Cellar Management

Pick My Next Bottle – 2003 Bordeaux

The October 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 Friday and a Bottle Note will be published early next week. We all…

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Bordeaux, Bottle Notes

2003 Chateau Clerc Milon – Bottle Notes

The history of Chateau Clerc Milon dates back to the early 1800’s. In 1970 Baron Philippe de Rothschild, the owner of Chateau Mouton Rothschild, acquired Clerc Milon and put the Chateau on course to becoming worthy of its 5th growth status in Bordeaux. In 1983, the illustration for the Chateau Clerc Milon label was changed to a pair of dancing clowns…

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Bordeaux, Bottle Notes

2003 Léoville-Poyferré – Bottle Notes

The 2003 Léoville-Poyferré was the winning bottle in the March Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for 4 hours and served with steaks. As an added bonus my wife and I got to share this bottle with my life long best friend from college. Château Léoville-Poyferré is in St.-Julien. The estate is a Second Growth Bordeaux.…

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Cellar Management

Pick My Next Bottle – 2003 Bordeaux

The September 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 shortly thereafter. We all know…

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Bordeaux, Bottle Notes

2003 Sociando-Mallet – Bottle Notes

The 2003 Sociando-Mallet was the winning bottle in the May Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for two hours and served with steaks. Chateau Sociando-Mallet is a 225-acre estate in St.-Seurin-de-Cadourne, which is part of the Haut-Medoc appellation just north of the city of Bordeaux. It has been owned since 1969 by Jean Gautreau. After many…

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Random Musings

Reflections on the 2003 Vintage in France

The heatwave vintage of 2003 has always been a controversial one, especially for two of my favorite regions, Bordeaux and Chateaunef du Pape. Much of Europe, France in particular, suffered under a brutal heat wave and drought. In Bordeaux the grapes were picked earlier than ever before. The levels of sugar, and therefore resulting alcohol, reached record levels, but the…

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