2003-2015: All wines tasted blind alongside the matching vintage of Sassicaia (see separate tasting story). The quality of the Margauxs transcends through the vintages with exceptional complexity and precision and a soft- and roundness not many left bank wines show that young. Many off-vintages delivered great pleasure (06, 08, 12) but of course the best wines were from the top vintages. Winner again was the 2009 (already won in a top 50 wines from 2009 retrospective last June) thanks to an unbelievable depth and sexiness. The 2015 (hyper pure and singular) and the 2010 (the definition of finesse) are just a tad behind, with the 2005 (like so many 2005s) showing promising but not ready. Average score for the Margauxs at very high 94.8 points (clearly higher than the 92.1 for the Sassicaias, which - no surprise - only beat Margaux in the very weak Bordeaux vintages 2011/2013).
TN: At first rather muted nose which opened up with a bit of air showing dark red and dark fruit, some salt and minty accents. On the palate, the very hot vintage shows with a high degree of ripeness and more floral aromas. The structure is good with very soft tannins and a good amount of acidity to keep it fresh. Nevertheless, this was one of the weakest vintages missing the balance, harmony and complexity of many others wines that night. Not one to chase BUT JM Quarin, the French wine critic present, said that this was an off bottle. So maybe other bottles perform better.
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Just a gorgeous wine that's a pleasure to drink. Opulent, flamboyant and showy, there is good concentration, length, lush textures and silky tannins. There is no touch of heat or overripeness. It's in a good spot today and there is plenty left in the tank for improvement.
Margaux vs Sassicaia double vertical: Sassicaia vs Margaux face-off hosted by a private collector. I was surprised by the unambiguousness of the result in this 13- year (2003-2015) double vertical. Margaux beats Sassicaia 10x with Sassicaia on top only 3x. Of the 26 wines tasted, the top 6 (all scored 95 and higher) were all Margaux with 2009, 2010 and 2015 all somewhere between regal and galactic. In sum, the average score for Margaux was 94.4 (range 92-98) as compared to a Sassicaia average of 93.1 (range 92-94). See tasting story for a few more high level remarks.
Just hints of aging notes here and less obvious than in the 2014. Held back and felt restrained some on the nose. A bit earthy and mineral and delicate in appearance. Fresh, fruity palate with a cool, again restrained fruit. But adding complexity by the minute. Palate with imperfect balance, some acidity overhang and mouth-coating tannins suggesting more time in the bottle is needed here, in that sense seems to require even more time than the cousins up North in St Estephe where Cos d‘Estournel or Montrose already came across closer to the drinking window (albeit both were decanted and enjoyed over a longer period).
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Line up of wines for the night, 2 bottles of 2009 Château Mouton Rothschild, 1 bottle of 2003 Chateau Margaux and 4 bottles of 2005 Château Latour. Before drinking the wines, based on RP scores, it should be ranked like this; Mouton 99, Latour 98+, Margaux 93. And based on price point; Latour, Mouton follow by Margaux. My personal favourite wine goes like Mouton, Margaux, Latour. After tasting the wine throughout the night, my wine of the night is suprisingly totally different from RP, price point and my personal favourite; our consensus rank follows Latour, Margaux and Mouton.
2005 Latour is consistently throughout the 4 bottles, the aroma and taste is delicate and finessed. Deep purple coloured, roses, blackfruits, and on its palate, chocolate, dark tea. It can be drink now till easily another 30 years.
2003 Margaux is fully matured, and 2003 being one of the hottest vintage, Chateau Margaux had produced an extraordinary wine in 2003. Opulence, seductive, blackberry, cassis, vanila, cedar. Can be drank now till 2030. In its drinking window
2009 Mouton is full bodied, high acidity and high tannin, purple rim, pencil, cassis, oak, violets. It have all the trademark of a high scoring point and vintage. However, it’s not ready to drink yet, or maybe I should say if I had only drank Mouton alone, it will be as enjoyable as well. Drink now till 2060.
It’s show that even great wine and great vintage if drank at wrong drinking window will not achieve greatness pleasure. At most likely the price it’s a better indicative of the consensus.
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Opulent, silky, lush and sensuous, the wine is concentrated, deep, long and yes, it is also fresh, The layers of perfectly ripe, velvet-textured fruits come at you in layers. The wine is refined and intense.
Deep nose of florals like violets and baking spices, cloves, cinnamon, cassis, cigar box. Palate is dense, lush, abundant dark fruits, solid core of integrated fruit and tannin and earth, peppercorns, tapering to a luxurious velvety thick and balanced twenty second finish.
Opened with the Grape Nuts and was immediately enjoying the bouquet but regretting the monotone palate. Glad half was saved overnight to produce this note!
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Didn’t have the aromatic lift of mature bdx, but palate was seemless and deep. No hints of heat stress at all, still quite younthful, delicious. Approachable and enjoyable now but has upside as the nose hasn’t caught up with the palate yet.
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Decanted 3 hours. This bottle was not as impressive as my last one (2016). But still a very good wine. This has many years left. If you have several bottles it's worth to pop one now. 96+ pts.
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Drank from a 375 ml, very dark red color, this had an amazing nose, very perfumed and floral, rose, red cherry, slightly phenolic with some earthiness. Bold flavors of red raspberry, blackberry and other bramble, along with phenolic notes upon first opening. After about two hours get more black cherry, leather, cigar box maybe some cedar and a hint of vanilla, moderately tannic, low acid, with a very long finish. This had the most intense nose I've ever experienced in a wine and was extremely enjoyable, I could have just smelled the wine all night and been happy. Some reviews (maybe only older reviews) note that this could be confused with a Cali cab, most of my experience with cab/Bordeaux blends is with California wines and I don't think that this could ever be confused with one of those. This is my first Margaux, so can't compare to other vintages, but if this is considered a not so great vintage I can't imagine how good this is in a good vintage. This was fantastic.
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2003 Bordeaux tasting (from 2011): A controversial wine that divided tasters. Tasters detected aromas of cigar box, violets, spiciness, blackberry and earth, while those less favourably inclined cited musty, forest floor and charred elements. The oak regime, that was clear from the wine’s nose, was one of the key points of division among tasters. Those in the pro camp, including the writer, were not deterred by the oak elevage and argued for the purity of fruit, good structure, well balanced tannins and good weight present in the wine. The anti camp considered the wine too New World in style, chocolaty and over oaked and noted heat on the back palate. Overall, however the Margaux was second preferred in the wine of the night voting.
NA = 0, B = 1, S = 11, G = 18, WON = 8
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Château Margaux vertical dinner (Taberna Del Alabardero): This is not an exaggeration of the vintage at all as the aromatics are not overly ripe although one gets hints of roasted fruit that reveal, perhaps "would reveal" the 2003 aspect had this been a blind tasting. The attack is very appealing: red and black berry fruit, hints as noted of roasted fruit on the palate but subtle, then an almost velvety texture that pleases the mid palate to be sure! However, this has less depth than the 2000, and is noticeably shorter on the finish as compared to the 2001, which is both fresher – and longer.
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Chateau Margaux dinner with Thibault Pontallier (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): Expressive very ripe nose displaying cherry liqueur, Chambord, a hint of cassis, espresso, medicine, lead pencil and earth. Excellent concentration, packed very ripe red and black fruit, bright acidity, earthy mineral, nicely integrated tannins and a medium to long Chambord and earth driven finish. There is noticeable bitterness at the end that clips the finish. The 03 ripe fruit expression has subsided. The bitterness is a bit bothersome at the moment. I suspect this will develop like the 76 Latour, kinda exotic and kinky.
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No signs of a too heated vintage, just richesse and charm, creamy texture, layered and full, but with a vertical structure, vraiment Grand Vin. Still very young. #Schur
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Shortly after he'd been released from incarceration in St Elizabeths mental hospital for "treasonous" utterances on the Rome radio during WWII, Ezra Pound-- whose linguistic skill was perhaps the richest and most culturally consequential of the Twentieth Century-- fell silent. Observers interpreted this as an expression of penance. Toward the end of his life, Pound allowed a reporter from The New York Times to visit him in Rapallo, Italy, for an interview. Scores of questions were met with silence. The great poet and teacher uttered not a syllable. Finally, said the journalist: "Why aren't you answering my questions?" Responded, at last, The Poet: "Words...no...good." Sometimes and in some contexts, the tools of expression fail us, inadequate to the task of conveyance. I've not had Margaux before this evening at Smith & Wollensky in Manhattan on March 6, 2018. I can only now imagine the other more legendary vintages of this premier grand cru chateau. This, an unremarkable year generally for the chateaux of the Medoc, was nevertheless a solid year for Margaux. Because the overall success or lack of success of the commune in a given year determines the pricing of all its produce, even the few outstanding successes, the 2003 Margaux could be had this evening and in this place for the relative "bargain" price of only $725. 2003 Margaux. Words...No...Good.
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Same bottle, different opinion: nose shows roast chinese duck, tart blackberries, talc, very primary. Lush in the mouth, even with a bit of heat: York peppermint patty, sweet black plums and berries to the finish, fairly long, and the best is clearly yet to come.
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Château Margaux Vertical (Chef's Club NYC): Nose has scorched earth and super ripe red and blue berry fruit. Dry wood and soil. Palate is hot and the flavours attack upfront and then fall off.
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Lush, sensuous, rich, opulent and perhaps decadent levels of perfectly ripe fruits are impossible not to get caught up in. Length, purity, seamlessness and textural delights are what you will find here. This is one of the top wines of a mixed vintage and a great Margaux.
Opened in London to celebrate some good news with two friends. Decanted but enjoyed fairly quickly.
Excellent Margaux. No extensive notes taken (and this was overshadowed by the 2002 DRC RSV we had straight after) but already quite expressive and drinking very well.
Has upside - would like to revisit in 5+ years to see where it's at.
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The 2003 Château Margaux is a disappointment, even within the context of this vintage, which certainly didn't favor the appellation. An evolving bouquet of dried cherry, herbs, licorice and a liberal framing of cedary, spicy new oak precedes a medium-full, awkwardly balanced wine, its fruit sweet and candied but not really cloaking its rather angular, dry chassis of tannins. Blind, I doubt anyone would identify this as either a first growth or Château Margaux.
