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By The Glass
Jay Kam
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'03 Bordeaux may be a sweet hit
I WAS ABLE to visit Bordeaux in early 2004 to taste many barrel samples of the 2003 vintage. I never had the opportunity to taste the other comparable vintages, 1947 and 1983, from barrels (before my time), but 2003 struck me as a unique vintage.
The fruit was very ripe, sweet and primary. Typically, acid is necessary to balance out a wine, but the acid levels in 2003 were very low. One would think that gobs of fruit and little acidity would result in flabby and uninteresting wines. Not these. Somehow, the wines maintained some body and structure.
To be honest, I'm not sure what to make of this vintage. Some experts, such as Robert Parker, claim that great vintages aren't always universally touted as such in the beginning and that extremely hot years such as 2003 in Bordeaux result in fabulous wines.
If my gut feeling is correct, 2003 will be well-received by the American consumer. The wines have luscious ripe fruit and should be drinkable early in their lives. I'm not convinced that this is a stellar vintage, but then again some wines may very well turn out to be as legendary as the 1947 Cheval Blanc. Only time will tell.
The 2003 Bordeaux wines are starting to arrive on retailers' shelves. I'm dying to try them -- especially the Vrai Canon Bouche ($21.99), 2003 Pipeau ($28.99) and Bellefont Belcier ($35.99).
All of these are from St. Emilion, a district on the right bank of Bordeaux, that primarily use merlot and cabernet franc grapes in their blends. Thus the wines are typically softer, more refined and elegant than other Bordeaux styles.
Vrai Canon Bouche is not well-known, but many small and upcoming chateaux were able to produce good wines in 2003. This is one of them.
My barrel sample of Pipeau showed a lot of red fruit and a nice mineral quality. It should be a very good value.
The Bellefont Belcier barrel sample was potentially the best wine from this chateau I have ever tasted. I really loved it.
Jay Kam is president of Vintage Wine Cellar.
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