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 - The wines of the
vintage
Let's just say that when I tasted these wines
in Bordeaux after their
release, I was dumbstruck 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 Pape Clement Pessac Leognan Parker rated 94-96 $120, 6 bottles $720, 12 bottle case $1299.
A stunning success that has gone from strength to strength since I tasted it last year, Pape Clement is clearly one of the stars of the vintage. It boasts an inky dark plum/purple color as well as a big, sweet nose of smoked meats, lead pencil shavings, incense, blackberries, cherries, and plums. Opulent and full-bodied with decent acidity, lavish quantities of glycerin and concentration, and sweet tannin in the long finish, it should be relatively accessible in its youth, but age effortlessly for well over two decades. It is hard to know what some of the 1959s tasted like at a similar stage, but this could be a modern-day version of that hot-year vintage. A brilliant wine - don't miss it! R Parker
Chateau Cos d'Estournel - St Estephe - Parker
98 - 48 bts left
$185 per bottle, 6 bottles
$1100, 12 bottle case $2100
"One of the candidates for wine of the
vintage, this beauty has a
dense purple color to the rim and a classic,
noble nose of graphite
intermixed with black currant, spice box,
licorice, and red and black
fruits. Medium to full-bodied with
exceptional precision and
definition, this beautifully textured wine
stands out as one of the
most successful wines of this irregular
vintage. A brilliant effort,
it should be at its best between 2008 and
2020."
R Parker
Chateau Montrose - St Estephe - Parker 96
18 bottles left
$210 per bottle, 6
bottles $$1250, 12 bottle case $2400.
"Very deep garnet-black colour. The nose is a
little closed giving
moderately intense aromas of blackberry, ripe
cassis, freshly cracked
black pepper and a touch of cedar. The palate
reveals this wine's
potential with buckets of juicy, warm berry
fruit seasoned with a
smattering of earth and spice. Finely
structured giving medium to
firm, tightly knit tannins and medium+
acidity. Very long, purely
fruited finish. Drink 2010 to 2030+. Tasted
March 2009." R Parker
Chateau Leoville-Poyferre - St Julien -
Parker 98 6 bts left
$175 per bottle,
6 bottles $900
"I have had this wine three times out of
bottle, rating it 97 once and
98 twice. It is a colossal success and a
potential legend in the
making. Its saturated, dense
inky/blue/purple color offers up notes of
crushed rocks, acacia flowers, blueberries,
black raspberries, and
creme de cassis. A synthesis of power and
elegance, this multi-layered
wine has spectacular concentration, sweet but
high tannin, and low
acidity A stunning effort that showcases
this legendary terroir, it is
a brilliant, brilliant success. The
quintessential Leoville Poyferre?
Anticipated maturity: 2009-2030." R
Parker
Ch. Leoville Las Cases - St Julien -
Parker 93+ 18 bts left
$185 per
bottle, 6 bottles $1100, 12 bottle case
$2100.
"The solidly made 2003 Leoville Las-Cases
(13.2% alcohol) is a blend
of 70.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17.2% Merlot,
and 12.6% Cabernet Franc.
In this incredibly hot vintage, the alcohol
is slightly lower than
achieved in 2002, a cool-climate year. While
not a profound example of
Las-Cases, the 2003 is muscular, deep, and
full-bodied with an
impressive ruby/purple color, a tight but
juicy bouquet of vanilla,
black cherries, crushed rocks, and flowers, a
sweet attack, and
moderately high tannin. Backward and fresh,
displaying impeccable
delineation and purity, it can be enjoyed
between 2012-2023." R Parker
Chateau Leoville Barton - St Julien -
Parker 95+ 12 bts left
$175 per
bottle, 6 bottles $950, 12 bottle case
$1800.
"One cannot admire enough proprietor Anthony
Barton and his classic,
potentially long-lived wines that are models
of power, elegance, and
longevity - in short, these wines symbolize
what makes Bordeaux so
world-renowned! Probably capable of rivaling
the 2000, the
uncompromisingly made, formidably powerful,
masculine, and highly
extracted 2003 has an inky purple color to
the rim, a big, deep
personality with a tight but promising nose
of forest floor, creme de
cassis, smoke, charcoal, licorice, and
perhaps even truffle. It is
layered, rich, and set for an exceptionally
long life, but don't
expect to get a lot of joy even in this
somewhat overtly styled
vintage for at least another 7-8 years.
Anticipated maturity:
2012-2030+."
R Parker
Chateau du Tertre - Margaux - Parker
90 - 14
bottles left
$60 per bt, 6 bottles $350, 12 bottle case $599
"This dark ruby/purple-colored, luscious,
soft, already complex 2003
offers alluring notes of smoked herbs, black
cherry jam, camphor,
white chocolate, and licorice. Medium to
full-bodied, silky-textured,
heady, and impossible to resist, it can be
drunk now and over the next
12-14 years."
R Parker
Chateau Grand Puy Ducasse - Pauillac - Parker
90 9 bottles left
$60 per bt, 6 bottles $350, 9 Bottles $540
"This property is clearly on the upswing as
evidenced by this wine.
The open-knit, evolved 2003 is undeniably a
sleeper of the vintage and
a very good value for a top Pauillac. Deep
ruby purple in color with
an evolved bouquet of smoked herbs, cedar,
creme de cassis, and plums,
broad, full-bodied, savory flavors, and
beautiful complexity, this
wine is rich and long in spite of its
forwardness. It will benefit
from 2-4 years of bottle age and drink well
for 12-15. A very strong
effort."
R Parker
Cynthia
Hurley