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Was looking forward to this bottle for years as I don’t own or get to taste many first growths with a 1990 Lafite being my only other dalliance and a ‘95 Margaux, ‘12 Mouton and ‘12 Haut Brion still in the cellar. It was my 60th birthday and recent tasting notes got me encouraged to open this bottle. I sourced it on release and it was stored at 55 degrees in my small wine cooler since then. Was a bit worried as I decanted the wine as it wasn’t giving off much aroma but I’ve had plenty of bottles that “transform” after sitting in the decanter. Well three hours later and after my long digression about the classification of 1855 I pour 3 glasses for my wife and son and we toast the occasion. Hmm, the 3 of us are underwhelmed. Well I swirl and sniff and wait for the magic to unfold but the wine was flabby and just ordinary all night. For sure it was a pleasant wine but nothing profound in either the nose or finish, the two attributes I use to identify high scoring wines in my book. I even popped a $15 2007 St. Emillion Quinault L'Enclos and the nose was similar but it had a less sophisticated finish. Oh well it was another experience in my wine journey but not a memorable one that I was hoping for. The 2003 Ponet Canet we had in March blew this wine away.
WCC Margaux AOC Blind Tasting (Home of Chef Andrew Plummer, East Greenbush, NY): [Double-decanted for 5 hours at 9am.] Another beast of a wine. In hindsight, we should have skipped the first flight. This is a great flight but just too much young wine at this point. At this point, I'm getting licorice and cedar in the nose. Is this a Lafite ringer? It is a delicious, powerful wine with an obviously bright future. 95-??
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Coravined. Less refined and complete than the lafite 03. But it is a more classic bordeaux. Nose has dark currant, toffee, oak, graphite, and tobacco. Lots of power and very balanced despite the ripe vintage. Great structure but the lafite is more showy and sexy tonight. 94-95
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Sumptuously sweet, fruity and silky tannin The wine is still deep purple in colour, and there is no significant sediment. Still very young despite it is 14 years old On the nose, it reveals licorice, tobacco and sweet black fruits. Its aroma improves significantly with two hours of decanting. The palate is smooth. The medium acidity balanced the silky tannin. Overall, it is incredibly sweet and has lots of finesse. If you like its generous sweetness, you won't regret opening a bottle now.
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Decided to crack into my case and see how this was developing. Needed a 4 hour decant. Much more evolved than my last tasting some years ago. Really interesting how the soft velvety feminine fruit side comes in on the front and mid palate and the finish morphs into a forest floor. Rather unique experience. Seeing how this evolved so well over the years am going to hold off on getting back to these for a bit. Very accessible now and an absolute treat. But my hunch is she's going to continue to improve a bit. Will reach to try some of the '99 or '96 next time am feeling the itch for that terroir.
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Super sweet and seductive fruit of red and mostly dark berries (black currant, black cherries), floral notes too (like candied flowers), tobacco, some sweet spices, espresso, minerality and plenty of other things going on. It's medium-full bodied, with medium acidity and medium+ tannin. Everything is beautifully balanced and leaves the impression of total harmony and elegance. It's like a stereotypical Château Margaux (finesse) with an extra layer of fruit. Excellent length. Everybody was super impressed. A real 1er Cru from this freakish vintage...
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Wow, this was the most sexy & expressive wine of the flight. Lush nose of ripe cassis, coffee, lead... very nice. Intense, but equally fresh and lifted on the palate, with dark-red fruits and just a tiny tinge of plums. So very good! Will be even better with more cellar time!
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From Coravin in 67 Pall Mall. Left in the glass to air for ~1 hour prior to tasting. I was really curious to try this wine as I had been toying with the idea of buying a case given this looks to be relatively good value (for 1st growth value today) based on critic scores and CT reviews. I must remark that I am not generally a 2003 vintage fan as I find it lacks Bordeaux typicity for me. But reviews here on CT pointing to this not being your typical 03 encouraged me. The wine was no doubt very good with plum, violet, faint hint of cedar and the sample was small so I could not see it develop over time. It would have benefited from some more air. It was not 2003 typical which is good, definitely a proper claret in my book. It was however not quite as good as I had hoped for to be perfectly hones. The 1990 Chevalier rouge drank side by side sort of stole the show. It was also not as good as a bottle of 96 Margaux I had recently (rated 98). So bottom line for me is that I won't be buying a case of this as I personally prefer other 1st growth at this price point (the Mouton 05 for me is a lot better/more interesting). Needless to say I should rush out to buy another case of Chevalier rouge 90. If I had a bottle of Margaux 03 I would give this some more time (5 years) before popping a cork or decant 2+ hours.
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Poker night - Bordeaux single blind - 95 GPL, 01 Ausone, 11 The Lovers, 03 Margaux and etc.: RJ forgot that we are tasting blind. Intense ripe cassis driven nose with a hint of strawberry jam and framboise, ink, espresso, cedar, lead pencil and mineral. Incredible concentration, intense cassis driven palate impression, bright acidity, good mineral presence and a long sweet finish. It feels very new worldish but still remains distinctively Bordeaux. This really needs another ten years to shed the ripe fruit and gain additional tertiary notes.
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Rich royal purple and a nirvana nose of poppy, sweet pea, and plum blossom with the most sensational classic and textured yet fresh, mouthfeel of velvet, menthol, licorice, cassis, vanilla and sweet toast. This perfectly balanced mixture of blackberry and currant has smooth tannins with glorious, sexy, delicious flavors. Love it! Drink now or the next twenty years.
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NYC Tasters Guild: 2003 Bordeaux Retrospective: Drank at NYC tasters guild and was my WOTN. Purple color with no sign of age apparent. Herbal nose without showing much fruit. Medium to heavy body. Plenty of black fruit, some chocolate and mocha, coffee beans, cedar, cigar box. Very soft and very elegant, with soft tannins, great depth of fruit and terrific concentration, yet very structured. Delicious wine with a long way to go....
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Wild nose of violets, ripe black currant, roasted nuts and char. On the palate, there are big flavors of dark fruits along with notes of purple flowers and smoke. Finishes with tons of dark spices and lots of acidity. The Margaux terroir is apparent here but there is definitely a roasted quality from the hot vintage. I actually like this very much but it's maturing at a fast pace and should be drunk on the younger side for a first growth.
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Need quite alot of air to open up. Perfect balance, medium body, showing brilliant depth and concentration of musculine dark black fruits, spices, cedar, black tea , all the way from nose to finish wrapped by elegant earthiness and perfumed violet floral. Phenomenal. Would say that it is in early secondary development stage now. It definitely will be different but not sure will it become EVEN BETTER than now.
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Opened a half bottle tonight for our anniversary dinner (along with a half bottle of 2002 Phelps Insignia). Wonderful Bordeaux nose with fruit, cedar, leather, and vanilla. Delineated, pure fruit: blackberry and cassis with more cherry than I expected. Superb length. Sweet tannins. Silky, silky texture. Refreshing acidity that keeps you reaching for your glass. Nearly perfect wine. Everything in balance. Fully mature (perhaps because of the half bottle). Beat out the Insignia, but not a fair comparison: apples and oranges.
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If you are a fan of Chateau Margaux, and you have the funds, this is a wine you need in your cellar! Pure silk and velvet textures, lush, opulent tannins, incredible depth of flavor, concentration and length, the perfectly ripe fruit that fills your mouth, is absolutely decadent. While young, there is such a wealth of ripe fruit and the tannins are so soft and polished, you can drink this now. Or, feel free to lay it down in your cellar for another decade. This is one of those unique wines that leaves you thinking about it, long after the wine has left your glass and gone to where it was intended to be.
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Easy drinking wine , would assume this is good for decades to come.....This baby is showing very little of it's potential , much more time is needed , but if you don't have time it's nice now ;). Suggestion : open 3 hours prior to enjoying .
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Very , very good. Revealed its very 1st potential and is clearly capable of doing much more. Has a distinctive smell of vanilla, roasted coffee, toffee, fudge and truffle. Is a real masculine power house with a touch of elegance and class. Impressive.
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Kvällens stjärna i vår lilla 03 provning, Vinet är på nåt sätt så rent och klart, i både smak och doft, som en fjällbäck full av mull höstskog, svartavinbärskarameller och kaffe.
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Outstanding wine. Still very Young. Popped and poured. Kept evolving in the glass during the evening. Very seductive and perfect balance. I Would wait a couple of years before drinking one again. 97+
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Background green nose with a lot of coffee and toasty notes with air time. Red and black fruits, light spice, limestone and chalk, with a light mustiness and the palate. Lacks the cohesion that I would expect. Served with roasted guinea hen and morels. 93-94
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Soft and plush, this is a generous and giving wine that is ready to give it all to you now, but has a good life ahead. Unpretentious, showing great balance and maturity, with white flowers, cedar and beginning of coffee development. DRINK or hold, up to you. But this is mature now!
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I was expecting a hot, overripe mess, but apparently its 1st Growth-ness overcame the 2003-ness, as it is not roasted-ripe but rather ripe like berries on a bush that bursting with flavor at the peak of summer. Such class here, with great breadth and volume and openness (perhaps also the response of the Margaux vineyards to the hot summer? I've never had another vintage of this wine so I'm guessing), and yet its all rooted in a mineral character. Astonishing wine.
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As part of a Nashville Wine Auction charity (www.nashvillewineauction.com) tasting diner with Paul Pontallier of Margaux we tasted 2 of each 2004,2003,2003,2000,1998,1996,1995,1990,1989,1988,1986,1983,1982,1982, 1975 There was some bottle variation. This wine i believe was one of the best of the evening. I thought it showed better than the epic 2000. it was gorgeous! the nose, the palette, the acidity...with each sip you wanted more.
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Xmas lunch 2014. Dark crimson red with great density. Beautiful nose that just kept improving in the decanter - blackcurrant, dark plum, violets and touches of liquorice and cedar. Palate quite voluptuous and rich with great symmetry and balance : leads into mineral touches and fine tannins that provide great length. Perhaps just a little hardness at the end that prevents a perfect finish but even that seems absent in the last glass ! Really good and fascinating to compare against other Margaux icons e.g. Palmer and Rausan Segla in that suffered in the heat of 2003. I love Christmas !
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Truffle, coffee bean, licorice, spice, roasted blackberries and cherry blossoms. Pure , sensuality, with fruit drenched in velvet and silky tannins, with a long, fresh, sweet black cherry finish. This is still young and while the wine is delicious to drink today, this is going to get better and better with time. This is a contender for the wine of the Left Bank and of the vintage!
