.... the 2003 Haut-Brion! Nice evening with a friend (formerly ITB) a couple days before Christmas. Where has January slipped off to? Anyway, this is was one of those occasions that demonstrates how mature Bordeaux can be such a treat while young Bordeaux (relative to its own timeline) can sometimes leave you wishing for more. Fear not though, I think the 2003 Haut-Brion will be something special with more time. Interesting to note also that it hardly resembles a 2003 at all.
Chateau Gigault, Cuvee Viva, Premieres Cotes de Blaye 2000
Dark ruby, starting to head toward garnet, pink at the rim. Wonderful, youthful, perfumey nose, with vibrant cherry, black raspberry, a touch of cassis, damson, cured tobacco leaf, espresso, and gravelly earth, all with cigar box and brown spice. Vibrant, rich, and dense, with lovely, dark, aromatic fruit alla 2006, but with 2000's density and minerality. Love this nose! On the palate, loads of juicy, tart pie cherry upfront, followed by black raspberry, blueberry, juicy currant, damson, cranberry, a touch of citrus, a hint of cigar tobacco and espresso, and lots of mineral. Medium-full bodied, rich and dense; incredibly vibrant and youthful still. Not a lot of tannin evident, but has wonderful acid structure. Blind, I've had sworn this was 3 - 5 years old. This is a delightfully satisfying claret - I love it! 10 more years. 4 Stars [12/23/14]
Chateau Haut-Brion, Pessac-Leognan 2003
Medium-dark ruby, going toward garnet at the rim. Awesome nose, with incredible amounts of cocao powder (almost like putting your nose in a tin of it), blackberry compote, grilled meat, red currant, cigar tobacco, herbs de provence (2003 coming through there, but not much), suede, licorice, black soil, and undertones of gravel. Dense, very deep, rich, and aromatic. Simply put, a nose that singes to the heart of Bordeaux lover. Wonderful. The class and quality of this wine really shines in the nose. On the palate, loads of blackberry compote undertones, sweet raspberry and succulent red currant, those having a tart edge, a passing touch of dried herbs, dark chocolate, a touch of leather, and gravel. On the light side of full bodied, dense and rich, supported by really good acidity. This is the least 2003ish 2003 I've had, and tastes more like a 2001 or 2004 (the vintage at large, not Haut-Brion specifically). Very, very classy, the quality is really impressive and the terroir is there, but seems as if it's holding back. Took 4 hours to open as much as it did, and still not as expressive as it could be. Has excellent potential, I'd say revisit in 5 - 10 years and it can last for maybe another 20 years. There is an outstanding wine here waiting to emerge, I think. 4.5 Star potential, 4 Stars for drinking now. [12/23/14]