The April Installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on 2003 Bordeaux. As I mentioned in the first installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. The winning bottle will be opened this Saturday and a Bottle Note will be published early next week.
We all know the background on the historically hot 2003 vintage. The wines are incredibly polarizing. From my experience, the top wines of the vintage are fruit forward and aging well. I think it is wise, with a vintage like this, to check in on the wines periodically. At 18 years of age, the proof should be in the bottle.
The Contenders:
- 2003 Lynch Bages – A healthy, youthful dark plum/ruby/purple color is followed by a bouquet of smoke, barbecued meats, black currants and new saddle leather. With full body and sweet tannin, this 2003 is strutting its stuff … it is a complex, classic Pauillac to enjoy over the next decade.(8/2/14) 94 points from the Wine Advocate.
- 2003 Calon Segur – This beautiful 2003 exhibits a dense ruby/purple color, a vigorous youthfulness, and plenty of mulberry, black currant and cherry fruit intermixed with notions of cedarwood, baking spices and roasted herbs. Ripe, medium to full-bodied, fresh and precise, this wine is just hitting full maturity where it should remain for another 10-15 years. (8/2/14) 93 points from the Wine Advocate.
- 2003 Smith Haut Lafitte – A beauty of cassis, plum, tobacco leaf and spice, this dark plum/purple-hued, medium to full-bodied 2003 reveals sweet, round, cassis flavors. It has reached full maturity, but shows no signs of decline, and should continue to hold at this plateau for another decade. Although the 2003 is not up to the perfect levels of the 2009 and 2010, it is unquestionably a noteworthy success in a vintage that did not favor Pessac-Leognan. (8/2/14) 91 points from the Wine Advocate.
Which 2003 Bordeaux Should I Open?
- 2003 Lynch Bages (50%, 13 Votes)
- 2003 Calon Segur (27%, 7 Votes)
- 2003 Smith Haut Lafitte (23%, 6 Votes)
Total Voters: 26
Loading ...Thanks for voting! I’d love to see a comment below on why you picked one bottle over another. Also, let me know if you have any suggestions for the May installment of Pick My Next Bottle.
Tom: I can’t say how I learned about your blog. Once I did, it has become a trusted source for me. While we share admiration for several producers, this is the first time that you may review, as part of “Pick My Next Bottle,” a bottle in my inventory.
Thanks Anthony. I appreciate the kind words. Which wine did you vote for?
Lynch Bages
Voted for the Lafitte. Hate to drink wine before it’s time even if decanted for hours. By description it’s the most ready of the three.