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Bordeuax 2003 horizontal tasting with Pichon L, Mouton R, Cos d’Estournel and Margaux. All were excellent and in good condition, but there were striking differences. My wife and I had the wines with duck confit and mushroom Risotto, finishing with fresh Manchego cheese. The Cos was, surprisingly, the least impressive. It was fruity, round, but one dimensional, with little in the way of a finish. About a 92. The Pichon was next, with a bit of spice on the front end, with good red fruit, and a nice finish. Not spectacular, but very good. About 94. The Mouton was a surprise, given what I had read about it. It was really good, deep red fruits, long mid palate with earthy tones, and a long finish. This had been decanted for about four hours, so maybe that helped. About 96. The star of the evening was the Margaux. Right off the bat, complex red fruits with spices and earthy notes, mid palette of deep dark fruit, very long and satisfying finish. This is what makes Bordeaux so great. We tasted a very good California cab right after, and it seemed thin and one-dimensional. Give it a 98. Wow.
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Ripe nose packed with layers of dark fruits. Still very primary on the palate despite 2.5hr decant. Will no doubt be close to perfection once it reaches maturity, but that could take another decade.
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Before removing cork noticed a cut across top of it, an indication of air seepage. Wine was not corked but lacked flavor, consentration and a nose. Decanted for 6 hours but never developed into anything memorable. Yet another disappointing expensive bottle.
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A fun duo of 03 and 05 Margaux. The 03 was super ripe, the 05 more balanced and nuanced (this is relative, as its an 05). The table was split about evenly, but I preferred the 05.
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2003 ch Margaux Color: dark as night Nose: very ripe, black fruits with dark cherry liqueur Palate: powerful yet elegant n super silky tannins, full bodied, still young but already offering great pleasure, probably WOTN vs 08 haut brion, 08 lafite, 04 drc st vivant & 07 drc la tache, profound wine! Full of class Rating: 97+
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Decanted 3 hours and shared over a Bison ribeye. Garnet in color, long legs, aroma's of fresh barnyard - forrest loam, dark fruit, vanilla, smoke and coffee bean, evolving quite well over the next two hours. Soft, silky tannins; muted - luscious fruit, and all so well integrated. I look forward to further improvement with a few more years in the bottle.
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Decanted for roughly 5 hours before serving. Dark red berry and plum aromatics with coffee bean, chocolate and cedar notes as well. Ripe red fruit on the palate as well. Quite lush and giving, but still showing some tannic structure. Well balanced for the vintage. Medium plus body and finish.
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A very delicate and complex wine. Full red ruby color. Velvet texture, delicate taste, low acids, soft tannines, rich flavour of red fruit, some vanilla and long finish. Very well balanced. Excellent wine but too high price quality ratio.
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Compelling in every way, 2003 Margaux has it all! A fragrance that grabs you with its smoke, caramel, truffle, blackberry, floral, forest floor and cedar wood scents. The thick, rich, silky palate pairs intensity and purity. The wine is deep, fresh and complex. This will be a legendary vintage in a decade or two.
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Had the opportunity to share several bottles with some really good friends. Simply amazing. Decanted for 90 minutes and the wine was a study in depth, balance and richness. Terrific fruit, wrapped seamlessly in liquid smoke around polished, integrated tannins that show this beauty is ready to drink but still has years/decades to go before hitting its peak. In sum....a classic.
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I drank this wine several times. 2 times during a blind high-end Bordeaux shoot out, once during a 10 year Haut Brion vs. Margaux vertical and once at the Chateau during a vertical dinner (00-09) organized by the French wince critic Jean-Marc Quarin. It always delivered. I cannot recall one single person who did not like this wine. At the Chateau it put the 05 and 00 in the dog house. And don't get me wrong, I do not like the Bdx 03 vintage at all... The wine is is highly aromatic (toast, coffee, cloves, cedar wood, etc.), fresh, yes fresh, soft tannins too. If you have a bottle open one to see yourself.
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Tasted blind. Amazing nose of cassis/black currant, flowers, some spices, licorice, etc. Super complex aromatic profile. Medium-full body with medium-high tannins and a medium+ acidity providing some freshness. This is an extremely elegant and complex Margaux that leaves an impression of great finesse and class. Everybody loved it!
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Bright red, still very tightly wound. decanted for 60 min. Deep red fruit showing, still strong tannins present but very subtle. very classic margaux. dark fruits, just a hint of charcoal. still incredibly young, would wait 5 more years to drink. this was better than i expected, and will be alot better in the coming years.
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Wineflock - 2003 Bordeaux (Kenny's): My #2, Group #3 - Opaque brighter red color. warm red fruit with slight green pepper and charcoal notes on the nose. Nice juicy blcak fruit with good balance and a lingering finish. A nice wine, but I've like it better in the past than I did here...
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Chateau Margaux tasting dinner with Paul Pontalier (At Chateau Margaux): This was the wine of the evening, even though Jean-Marc was the opinion that the 00 and 05 have more length. But tonight this was every one's darling. Soft, lush, sexy with ample red fruit, toast, and sweet spices. 98+
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Highly concentrated wine. Thick ripe black fruits, warm spice-cake and coffee beans in the nose. Beautiful thick and elegant on the well delineated palate, dark fruits, vanilla and dark chocolate tones. Long lingering and well-integrated tannins. More accessible than expected. 95+
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Very elegant and refined. Superb balance in spite of its youth. Still plenty of evolving to come but this is splendid Chateau Margaux. Will be very happy drinking my stock in 5-10 years. 50+9+8+19+9=95+
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Cloudy, dark red color with aromas of dried meats and slightly sweet red fruits. Flavors of very soft cherry and blackberry. Short finish. Almost seems too light in style.
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dinner @ quince. decanted. a modern margaux, no doubt primary in it's youth, but also effected by the vintage extreme heat? tighter than an 03 mouton showed a while back (and even an 03 lafite), and i dare to speculate, won't develop like the mouton from a nuanced standpoint. under carriage of fruit is layered on a strong backbone, very structured, i.e. no femininity. this drank more like a young, high end napa cab. hold (duh!). still fun to try. 92+
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Aged Bordeaux, Champagne, Chef Toby Joseph and a few miscellaneous wines (Casa Covolo): The sexiest most appealing nose of the reds. This wine might turn out to be the best of the bunch, but I don’t think we did it justice tonight. The nose showing toasty creamy oak with minerals and rich red fruit. Big, big wine in the mouth that didn’t show as much as it did on the nose, but you can tell the best is yet to come.
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The rim is becoming pale and although it seems viscous in the glass, the wine is fairly dull on the nose and leans more to hard or tough dried fruit such as cranberry. Mouth-coating viscosity, very dense, but lacks all sense of freshness and Margaux typicity. A second pour exhibited a hint of varnish. The super-hot summer seems to have left its imprint on the wine. I can't see this developing positively over the years but I hope I am wrong.
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Fresh flowers (lily), broccoli, chalk dust, and pencil lead on the nose. The palate was very interesting and strange. The tannins are big and it makes for a very chewy wine. The acidity is almost undetectable and the wine is full of sweet dark flavors like mocha, licorice, cinnamon, plum and nutmeg. The finish is long and chewy and so much so that it was difficult to drink with food. I chewed the wine more than the food. If you did not smell the wine and only drank it, you would have confused it for cult Cali. This should improve after the tannins mellow. I would try again in 5 years.
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Farr Vintners Medoc Tasting of the 2003 Vintage, Hong Kong (Farr Vintners Office, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong): 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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Apparently we were not as impressed as other reviewers. Perhaps our expectations were too high. We have five more bottles. We’ll see what it is like in two years.
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Decanted and drank with nephew ATBridge to get a feel for the 03's. Powerful floral and pencil-lead nose. Beautiful dark garnet color. Tannins very dominating but big black fruit and coffee on the palate. Rich and chewy texture. We agreed this was going to be massive when it reaches maturity.
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Opened for Wine Flock 2003 Bordeaux Tasting - Served Blind Sweet lush nose with dense coffee infused blackberry aromas and hint of floral, quite seductive. A chewy wine with deep dark blackberry fruit in a toasty creamy lush style. Very complex with nuances of chocolate, coffee, and cherry wraped with ripe but persistant tannins. Lower acid wine, but by no means flabby. Perhaps just a touch warm on a long ripe finish.
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Wineflock - 2003 Bordeaux, Parker 90+ (Ken's): Group #6, My #3 - Full red color. Medium clean coffee red fruit nose. Big bold concentrated tannic black fruit with a long coffee finish. This is still tight and young and hadn't been decated. Should be great with time.
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Extremely deep and dark color - more brown than red actually. By far the sweetiest nose, but also with lots of warmth. Raisins, licquor, licorice, vanilla, coffee, smoke - the list goes on. Extremely voluptuous and seducing. It knocks you right of your feet! Rating: 98
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Chicago's Best Bordeaux Tasting Ever? (Ken's Home): Double decanted at 6:45am. Superb aromas of dense lush red cherry, black mineral, and toasty cedar. Soft in the mouth, quite feminine, but surprisingly nice acidity for such a hot year. Great density and quality of red ripe fruit, solid raw materials. Rich with plenty of acid and sweet tannins. Soft spicy finish. This was dominated by minerals and acid, but as they intergrate, this should be very special.
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Great Wines of Bordeaux dinner (Ken Kailin's): Decanted about 12 hours. Full deep red. Big bright clean black fruit aroma. Full bright almost medium bodied black fruit. Still quite young but a great wine. Neck and neck with the Lafite... 94+ pts.
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Winery: Slightly darker purple than Pavillon, but can see bottom; some cherry, beaut. med. int. nose; soft berry, lightly toasted cedar; beaut. soft mth, good t’s, structure; hot fin., long soft glycerin t’s.
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3/30/2024 - Handy1 wrote: 96 Points
Decanted two hours. Dark fruit well balanced cigar, lead pencil some leather. Thought fruit was fading a bit toward end. Drinking very well though
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2/7/2024 - cnichelson Likes this wine: 92 Points
It had all the great cedar box notes of a classic Bordeaux but lacked the Margaux violets and velvet ones. From magnum.
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1/11/2024 - Romol wrote: flawed
Decanted for 2 hours. Unfortunately, this bottle was not perfect. The wine was still reasonably good, but no comparison to the best bottles. Too bad. No rating.
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12/25/2023 - JS199 wrote: 97 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. The purity and sensualness of this wine was pure bliss. Got lots of tea notes and red fruits on a seamless delivery.
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10/13/2023 - astroman Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wines you should have bought by cases (San Shu Gong): Blinded. Served with the other Bordeaux, this had lots of graphite, pencil lead, red fruits. Drinking beautifully. Impressive showing from a hot vintage, had none of the jammy fruits.
