Every Sunday at 7:30 a.m. I'm going deep into my wine cellar to pull out the last of some very great bottles. I promise rare wines for the cellar- builder in very limited quantities, gems of astonishing quality carrying highly pedigreed labels that will tempt the most temperate among us.

So, don't hit the snooze! These wines will be gone, gone, gone, quickly.

Please note: these wines have been in temperature-control since they arrived from France.

Bordeaux 2003 was a unique vintage. Torrid high temperatures made for a very early and very uneven harvest. But the best estates who had older vines with deep roots made profound wines that are coming into their own now. I can say that when I tasted these below wines in Bordeaux after their release, I was dumbstruck by their depth and ripeness and wanted nearly everything I tasted. I couldn't remember a harvest that lavished so much pleasure on my palate.

These wines, nearly without exception, are entering their plateau (a very long one) of maturity and they are ready to start exploring now. I've included Parker's notes. Quantities are limited to what is listed.

Chateau Haut Condissas Medoc Rated 92 24 bottles, 6 bottles $399 , 12 bottle case $775
"The prestige cuvee, the 2003 Haut-Condissas, easily competes with the finest classified growths. Its inky/blue/purple color is accompanied by sumptuous aromas of lead pencil shavings, black currants, blueberries, and white flowers. This dense, full-bodied, loaded 2003 reveals the vintage's low acidity, fat, and flesh. It can be drunk young or cellared for 10-12 years.- R Parker

Chateau Reignac Bordeaux Superior Rated 90-91
only 5 bottles Total for the 5 bottles = $150
The revolutionary Yves Vatelot continues to make waves with the extraordinary efforts he produces at Reignac. Planted with 6,000 vines per hectare, and entitled only to a Bordeaux Superieur designation, it is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon fashioned from tiny yields of 30 hectoliters per hectare. The vineyard is crop-thinned, and the wine is given all the state of the art winemaking treatments (most of them inherited from Burgundy), including aging on its lees, malolactic in barrel, and no fining or filtering. There are 16,000 cases of the 2003, which tips the scales at 13.5% alcohol. It possesses a deep ruby/purple color, a smoky, chocolatey bouquet offering black and red fruits, a good underpinning of tannin, a broad palate, outstanding purity, and a fat, layered finish. This top-notch effort may be just as good as the 2000, but is more evolved and forward. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2012. R Parker

Ch Lusseau St Emilion - Parker 91 12 bts left
6 bottles $250, 12 bottle case $475 (39.50)
"This deep ruby/purple-tinged, sexy St.-Emilion boasts jammy kirsch liqueur, blackberry, and raspberry fruit flavors, medium body, low acidity, heady alcohol, and a plump, concentrated finish. It is made by the cellarmaster for all the Gerard Perse estates (Monbousquet, Pavie-Decesse, Pavie, and Bellevue-Mondotte). Sadly, there are only 2,700 bottles of this seductive 2003. Enjoy it during its first 7-8 years of life." R Parker

Clos Dubruiel St Emilion Parker 92-95 12 bts left
6 bottles $420, 12 bottles $ 799 ($66)
"One of the leading garage operations, this distinctive 500-case blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc hit the bull's eye in 2003. Not surprisingly, the wine is a product of the vintage's most favored terroirs, argile-calcaire (clay-limestone). A superb bouquet of roasted espresso, jammy, sweet kirsch liqueur, plums, black currants, and caramel jumps from the glass of this exotic, flamboyantly-styled St.-Emilion. Thick and juicy, with low acidity and a high pH, this plump wine is right at the limit of balance, but pulls back before it goes over the top. Nevertheless, I would opt for drinking it during its first 10-12 years of life." R Parker

Chateau Larcis Ducase - Parker 93+ 12 bts left
bottle, 6 bottles $275, 12 bottle case $540 ($45).
"This wine is aged on its lees, and, as one would expect, it has put on weight since last year. A dark ruby/purple hue is followed by a noble, complex bouquet of cigar smoke, Provencal herbs, sweet black cherries, currants, and a hint of truffles. It possesses a meaty texture, loads of flavor, superb concentration, and that undeniable complexity that great terroirs routinely produce. The beautiful, multilayered finish with no hard edges is also noteworthy. Like most of the top 2003s, the acidity is low, but the concentration is there, and the wine is capable of being drunk young or cellared for two decades or more. This is unquestionably the finest offering from this estate since their prodigious 1945. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020.."
R Parker

Cynthia Hurley

To reserve any of these wines just respond to this email. Reservations honored in the order received. This wine is in stock and available for immediate delivery.

The Details

Prices as posted. Reservations honored in the order received, but orders for cases will preempt bottle orders where cases are available. This is to allow preservation of the owc and their desirability for cellar collectors.