Chateau Margaux 2003

This was the finest performance by this wine that I have seen since it was released. I did not expect the 2003 Chateau Margaux to show this well in a vintage where the southern part of the Medoc was clearly less impressive than the north. However, it is a beautiful, dark plum/purple-tinged effort with sensational aromatics, a full-bodied mouthfeel, and a youthfulness, precision and freshness that belie what one generally associates with this vintage. It can be drunk now and over the next 15-20 years. Kudos to Chateau Margaux. Drink 2014-2034

Am I being too stingy with the 2003 Chateau Margaux? A wine of extraordinary complexity and intensity, it reveals a deep purple color, a style not unlike the 1990 Margaux (possibly even more concentrated), a velvety texture, and notes of spring flowers interwoven with camphor, melted licorice, creme de cassis, and pain grille. Not a blockbuster, it offers extraordinary intensity as well as a surreal delicacy/lightness. There is riveting freshness to this offering, which tips the scales at a lofty (for this estate) 13.5% alcohol, as well as an alluring sweetness and accessibility. It probably will tighten up over the next few years. Nevertheless, it is a profound Chateau Margaux that brings to mind a hypothetical blend of the 1982 and 1990. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2035.

An extraordinary wine and undeniably one of the great wines of the Medoc, and qualitatively a wine that towers over what other estates produced in the appellation of Margaux, the 2003 Chateau Margaux is made in a style that almost mirrors Lafite Rothschild in 2003. Last year I thought it could represent a hypothetical blend of the 1990 and 1996, but the wine has taken on even more opulence and seductiveness in an almost atypical but still fragrant, elegant, classic Chateau Margaux personality. Dense ruby/purple to the rim with an extraordinary floral nose intermixed with blackberries, cassis, mineral, licorice, and some vanilla, the wine is dense, opulent, voluptuously textured, with wonderful sweetness (reminiscent of 1982 and 1990 in that sense), low acidity, but tremendous concentration and an almost seamless integration of all components – alcohol, tannin, new wood, and acidity. This is truly sumptuous stiff that should drink reasonably well young after 4 or 5 years in the bottle and age for 30+ years. Bravo!

In an appellation that was not nearly as homogeneous in quality as Pauillac and St.-Estephe, manager Paul Pontallier has produced a prodigious 2003 Chateau Margaux that, qualitatively, towers over all the other Margaux estates. From yields of only 30 hectoliters per hectare, it includes 45% of the total crop, and spiritually as well as stylistically, represents a hypothetical blend of the 1990 and 1996. Opaque purple-colored, with an extraordinary perfume of spring flowers, blueberries, black currants, licorice, and vanillin, this 2003 exhibits an opulent texture, tremendous structure as well as definition, and an ethereal lightness of being despite its prodigious concentration. As the wine sits in the glass, notions of white chocolate and flowers come forth. The attack suggests the 1990, but the finish recalls the 1996. Phenomenally pure, and medium to full-bodied, but surprisingly light in terms of its palate impression, its aftertaste lasts well beyond one minute. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2040.

Ultraconcentrated. Plenty of fruit, mineral and meat character. Full-bodied yet refined and classy. Cashmere. Superb.

Very rich and decadent for Margaux. Full-bodied, with a solid core of sweet and silky tannins and a long, long finish. This is very racy and rich, with a fabulous velvety texture. Goes on and on. The most concentrated Margaux ever.

Dark and lively crimson. Pretty classy nose – quite fresh. Really lovely balance on the palate. This wine manages to have sufficient fruit concentration and the tannins, amazingly, seem ripe – the first such instance in this tasting. BUT it tastes as though it could happily be drunk already which is pretty unusual for a first growth. Neat and pleasing finish.