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10/13/2023 - etyc Likes this wine:
PnP'ed (almost; had it breathed in btl for ~1+hrs before serving), blinded. This immediately nosed of dark-fruits, toast, pencil-lead, cigar with most guesses pointing to a Pauillac. Served beside a (blinded) '05 Malescot St. Exupery, this (Margaux) was discernable as the more powerful of the two, with structure & freshness to still go the distance. Fast-forward another hour+ or so (where we moved on to other wines), this had then put on a almost 180-degrees transformation, where the bouquet turned extremely floral & complex (the pencil-lead/graphite component was gone) which was more reminiscent of a good Margaux wine. It has also gotten more harmonized, and showed more elegantly & more red-fruits where before, it was much more darker & blue. Finished long, fresh & velvety. A very good showing, but I do expect it to hit a higher plateau as it gains more secondary/tertiary complexity with more bottle-age...
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10/2/2023 - Yohansmas Does not like this wine:
당연히 기대가 되는 그리고 기대를 해야만 하는 5대샤또, 그 중에서도 아시아에서 가장 잘 나가는 샤또 마고였다.
첫 5대샤또를 (2번이나 마신) 오브리옹으로 경험해봤기 때문에 마고에서도 비슷한, 혹은 그 이상의 경험을 기대하였다.
결론부터 말하자면 가격을 잊고 마신다면 흠결이 없는 와인이지만 가성비까지 생각하면 흠...
노즈에서는 가장 먼저 느껴지는 건 방구 냄새 혹은 마굿간 계열의 환원취였다.
곧이어 과실향도 아주 약간이나마 느껴지는데 보르도에서 기대하는 검은 과실보다는 붉은 과실에 가까웠다.
이어서 흑연과 가죽향이 느껴지는데 강렬하다기 보다는 은은하게 풍기는 정도였다.
조금 시간이 지나면 약간 달달한 건지, 플로럴한건지 싶은데 이것을 "제비꽃 향기"라고 알려주었다.
제비꽃을 본적도, 혹은 봤어도 기억을 못하기 때문에 정확하게는 모르겠다.
하지만 만약 마고에서 느껴지는 화려한 꽃향기가 이런 계열이라면 조금은 당황스러웠다.
팔렛에서는 말그대로 실키하여 거슬리는 것이 전혀없었다.
과실미에 집중되어 있는 것도 아니고, 그렇다고 스모크에 치중된 것이 아닌 조화로움이 있었다.
탄닌 역시 제대로 잘 풀려 술술 넘어갔는데, 여기에는 튀지 않는 밸런스 잡힌 산도도 제 역할을 한 것으로 보인다.
여러 사람의 의견을 들어보면 블라인드로 하였으면 "오래된 BDM 혹은 최소한 산지오베제", "부르고뉴 루즈", "캘리포니아 보르도 블렌드"라고 말했을 거라고 한다.
즉, 우리가 생각하는 보르도의 맛과는 무언가 다른 것이 있긴 했다.
다만, 5대샤또라는 지나친 기대감때문에 다소 아쉬움을 느끼지 않았나 싶으나 와인의 내공이 깊지 않은 사람도 호불호없이 즐길 수 있다는 점만큼은 높이 평가할만 하다.
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8/22/2023 - LTTC Likes this wine:
(SYP) PNP. Small glass
Blackcurrant, savoury spices, tobacco and a hint of alcohol. Generous and welcoming.
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7/2/2023 - zimmy07 wrote: flawed
CORKED, entire bottle dump, ouch...
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5/28/2023 - BradE wrote:
I enjoyed this and it stood up well being flighted against a 1959. I'd rate this as very good bdx, but not in the upper 90's region (i.e. great) as many here on CT find it. That's what makes a market.
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5/7/2023 - Cailles wrote: 96 Points
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: Wow from the first sniff to the intense finish, this was a very convincing performance. Toasty notes, burnt sugar, dark ripe fruit, lots of fresh blue fruit, a strong core of minerality – a complex, intriguing bouquet. This continues on the palate where the typical elegant, Bordeaux toast/coffee notes complement a layered fruit core with bright red, fresh blue and ripe dark berries. Some additional notes of herbs and crushed rock. Aromatically quite deep and well delineated. Fine and harmonious. No excess weight, ultra-fine tannin, fine acidity, airy and quite long. I’ve had this before and rated it 92pts only. Beside the usual bottle variation, it shows how important the context of a tasting sometimes can be: A Chateau Margaux 2003 drunk with other 2003s will always shine brighter than a bottle in a lineup of 13 vintages of Chateau Margaux, no matter how strongly we try to avoid letting it influence our judgement.
Decanting: This was good from the go and a short decant should be sufficient, as it seems.
Group average: 96.0 pts
Group rank: Shared 1st out of 29 reds
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4/3/2023 - alexbhurst1678 wrote: 97 Points
Elegant; subtle and velvety; opened up at dinner w dad and Sol in Miami; dried berries, light flavors; fantastic finish; not overwhelming but subtle in its power.
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3/25/2023 - VinhoVerde Likes this wine: 95 Points
Medium red with a bit of mahogany in the rim. Berries and a hint of smoke in the bouquet, one detects some maturity here. Ripe, soft fruit flavor. So much fruit concentration here masks any tannins that might be present. A beautiful wine with delicious berry fruit throughout. Delicious now, I’m really unsure how long it will hold.
Tasted this at Mark’s yearly Bordeaux tasting. Sampled 12 vintages each of Château Haut Brion and Château Margaux. Great wines and comradeship, what an exceptional event to be part of!
Thanks to our host for his generosity in presenting a once in a lifetime Bordeaux tasting experience. Tasted blind.
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3/20/2023 - sirpat00 wrote: 95 Points
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:
This one showed nice aging notes including some Cognac-like features. Dark cherry and black currant fruit and sweet oaky notes and coffee build the character. Bold and towering but still light. A fruit-forward and ripe palate with lots of power behind, but well balanced.
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3/19/2023 - Eric wrote:
Haut-Brion and Margaux courtesy of Mark Taylor; 3/18/2023-3/19/2023 (Atlanta, GA): Mmm, smells like the 1990 at first. Delicious, spicy cedar, although texturally this is fairly dry. Again, delicious. I enjoyed this one a lot.
My 3rd and the group 3rd. Guessed as 1998.
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3/12/2023 - Juhruoh007 wrote: 96 Points
Absolutely gorgeous wine. Perfect condition, could have been stored for another 10 years but good to drink already.
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12/25/2022 - Musinus wrote: 96 Points
Impenetrably dark and opaque with ruby at the rim. Deep red currant, lavender, and cocoa on the nose. Youthful, rich and so profound, the alcohol level seems higher than 13%. The palate offered dark red berries, currants, and plums. It was just beginning to open up at 2.5 hours. This wine has a long ways to go.
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9/13/2022 - englishman's claret wrote: 96 Points
Just as you would hope, the 2003 Margaux shows off the best attributes of the vintage while avoiding the hazards posed by the weather. In a year so hot that the vegetative cycle was blocked for up to 2 weeks, this shows a ripe raspberry nose - neither overripe nor vegetal. Aromatically voluminous and forthcoming, it’s unmistakably Margaux, layer after layer of elegant red fruited, rosy aromas unfolding. Lush and deep on the palate with velvety tannins, there’s really no appreciable sense of heat. I’m not sure this really has the structure or cut to last decades and decades, but it does what all truly great wines do - and that’s to honestly reflect the vintage character with competence in the style of the estate.
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7/31/2022 - D'Yquembe Mutumbo wrote: 98 Points
Monumental modern Bdx, with none of the heat of this vintage present but a classic nose full of barnyard, leather, ash, and savory aromas. The palate was intense without being cloying or overconcentrated, I found this wine to be an absolute masterclass and shockingly a touch better than the 70 Latour we had a couple days before. It's too bad it's trading as such a high price now, this was quite the steal when it was showing up on auction sites in the high $300 - low $400s.
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7/29/2022 - Romol Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted 2,5 hours. Again a very good bottle. Ready to drink with enough air but it still has many years left. 96. pts.
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7/2/2022 - levicn Likes this wine: 93 Points
中宝石红，闻香有明显的奶味，黑果成熟混合着青椒味，带着些面包吐司的香气，香气有些脂粉气，入口酸度中等，酒液咸，收口微甜，单宁紧致，有些抓人，颗粒细腻，成熟甜美风格，青椒，黑加仑，可可奶油，后段有些酒精感，余味是奶油蛋糕的味道充满口腔。香气华丽，热情洋溢的一支酒，中后段强力绽放，香气爆棚。和经典的玛歌风格很不一样，酒体明显大了一号，细节上欠缺一些精致感，集中度和香气强度是今晚所有波尔多酒里最高的，倒更像一支美国酒，也许这就是2003这个热年份的不同之处吧。
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4/5/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Flamboyant, opulent, rich, full-bodied, showy styled Margaux that is about as hedonistic as you can get. Precocious, so you can enjoy it today, or feel free to age it for another decade or 2, this is a gorgeous wine from start to finish.
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1/13/2022 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 94 Points
A very complete wine. It has finesse and power at the same time. The mid palate does not drop one iota and it keeps going from attack to the long finish. Still young I felt better wait a few more years.
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12/18/2021 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 93 Points
After a few hours in the decanter, it was still too young and restrained but started to give a peek into its potential. I was surprised not to find denser and more overripe fruit elements. Despite its relative density, it was nearly silky smooth with long pliable tannins. Would love to come back in 5 years for a new visit.
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12/11/2021 - Ltrain1282 Likes this wine: 98 Points
I’ve had this so many times and it never goes wrong. Drank from a mag tonight which is always fun. This wine is rich and luxurious with perfect velvet tanin. They did a great job because it’s not showing the hallmarks from the hot vintage . Not sure this has the style to last another half century but it’s drinking fabulously now and likely will keep for many more years.
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12/11/2021 - UFGators Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drank from 1.5L. This wine is firing on all cylinders. In spite of what others have said about the hot 2003 vintage, I have had great luck finding gems. This wine has loads of fruit, leather, forrest floor. Long finish, velvety tannins, very classy. My WOTN.
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10/30/2021 - jmoon Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tonight this wine wasn’t open. Decanted 4 hours and didn’t budge. Became more lively when we splashed hot water around the decanted to jolt it up 2degrees to probably 22c, but overall a bit dark and brooding. Undoubtedly has the stuffing to be a majestic wine in 5 years, it wasn’t accessible tonight. Good but not reflecting it’s greatness.
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10/22/2021 - KenK wrote: 97 Points
NYWE Sweet black fruits, violets and dark spices. Dark pure ripe flavors with fascinating freshness given the vintage. Beautiful texture and finesse with loads of complexity while so well balanced. Lively herbal finish. Electric. Absolutely delicious.
83% Cabernet Sauvignon, very extreme hot year.
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9/12/2021 - kevbuffalo Likes this wine: 96 Points
brought out of the cellar and paired with a bottle of 2009 Verite La Muse, for a family birthday/anniversary celebration at Russell's.
first impression upon pulling cork was fantastic. very long, plum forward sip. Smokey and chocolate with delicate flower nose. saved for main dishes.
unfortunately, while decanting over 1 and 1/2 hour starters and talk, it closed up some. paired mine with a blue filet always classic
the La Muse was the winner tonight 99pts to me
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5/13/2021 - Romol Likes this wine:
Decanted 3 hours. Cork and level were perfect, the bottle not. It was still pretty good and improved during the dinner, but it never reached the heights of my first two bottles (96 and 98 pts).
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4/29/2021 - MC wrote:
From magnum. This was excellent right out of the bottle, but double decanted and recorked for 5 hours, then decanted and served over 2 hours. Agree with all the notes that there is no hint of heat or over ripe fruit. This has dark, ripe fruits and great concentration but a very Bordeaux feel and finish to it. Just wonderful and plenty of time left in this format but it does feel ready to go now. A
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3/20/2021 - Collector1855 wrote: 98 Points
The 2003 Chateau Margaux, my last bottle unfortunately, has always delivered. It does not show any alcoholic heat, over-ripe aromas or under-ripe phenolics which are the three issues that plague the 2003 Bordeaux. It is a wine full of ripe fruit with spices, very much in the brown-red aroma spectrum vs. the blue-green of cooler vintages. While the wine is exuberant, everything is in balance. One of the best wines of the vintage. This bottle was pristine and felt early in the drinking window. Looks like I rushed through this case too fast.
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12/29/2020 - hargy Likes this wine: 91 Points
beautifully made, the tannins are soft as is the wine but I feel this needed more time, both in the bottle and in the glass, to develop more complexity - leave
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9/26/2020 - JustBreathe680 Likes this wine: 96 Points
I opened this bottle for a very special occasion with family. I say this because this is not a regular bottle in my cellar and I've always struggled with the right time to pop the cork on a bottle of this stature. Tonight the stars aligned to pull the trigger on this beauty.
The wine was paired with a grilled CA Reserve Picanha steak. It was drank out of a Riedel SOMM Bordeaux glass. I have minimal experience with First Growths but I have previously enjoyed a 1982 and 2004 Château Margaux. This was my most memorable experience with the wine.
The wine was decanted for 2 hours, in part thanks to the guidance from Jeff Leve. It was drank over another 2 hours and it continued to improve with each glass poured. The color was purple with dark brick red edges. There was a nice bouquet with some hints of black fruits/berries, leather and cedar. There were primary and secondary flavors present. There were hints of black fruits/berries, plum and fig present. There were flavors of cedar, spices and some minerality providing a hint of sweetness. The body was medium to medium-full with medium minus acidity. The tannins were well integrated and smooth. I agree with other reviews that there was no signs of heat, which was a fear of the 2003 vintage.
This wine was a true delight to drink. However, it fell just short of being mentioned as my WOTY, which to date is the 1990 Ridge Monte Bello. My score is a 96+ and definitely has some room to improve with a little bit more time in the cellar. However, it is definitely in a very good drinking window and if you have the right reason to open this bottle, I would not hesitate to pop the cork!
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4/8/2020 - Cailles wrote: 92 Points
Château Margaux Vertical 2003-2015: All wines tasted blind alongside the matching vintage of Sassicaia (see separate tasting story). The quality of the Margauxs transcends through the vintages with exceptional complexity and precision and a soft- and roundness not many left bank wines show that young. Many off-vintages delivered great pleasure (06, 08, 12) but of course the best wines were from the top vintages. Winner again was the 2009 (already won in a top 50 wines from 2009 retrospective last June) thanks to an unbelievable depth and sexiness. The 2015 (hyper pure and singular) and the 2010 (the definition of finesse) are just a tad behind, with the 2005 (like so many 2005s) showing promising but not ready. Average score for the Margauxs at very high 94.8 points (clearly higher than the 92.1 for the Sassicaias, which - no surprise - only beat Margaux in the very weak Bordeaux vintages 2011/2013).
TN: At first rather muted nose which opened up with a bit of air showing dark red and dark fruit, some salt and minty accents. On the palate, the very hot vintage shows with a high degree of ripeness and more floral aromas. The structure is good with very soft tannins and a good amount of acidity to keep it fresh. Nevertheless, this was one of the weakest vintages missing the balance, harmony and complexity of many others wines that night. Not one to chase BUT JM Quarin, the French wine critic present, said that this was an off bottle. So maybe other bottles perform better.
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4/3/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Just a gorgeous wine that's a pleasure to drink. Opulent, flamboyant and showy, there is good concentration, length, lush textures and silky tannins. There is no touch of heat or overripeness. It's in a good spot today and there is plenty left in the tank for improvement.
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3/2/2020 - sirpat00 wrote: 93 Points
Margaux vs Sassicaia double vertical: Sassicaia vs Margaux face-off hosted by a private collector. I was surprised by the unambiguousness of the result in this 13- year (2003-2015) double vertical. Margaux beats Sassicaia 10x with Sassicaia on top only 3x. Of the 26 wines tasted, the top 6 (all scored 95 and higher) were all Margaux with 2009, 2010 and 2015 all somewhere between regal and galactic. In sum, the average score for Margaux was 94.4 (range 92-98) as compared to a Sassicaia average of 93.1 (range 92-94). See tasting story for a few more high level remarks.
Just hints of aging notes here and less obvious than in the 2014. Held back and felt restrained some on the nose. A bit earthy and mineral and delicate in appearance. Fresh, fruity palate with a cool, again restrained fruit. But adding complexity by the minute. Palate with imperfect balance, some acidity overhang and mouth-coating tannins suggesting more time in the bottle is needed here, in that sense seems to require even more time than the cousins up North in St Estephe where Cos d‘Estournel or Montrose already came across closer to the drinking window (albeit both were decanted and enjoyed over a longer period).
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2/13/2020 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 96 Points
Line up of wines for the night, 2 bottles of 2009 Château Mouton Rothschild, 1 bottle of 2003 Chateau Margaux and 4 bottles of 2005 Château Latour. Before drinking the wines, based on RP scores, it should be ranked like this; Mouton 99, Latour 98+, Margaux 93. And based on price point; Latour, Mouton follow by Margaux. My personal favourite wine goes like Mouton, Margaux, Latour. After tasting the wine throughout the night, my wine of the night is suprisingly totally different from RP, price point and my personal favourite; our consensus rank follows Latour, Margaux and Mouton.
2005 Latour is consistently throughout the 4 bottles, the aroma and taste is delicate and finessed. Deep purple coloured, roses, blackfruits, and on its palate, chocolate, dark tea. It can be drink now till easily another 30 years.
2003 Margaux is fully matured, and 2003 being one of the hottest vintage, Chateau Margaux had produced an extraordinary wine in 2003. Opulence, seductive, blackberry, cassis, vanila, cedar. Can be drank now till 2030. In its drinking window
2009 Mouton is full bodied, high acidity and high tannin, purple rim, pencil, cassis, oak, violets. It have all the trademark of a high scoring point and vintage. However, it’s not ready to drink yet, or maybe I should say if I had only drank Mouton alone, it will be as enjoyable as well. Drink now till 2060.
It’s show that even great wine and great vintage if drank at wrong drinking window will not achieve greatness pleasure. At most likely the price it’s a better indicative of the consensus.
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2/7/2020 - hprphf wrote: 93 Points
Acker 2020/02: Magnum. Quite integral fresh nose, dark brewed fruit palate falls short-ish. Need time. 93
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2/7/2020 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Wines for the Acker Merrall Bicentennial Auction (The Pool - New York NY): Small glass, brief note. Magnum. Nothing shy or reserved about this wine. Big and very rich, but also so firmly structured.
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1/13/2020 - jjwala Likes this wine: 96 Points
Stunning. Lovely nose, very long finish.
Can easily keep for few more years
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11/8/2019 - Frijole wrote:
dark burgundy plum red, medium clarity, brickish hue
Nose: plum, dark cherry, tobacco, cigar, tar, green pepper, minerals, bitter chocolate, clove, caramel, oak
Pal: plum, dark cherry, tobacco, cigar, tar, green pepper, black pepper, cola, bitter chocolate, minerals, clove, juniper berry, mustard greens, wood, tart, bitter, soft tannins, oak
Feel: medium, full, astringent, bitter
Finish: long
T9C10
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9/26/2019 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 90 Points
Kuki'o Wine Trip 2019; 9/22/2019-9/28/2019 (Champagne & Bordeaux): Definitely warm but still shows lovely perfume over mostly red fruit. Palate is good if a little loose.
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2/4/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Opulent, silky, lush and sensuous, the wine is concentrated, deep, long and yes, it is also fresh, The layers of perfectly ripe, velvet-textured fruits come at you in layers. The wine is refined and intense.
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1/27/2019 - glassnost Likes this wine: 92 Points
24 hours after opening
Deep nose of florals like violets and baking spices, cloves, cinnamon, cassis, cigar box. Palate is dense, lush, abundant dark fruits, solid core of integrated fruit and tannin and earth, peppercorns, tapering to a luxurious velvety thick and balanced twenty second finish.
Opened with the Grape Nuts and was immediately enjoying the bouquet but regretting the monotone palate. Glad half was saved overnight to produce this note!
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1/23/2019 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:
Didn’t have the aromatic lift of mature bdx, but palate was seemless and deep. No hints of heat stress at all, still quite younthful, delicious. Approachable and enjoyable now but has upside as the nose hasn’t caught up with the palate yet.
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1/23/2019 - cos65 Likes this wine:
Lovely and very approachable, but still fairly primary. Hold
YFS
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1/11/2019 - Romol Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted 3 hours. This bottle was not as impressive as my last one (2016). But still a very good wine. This has many years left. If you have several bottles it's worth to pop one now. 96+ pts.
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12/25/2018 - Teaky Likes this wine:
Drank from a 375 ml, very dark red color, this had an amazing nose, very perfumed and floral, rose, red cherry, slightly phenolic with some earthiness. Bold flavors of red raspberry, blackberry and other bramble, along with phenolic notes upon first opening. After about two hours get more black cherry, leather, cigar box maybe some cedar and a hint of vanilla, moderately tannic, low acid, with a very long finish. This had the most intense nose I've ever experienced in a wine and was extremely enjoyable, I could have just smelled the wine all night and been happy. Some reviews (maybe only older reviews) note that this could be confused with a Cali cab, most of my experience with cab/Bordeaux blends is with California wines and I don't think that this could ever be confused with one of those. This is my first Margaux, so can't compare to other vintages, but if this is considered a not so great vintage I can't imagine how good this is in a good vintage. This was fantastic.
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12/23/2018 - HowardNZ Likes this wine:
2003 Bordeaux tasting (from 2011): A controversial wine that divided tasters. Tasters detected aromas of cigar box, violets, spiciness, blackberry and earth, while those less favourably inclined cited musty, forest floor and charred elements. The oak regime, that was clear from the wine’s nose, was one of the key points of division among tasters. Those in the pro camp, including the writer, were not deterred by the oak elevage and argued for the purity of fruit, good structure, well balanced tannins and good weight present in the wine. The anti camp considered the wine too New World in style, chocolaty and over oaked and noted heat on the back palate. Overall, however the Margaux was second preferred in the wine of the night voting.
NA = 0, B = 1, S = 11, G = 18, WON = 8
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5/10/2018 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 93 Points
Château Margaux vertical dinner (Taberna Del Alabardero): This is not an exaggeration of the vintage at all as the aromatics are not overly ripe although one gets hints of roasted fruit that reveal, perhaps "would reveal" the 2003 aspect had this been a blind tasting. The attack is very appealing: red and black berry fruit, hints as noted of roasted fruit on the palate but subtle, then an almost velvety texture that pleases the mid palate to be sure! However, this has less depth than the 2000, and is noticeably shorter on the finish as compared to the 2001, which is both fresher – and longer.
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5/9/2018 - dcwino wrote: 94 Points
Chateau Margaux dinner with Thibault Pontallier (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): Expressive very ripe nose displaying cherry liqueur, Chambord, a hint of cassis, espresso, medicine, lead pencil and earth. Excellent concentration, packed very ripe red and black fruit, bright acidity, earthy mineral, nicely integrated tannins and a medium to long Chambord and earth driven finish. There is noticeable bitterness at the end that clips the finish. The 03 ripe fruit expression has subsided. The bitterness is a bit bothersome at the moment. I suspect this will develop like the 76 Latour, kinda exotic and kinky.
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5/3/2018 - beatles wrote: 95 Points
No signs of a too heated vintage, just richesse and charm, creamy texture, layered and full, but with a vertical structure, vraiment Grand Vin. Still very young.
#Schur
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3/20/2018 - Jmf17 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Shortly after he'd been released from incarceration in St Elizabeths mental hospital for "treasonous" utterances on the Rome radio during WWII, Ezra Pound-- whose linguistic skill was perhaps the richest and most culturally consequential of the Twentieth Century-- fell silent. Observers interpreted this as an expression of penance.
Toward the end of his life, Pound allowed a reporter from The New York Times to visit him in Rapallo, Italy, for an interview.
Scores of questions were met with silence. The great poet and teacher uttered not a syllable. Finally, said the journalist:
"Why aren't you answering my questions?"
Responded, at last, The Poet:
"Words...no...good."
Sometimes and in some contexts, the tools of expression fail us, inadequate to the task of conveyance.
I've not had Margaux before this evening at Smith & Wollensky in Manhattan on March 6, 2018. I can only now imagine the other more legendary vintages of this premier grand cru chateau.
This, an unremarkable year generally for the chateaux of the Medoc, was nevertheless a solid year for Margaux. Because the overall success or lack of success of the commune in a given year determines the pricing of all its produce, even the few outstanding successes, the 2003 Margaux could be had this evening and in this place for the relative "bargain" price of only $725.
2003
Margaux.
Words...No...Good.
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3/6/2018 - OenoEd Likes this wine: 93 Points
Same bottle, different opinion: nose shows roast chinese duck, tart blackberries, talc, very primary. Lush in the mouth, even with a bit of heat: York peppermint patty, sweet black plums and berries to the finish, fairly long, and the best is clearly yet to come.
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3/6/2018 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 88 Points
Château Margaux Vertical (Chef's Club NYC): Nose has scorched earth and super ripe red and blue berry fruit. Dry wood and soil. Palate is hot and the flavours attack upfront and then fall off.
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1/12/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 99 Points
Lush, sensuous, rich, opulent and perhaps decadent levels of perfectly ripe fruits are impossible not to get caught up in. Length, purity, seamlessness and textural delights are what you will find here. This is one of the top wines of a mixed vintage and a great Margaux.
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12/12/2017 - steinersing wrote: 93 Points
Not crazy big for the vintage, still some silkiness.
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12/11/2017 - fcxj wrote: 88 Points
Palais. Very savory, not a good showing. From Jero.
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12/11/2017 - BradE wrote:
This didn't move me, and was my least favorite in last night's vertical.
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11/30/2017 - oxwombat Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened in London to celebrate some good news with two friends. Decanted but enjoyed fairly quickly.
Excellent Margaux. No extensive notes taken (and this was overshadowed by the 2002 DRC RSV we had straight after) but already quite expressive and drinking very well.
Has upside - would like to revisit in 5+ years to see where it's at.
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11/19/2017 - William Kelley wrote: 87 Points
The 2003 Château Margaux is a disappointment, even within the context of this vintage, which certainly didn't favor the appellation. An evolving bouquet of dried cherry, herbs, licorice and a liberal framing of cedary, spicy new oak precedes a medium-full, awkwardly balanced wine, its fruit sweet and candied but not really cloaking its rather angular, dry chassis of tannins. Blind, I doubt anyone would identify this as either a first growth or Château Margaux.
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11/9/2017 - Arch57 wrote: 91 Points
Was looking forward to this bottle for years as I don’t own or get to taste many first growths with a 1990 Lafite being my only other dalliance and a ‘95 Margaux, ‘12 Mouton and ‘12 Haut Brion still in the cellar. It was my 60th birthday and recent tasting notes got me encouraged to open this bottle. I sourced it on release and it was stored at 55 degrees in my small wine cooler since then.
Was a bit worried as I decanted the wine as it wasn’t giving off much aroma but I’ve had plenty of bottles that “transform” after sitting in the decanter. Well three hours later and after my long digression about the classification of 1855 I pour 3 glasses for my wife and son and we toast the occasion. Hmm, the 3 of us are underwhelmed. Well I swirl and sniff and wait for the magic to unfold but the wine was flabby and just ordinary all night. For sure it was a pleasant wine but nothing profound in either the nose or finish, the two attributes I use to identify high scoring wines in my book.
I even popped a $15 2007 St. Emillion Quinault L'Enclos and the nose was similar but it had a less sophisticated finish. Oh well it was another experience in my wine journey but not a memorable one that I was hoping for. The 2003 Ponet Canet we had in March blew this wine away.
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11/2/2017 - kenv Likes this wine: 95 Points
WCC Margaux AOC Blind Tasting (Home of Chef Andrew Plummer, East Greenbush, NY): [Double-decanted for 5 hours at 9am.] Another beast of a wine. In hindsight, we should have skipped the first flight. This is a great flight but just too much young wine at this point. At this point, I'm getting licorice and cedar in the nose. Is this a Lafite ringer? It is a delicious, powerful wine with an obviously bright future. 95-??
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10/15/2017 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 94 Points
Coravined. Less refined and complete than the lafite 03. But it is a more classic bordeaux. Nose has dark currant, toffee, oak, graphite, and tobacco. Lots of power and very balanced despite the ripe vintage. Great structure but the lafite is more showy and sexy tonight. 94-95
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6/18/2017 - apple1813 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Sumptuously sweet, fruity and silky tannin
The wine is still deep purple in colour, and there is no significant sediment. Still very young despite it is 14 years old
On the nose, it reveals licorice, tobacco and sweet black fruits. Its aroma improves significantly with two hours of decanting.
The palate is smooth. The medium acidity balanced the silky tannin.
Overall, it is incredibly sweet and has lots of finesse. If you like its generous sweetness, you won't regret opening a bottle now.
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6/17/2017 - essenceofreal Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decided to crack into my case and see how this was developing. Needed a 4 hour decant. Much more evolved than my last tasting some years ago. Really interesting how the soft velvety feminine fruit side comes in on the front and mid palate and the finish morphs into a forest floor. Rather unique experience. Seeing how this evolved so well over the years am going to hold off on getting back to these for a bit. Very accessible now and an absolute treat. But my hunch is she's going to continue to improve a bit. Will reach to try some of the '99 or '96 next time am feeling the itch for that terroir.
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6/9/2017 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 98 Points
Super sweet and seductive fruit of red and mostly dark berries (black currant, black cherries), floral notes too (like candied flowers), tobacco, some sweet spices, espresso, minerality and plenty of other things going on. It's medium-full bodied, with medium acidity and medium+ tannin. Everything is beautifully balanced and leaves the impression of total harmony and elegance. It's like a stereotypical Château Margaux (finesse) with an extra layer of fruit. Excellent length. Everybody was super impressed. A real 1er Cru from this freakish vintage...
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3/29/2017 - etyc Likes this wine:
Wow, this was the most sexy & expressive wine of the flight. Lush nose of ripe cassis, coffee, lead... very nice. Intense, but equally fresh and lifted on the palate, with dark-red fruits and just a tiny tinge of plums. So very good! Will be even better with more cellar time!
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2/10/2017 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 94 Points
From Coravin in 67 Pall Mall. Left in the glass to air for ~1 hour prior to tasting. I was really curious to try this wine as I had been toying with the idea of buying a case given this looks to be relatively good value (for 1st growth value today) based on critic scores and CT reviews. I must remark that I am not generally a 2003 vintage fan as I find it lacks Bordeaux typicity for me. But reviews here on CT pointing to this not being your typical 03 encouraged me. The wine was no doubt very good with plum, violet, faint hint of cedar and the sample was small so I could not see it develop over time. It would have benefited from some more air. It was not 2003 typical which is good, definitely a proper claret in my book. It was however not quite as good as I had hoped for to be perfectly hones. The 1990 Chevalier rouge drank side by side sort of stole the show. It was also not as good as a bottle of 96 Margaux I had recently (rated 98). So bottom line for me is that I won't be buying a case of this as I personally prefer other 1st growth at this price point (the Mouton 05 for me is a lot better/more interesting). Needless to say I should rush out to buy another case of Chevalier rouge 90. If I had a bottle of Margaux 03 I would give this some more time (5 years) before popping a cork or decant 2+ hours.
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12/27/2016 - dcwino wrote: 96 Points
Poker night - Bordeaux single blind - 95 GPL, 01 Ausone, 11 The Lovers, 03 Margaux and etc.: RJ forgot that we are tasting blind. Intense ripe cassis driven nose with a hint of strawberry jam and framboise, ink, espresso, cedar, lead pencil and mineral. Incredible concentration, intense cassis driven palate impression, bright acidity, good mineral presence and a long sweet finish. It feels very new worldish but still remains distinctively Bordeaux. This really needs another ten years to shed the ripe fruit and gain additional tertiary notes.
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11/8/2016 - gsquireh Likes this wine: 98 Points
Rich royal purple and a nirvana nose of poppy, sweet pea, and plum blossom with the most sensational classic and textured yet fresh, mouthfeel of velvet, menthol, licorice, cassis, vanilla and sweet toast. This perfectly balanced mixture of blackberry and currant has smooth tannins with glorious, sexy, delicious flavors. Love it! Drink now or the next twenty years.
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10/27/2016 - cephomer Likes this wine: 95 Points
NYC Tasters Guild: 2003 Bordeaux Retrospective: Drank at NYC tasters guild and was my WOTN. Purple color with no sign of age apparent. Herbal nose without showing much fruit. Medium to heavy body. Plenty of black fruit, some chocolate and mocha, coffee beans, cedar, cigar box. Very soft and very elegant, with soft tannins, great depth of fruit and terrific concentration, yet very structured. Delicious wine with a long way to go....
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10/5/2016 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wild nose of violets, ripe black currant, roasted nuts and char. On the palate, there are big flavors of dark fruits along with notes of purple flowers and smoke. Finishes with tons of dark spices and lots of acidity. The Margaux terroir is apparent here but there is definitely a roasted quality from the hot vintage. I actually like this very much but it's maturing at a fast pace and should be drunk on the younger side for a first growth.
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10/5/2016 - Romol Likes this wine: 98 Points
Decanted 3+ hours. Wow...what a wine. Impressive. Still pretty youg. At the moment 98(-). With potential up to 100 pts. Very good.
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8/18/2016 - wineappellation Likes this wine: 98 Points
Need quite alot of air to open up. Perfect balance, medium body, showing brilliant depth and concentration of musculine dark black fruits, spices, cedar, black tea , all the way from nose to finish wrapped by elegant earthiness and perfumed violet floral. Phenomenal. Would say that it is in early secondary development stage now. It definitely will be different but not sure will it become EVEN BETTER than now.
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6/21/2016 - Wink Likes this wine: 98 Points
Opened a half bottle tonight for our anniversary dinner (along with a half bottle of 2002 Phelps Insignia). Wonderful Bordeaux nose with fruit, cedar, leather, and vanilla. Delineated, pure fruit: blackberry and cassis with more cherry than I expected. Superb length. Sweet tannins. Silky, silky texture. Refreshing acidity that keeps you reaching for your glass. Nearly perfect wine. Everything in balance. Fully mature (perhaps because of the half bottle). Beat out the Insignia, but not a fair comparison: apples and oranges.
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6/10/2016 - fcxj wrote: 96 Points
Drinking very well right now. Long double decant, but no need to wait. Aromatically full, velvety, round, ripe and long.
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5/6/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote: 100 Points
If you are a fan of Chateau Margaux, and you have the funds, this is a wine you need in your cellar! Pure silk and velvet textures, lush, opulent tannins, incredible depth of flavor, concentration and length, the perfectly ripe fruit that fills your mouth, is absolutely decadent. While young, there is such a wealth of ripe fruit and the tannins are so soft and polished, you can drink this now. Or, feel free to lay it down in your cellar for another decade. This is one of those unique wines that leaves you thinking about it, long after the wine has left your glass and gone to where it was intended to be.
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4/8/2016 - jsebiri wrote:
Easy drinking wine , would assume this is good for decades to come.....This baby is showing very little of it's potential , much more time is needed , but if you don't have time it's nice now ;). Suggestion : open 3 hours prior to enjoying .
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1/25/2016 - tbuysse wrote: 95 Points
Very , very good. Revealed its very 1st potential and is clearly capable of doing much more. Has a distinctive smell of vanilla, roasted coffee, toffee, fudge and truffle. Is a real masculine power house with a touch of elegance and class. Impressive.
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1/19/2016 - MWiking wrote: 97 Points
Kvällens stjärna i vår lilla 03 provning,
Vinet är på nåt sätt så rent och klart, i både smak och doft, som en fjällbäck full av mull höstskog, svartavinbärskarameller och kaffe.
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11/1/2015 - Rubinstein wrote: 97 Points
Outstanding wine. Still very Young. Popped and poured. Kept evolving in the glass during the evening. Very seductive and perfect balance. I Would wait a couple of years before drinking one again. 97+
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10/16/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
Background green nose with a lot of coffee and toasty notes with air time. Red and black fruits, light spice, limestone and chalk, with a light mustiness and the palate. Lacks the cohesion that I would expect. Served with roasted guinea hen and morels. 93-94
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9/18/2015 - Purple Tooth wrote: 96 Points
Soft and plush, this is a generous and giving wine that is ready to give it all to you now, but has a good life ahead. Unpretentious, showing great balance and maturity, with white flowers, cedar and beginning of coffee development. DRINK or hold, up to you. But this is mature now!
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5/10/2015 - Cerbycat wrote:
A
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3/16/2015 - yofog wrote:
I was expecting a hot, overripe mess, but apparently its 1st Growth-ness overcame the 2003-ness, as it is not roasted-ripe but rather ripe like berries on a bush that bursting with flavor at the peak of summer. Such class here, with great breadth and volume and openness (perhaps also the response of the Margaux vineyards to the hot summer? I've never had another vintage of this wine so I'm guessing), and yet its all rooted in a mineral character. Astonishing wine.
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3/14/2015 - McKraftyWino Likes this wine: 100 Points
As part of a Nashville Wine Auction charity (www.nashvillewineauction.com) tasting diner with Paul Pontallier of Margaux we tasted 2 of each 2004,2003,2003,2000,1998,1996,1995,1990,1989,1988,1986,1983,1982,1982, 1975
There was some bottle variation.
This wine i believe was one of the best of the evening. I thought it showed better than the epic 2000.
it was gorgeous! the nose, the palette, the acidity...with each sip you wanted more.
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12/25/2014 - drjb Likes this wine: 98 Points
Xmas lunch 2014. Dark crimson red with great density. Beautiful nose that just kept improving in the decanter - blackcurrant, dark plum, violets and touches of liquorice and cedar. Palate quite voluptuous and rich with great symmetry and balance : leads into mineral touches and fine tannins that provide great length. Perhaps just a little hardness at the end that prevents a perfect finish but even that seems absent in the last glass ! Really good and fascinating to compare against other Margaux icons e.g. Palmer and Rausan Segla in that suffered in the heat of 2003. I love Christmas !
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12/18/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 99 Points
Truffle, coffee bean, licorice, spice, roasted blackberries and cherry blossoms. Pure , sensuality, with fruit drenched in velvet and silky tannins, with a long, fresh, sweet black cherry finish. This is still young and while the wine is delicious to drink today, this is going to get better and better with time. This is a contender for the wine of the Left Bank and of the vintage!
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11/27/2014 - wbq8f wrote: 98 Points
Bordeuax 2003 horizontal tasting with Pichon L, Mouton R, Cos d’Estournel and Margaux. All were excellent and in good condition, but there were striking differences. My wife and I had the wines with duck confit and mushroom Risotto, finishing with fresh Manchego cheese. The Cos was, surprisingly, the least impressive. It was fruity, round, but one dimensional, with little in the way of a finish. About a 92. The Pichon was next, with a bit of spice on the front end, with good red fruit, and a nice finish. Not spectacular, but very good. About 94. The Mouton was a surprise, given what I had read about it. It was really good, deep red fruits, long mid palate with earthy tones, and a long finish. This had been decanted for about four hours, so maybe that helped. About 96. The star of the evening was the Margaux. Right off the bat, complex red fruits with spices and earthy notes, mid palette of deep dark fruit, very long and satisfying finish. This is what makes Bordeaux so great. We tasted a very good California cab right after, and it seemed thin and one-dimensional. Give it a 98. Wow.
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11/11/2014 - Lord Rayas wrote: 95 Points
Ripe nose packed with layers of dark fruits. Still very primary on the palate despite 2.5hr decant. Will no doubt be close to perfection once it reaches maturity, but that could take another decade.
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10/19/2014 - Ispendtoomuchmoneyonwine wrote: flawed
Before removing cork noticed a cut across top of it, an indication of air seepage. Wine was not corked but lacked flavor, consentration and a nose. Decanted for 6 hours but never developed into anything memorable. Yet another disappointing expensive bottle.
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5/31/2014 - BradE wrote:
A fun duo of 03 and 05 Margaux. The 03 was super ripe, the 05 more balanced and nuanced (this is relative, as its an 05). The table was split about evenly, but I preferred the 05.
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5/11/2014 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 97 Points
2003 ch Margaux
Color: dark as night
Nose: very ripe, black fruits with dark cherry liqueur
Palate: powerful yet elegant n super silky tannins, full bodied, still young but already offering great pleasure, probably WOTN vs 08 haut brion, 08 lafite, 04 drc st vivant & 07 drc la tache, profound wine! Full of class
Rating: 97+
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2/2/2014 - CR lawrence Likes this wine: 98 Points
Decanted 3 hours and shared over a Bison ribeye. Garnet in color, long legs, aroma's of fresh barnyard - forrest loam, dark fruit, vanilla, smoke and coffee bean, evolving quite well over the next two hours. Soft, silky tannins; muted - luscious fruit, and all so well integrated. I look forward to further improvement with a few more years in the bottle.
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7/13/2013 - Tenuta Stefan Likes this wine: 98 Points
Amazing wine!!
Great acidity for a warm year like 2003.
Almost everything in the right place. A potentially perfect score in the future (2023 - 2063).
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5/28/2013 - MatthewF wrote:
Decanted for roughly 5 hours before serving. Dark red berry and plum aromatics with coffee bean, chocolate and cedar notes as well. Ripe red fruit on the palate as well. Quite lush and giving, but still showing some tannic structure. Well balanced for the vintage. Medium plus body and finish.
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5/22/2013 - Mr. Korsakov wrote: 95 Points
A very delicate and complex wine. Full red ruby color. Velvet texture, delicate taste, low acids, soft tannines, rich flavour of red fruit, some vanilla and long finish. Very well balanced.
Excellent wine but too high price quality ratio.
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4/27/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Compelling in every way, 2003 Margaux has it all! A fragrance that grabs you with its smoke, caramel, truffle, blackberry, floral, forest floor and cedar wood scents. The thick, rich, silky palate pairs intensity and purity. The wine is deep, fresh and complex. This will be a legendary vintage in a decade or two.
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3/30/2013 - VintageSully Likes this wine: 98 Points
Had the opportunity to share several bottles with some really good friends. Simply amazing. Decanted for 90 minutes and the wine was a study in depth, balance and richness. Terrific fruit, wrapped seamlessly in liquid smoke around polished, integrated tannins that show this beauty is ready to drink but still has years/decades to go before hitting its peak. In sum....a classic.
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3/17/2013 - Collector1855 wrote: 99 Points
I drank this wine several times. 2 times during a blind high-end Bordeaux shoot out, once during a 10 year Haut Brion vs. Margaux vertical and once at the Chateau during a vertical dinner (00-09) organized by the French wince critic Jean-Marc Quarin. It always delivered. I cannot recall one single person who did not like this wine. At the Chateau it put the 05 and 00 in the dog house. And don't get me wrong, I do not like the Bdx 03 vintage at all... The wine is is highly aromatic (toast, coffee, cloves, cedar wood, etc.), fresh, yes fresh, soft tannins too. If you have a bottle open one to see yourself.
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2/14/2013 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 98 Points
Tasted blind. Amazing nose of cassis/black currant, flowers, some spices, licorice, etc. Super complex aromatic profile. Medium-full body with medium-high tannins and a medium+ acidity providing some freshness. This is an extremely elegant and complex Margaux that leaves an impression of great finesse and class. Everybody loved it!
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2/8/2013 - smkl123 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bright red, still very tightly wound. decanted for 60 min. Deep red fruit showing, still strong tannins present but very subtle. very classic margaux. dark fruits, just a hint of charcoal. still incredibly young, would wait 5 more years to drink. this was better than i expected, and will be alot better in the coming years.
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1/10/2013 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
Wineflock - 2003 Bordeaux (Kenny's): My #2, Group #3 - Opaque brighter red color. warm red fruit with slight green pepper and charcoal notes on the nose. Nice juicy blcak fruit with good balance and a lingering finish. A nice wine, but I've like it better in the past than I did here...
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12/14/2012 - Collector1855 wrote: 98 Points
Chateau Margaux tasting dinner with Paul Pontalier (At Chateau Margaux): This was the wine of the evening, even though Jean-Marc was the opinion that the 00 and 05 have more length. But tonight this was every one's darling. Soft, lush, sexy with ample red fruit, toast, and sweet spices. 98+
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11/10/2012 - Ary wrote: 95 Points
Highly concentrated wine. Thick ripe black fruits, warm spice-cake and coffee beans in the nose. Beautiful thick and elegant on the well delineated palate, dark fruits, vanilla and dark chocolate tones. Long lingering and well-integrated tannins. More accessible than expected. 95+
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11/1/2012 - dcwino wrote: flawed
The 03 Bordeaux dinner at RIS in DC (RIS Restaurant, Washington DC): So slightly corked. Not in the nose initially. At the dinner, some thought no TCA initially but it got obvious as the wine got warmer.
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11/1/2012 - dcwino wrote: flawed
The 03 Bordeaux dinner at RIS in DC (RIS Restaurant, Washington DC): Wine No. 9 - Understated, subtle, floral, coffee and cassis. Very minor TCA taint I thought but others thought otherwise. The nose is fine but the finish shows a hint of TCA. Gussed CF.
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6/10/2012 - dcwino wrote: 95 Points
Chateau Margaux vertical dinner with great whites and 2007 Rayas (Ruth Chris Tysons Corner, VA): A great example of the top 03s, very ripe opulent dark fruits, crème de cassis, espresso, black pepper, anise and a hint of green that keeps the wine fresh. Chewy palate with noticeable tannins. This will require additional five to ten years to be ready.
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5/1/2012 - Dbader wrote: 94 Points
Very rich fruit, dark chocolate, tobacco and toasty oak. Still young but very, very good.
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12/22/2010 - taipanli wrote: 95 Points
Very elegant and refined. Superb balance in spite of its youth. Still plenty of evolving to come but this is splendid Chateau Margaux. Will be very happy drinking my stock in 5-10 years. 50+9+8+19+9=95+
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9/26/2010 - rwstorer wrote: 91 Points
Cloudy, dark red color with aromas of dried meats and slightly sweet red fruits. Flavors of very soft cherry and blackberry. Short finish. Almost seems too light in style.
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9/16/2010 - jeff nowak wrote: 92 Points
dinner @ quince. decanted. a modern margaux, no doubt primary in it's youth, but also effected by the vintage extreme heat? tighter than an 03 mouton showed a while back (and even an 03 lafite), and i dare to speculate, won't develop like the mouton from a nuanced standpoint. under carriage of fruit is layered on a strong backbone, very structured, i.e. no femininity. this drank more like a young, high end napa cab. hold (duh!). still fun to try. 92+
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6/26/2010 - bubbachumps wrote: 94 Points
Aged Bordeaux, Champagne, Chef Toby Joseph and a few miscellaneous wines (Casa Covolo): The sexiest most appealing nose of the reds. This wine might turn out to be the best of the bunch, but I don’t think we did it justice tonight. The nose showing toasty creamy oak with minerals and rich red fruit. Big, big wine in the mouth that didn’t show as much as it did on the nose, but you can tell the best is yet to come.
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6/25/2010 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 97 Points
Verticaal Margaux (Chalet Royal): 2003 Château Margaux (Frankrijk, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux) Kleur: Diep donkerrood. Aroma / bouquet: Moeilijk te onderscheiden van het vorige glas, super veel donker fruit, zeer royale toasting, herkenbaar door mokkatonen, espresso. Bijna nieuwe-werelds. Smaak / Afdronk: Heerlijke romigheid, voldoende frisse zuren, veel tannines maar prachtig rijp, super veel concentratie en mondvuling. Powerwijn, mokka-toets. Algemeen / potentieel: 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Smaak / Afdronk: 19 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 97/100
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9/13/2009 - sosgoodjhu wrote: 93 Points
Dirty nose, but in a good way. Black truffles, plum...finely integrated tannins.
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4/24/2009 - sdr wrote: 81 Points
The rim is becoming pale and although it seems viscous in the glass, the wine is fairly dull on the nose and leans more to hard or tough dried fruit such as cranberry. Mouth-coating viscosity, very dense, but lacks all sense of freshness and Margaux typicity. A second pour exhibited a hint of varnish. The super-hot summer seems to have left its imprint on the wine. I can't see this developing positively over the years but I hope I am wrong.
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3/27/2009 - JJL wrote: 94 Points
Fresh flowers (lily), broccoli, chalk dust, and pencil lead on the nose. The palate was very interesting and strange. The tannins are big and it makes for a very chewy wine. The acidity is almost undetectable and the wine is full of sweet dark flavors like mocha, licorice, cinnamon, plum and nutmeg. The finish is long and chewy and so much so that it was difficult to drink with food. I chewed the wine more than the food. If you did not smell the wine and only drank it, you would have confused it for cult Cali. This should improve after the tannins mellow. I would try again in 5 years.
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5/22/2008 - Goldstone wrote: 94 Points
Farr Vintners Medoc Tasting of the 2003 Vintage, Hong Kong (Farr Vintners Office, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong): 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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1/6/2007 - Thralow wrote: 91 Points
Apparently we were not as impressed as other reviewers. Perhaps our expectations were too high. We have five more bottles. We’ll see what it is like in two years.
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12/24/2006 - JBBridge wrote: 94 Points
Decanted and drank with nephew ATBridge to get a feel for the 03's. Powerful floral and pencil-lead nose. Beautiful dark garnet color. Tannins very dominating but big black fruit and coffee on the palate. Rich and chewy texture. We agreed this was going to be massive when it reaches maturity.
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11/9/2006 - KenK wrote: 98 Points
Opened for Wine Flock 2003 Bordeaux Tasting - Served Blind
Sweet lush nose with dense coffee infused blackberry aromas and hint of floral, quite seductive. A chewy wine with deep dark blackberry fruit in a toasty creamy lush style. Very complex with nuances of chocolate, coffee, and cherry wraped with ripe but persistant tannins. Lower acid wine, but by no means flabby. Perhaps just a touch warm on a long ripe finish.
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11/9/2006 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
Wineflock - 2003 Bordeaux, Parker 90+ (Ken's): Group #6, My #3 - Full red color. Medium clean coffee red fruit nose. Big bold concentrated tannic black fruit with a long coffee finish. This is still tight and young and hadn't been decated. Should be great with time.
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10/8/2006 - gorm wrote: 98 Points
Extremely deep and dark color - more brown than red actually. By far the sweetiest nose, but also with lots of warmth. Raisins, licquor, licorice, vanilla, coffee, smoke - the list goes on. Extremely voluptuous and seducing. It knocks you right of your feet! Rating: 98
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8/27/2006 - KenK wrote: 97 Points
Chicago's Best Bordeaux Tasting Ever? (Ken's Home): Double decanted at 6:45am. Superb aromas of dense lush red cherry, black mineral, and toasty cedar. Soft in the mouth, quite feminine, but surprisingly nice acidity for such a hot year. Great density and quality of red ripe fruit, solid raw materials. Rich with plenty of acid and sweet tannins. Soft spicy finish. This was dominated by minerals and acid, but as they intergrate, this should be very special.
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8/26/2006 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
Great Wines of Bordeaux dinner (Ken Kailin's): Decanted about 12 hours. Full deep red. Big bright clean black fruit aroma. Full bright almost medium bodied black fruit. Still quite young but a great wine. Neck and neck with the Lafite... 94+ pts.
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3/31/2004 - peternelson wrote: 91 Points
Winery: Slightly darker purple than Pavillon, but can see bottom; some cherry, beaut. med. int. nose; soft berry, lightly toasted cedar; beaut. soft mth, good t’s, structure; hot fin., long soft glycerin t’s.
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