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Sunday, 17 June 2012
Bordeaux Firsts of 2003
The last time I reviewed Bordeaux 2003, it was the non-Firsts in March last year. A host of the 2003s (non-Firsts) were tasted, and my conclusion then was that most of them were not ready unless you could not contain yourself.
The last time I reviewed Bordeaux 2003, it was the non-Firsts in March last year. A host of the 2003s (non-Firsts) were tasted, and my conclusion then was that most of them were not ready unless you could not contain yourself.
Early this month, I had the great pleasure of reviewing four of the Medoc Firsts - Lafite, Latour, Mouton and Haut Brion - at a gathering of wine buffs in Shanghai. No, not over a Shanghainese dinner but a Western-style dinner at the Hyatt on the Bund. It was a varied group, youngish, very keen and eager to learn. The wines were Lafite, Latour, Mouton and Haut Brion 2003. As Margaux 2003 was not available, Margaux 2004 acted as a substitute to demonstrate the style of Margaux and - to save the best for last - Yquem 2003!
2003 is still only just over eight, not yet fully nine years old, not even an adolescent, and drinking the Firsts would still amount to infanticide! There is a plausible excuse for looking at the Firsts now however. 2003 was possibly the most torrid vintage ever known, at least in modern times. Concern has been expressed from its very birth as to its ageability.
The vintage itself as it was examined at the time of the 2003 en primeur in May/June 2004 tasted very well, quite against preliminary expectations. It certainly was not a "roasted" vintage as some had feared and as I wrote at the time "at the top level the wines had a very attractive freshness, indicating a good balance of acidity". "At the top level" is the key phrase here.
Tasting notes
HAUT BRION 2003: Very deep red-garnet, beautiful bouquet. A seductive fragrance of ripe cassis, touched with cedarwood scents. Very ripe fruit, more Merlot in character, soft and rounder than the Pauillac Firsts, flavours of sweet cedary cassis, very very long delicate finish. A beautifully elegant wine. Almost ready, will keep for another decade or two.
MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 2003: Colour more or less the same as the Haut Brion - deep garnet red. Classic Pauillac character on the nose, very cedarwood and cassis. Very "Mouton" on the palate - rather compacted cedarwood, cassis. Like tasting a piece of very compacted dark cedary chocolate. Those not used to this "Mouton" palate will think it disagreeable. It is simply adolescent Mouton. The potential is there. Needs time - say another five at least, preferably 10 years. But it will be classic Mouton Rothschild.
LATOUR 2003: This is massive and stunning.
Very deep ruby-garnet, with a beautiful very fine cassis and cedarwood bouquet that seduces and haunts you! A big powerful broad-shouldered wine, big but refined. Very ripe, very sweet cassis and blackcurrant, intensely concentrated, almost impenetrable. Very soft ripe tannins, which in company with the firm minerality provided the spine and the support. This is classic Latour. Will need another 10 years to achieve full maturity, and will go on for another 20 plus years.
LAFITE ROTHSCHILD 2003: This was served last, and coming after the Latour it suffered somewhat from the juxtaposition.
A slightly lighter garnet-red colour shimmering beside the impenetrable opacity of the Latour. A beautiful very classic Lafite in the making, very youthful. On the palate a great contrast to the Latour. Where the latter is massive and broad-shouldered in its presence, Lafite exemplifies the classic much understated gentleman, aristocratic, refined, reserved, well brought-up, well-mannered, and always polite. Gently faded away on a lingering palate.
For those unfamiliar with Lafite, just be patient. It took me 16 years to understand and finally appreciate Lafite. My first Lafite was the 1970 and I thought it was weak beside the Latour 1970.
It was not until 1999, when on the 50th birthday celebration of my wife Melina at Château Rauzan Segla in company with several Château proprietors and directors, including John Kolasa, and Georg Riedel (of Riedel Crystal) who were also '49ers' one generous guest brought the Lafite 1949. And it was pure magic! And when one remembers that it was in the company of other legendary '49ers such as Latour, Mouton, Cheval Blanc, I finally understood and learnt that with Lafite you have to be very patient. WAIT.
YQUEM 2003: Deep shimmering light 18K gold colour, with a typical hauntingly exotic bouquet of very sweet very ripe fruit lightly botryticised, this last taking a little while to develop in the glass. Overall impression of elegance and breed rather than an overbearing, botrytis-laden presence. This is almost ready, and will last for another 50 years.
Summing up
In July 2004 when reviewing my tastings from the cask of the 2003 in Bordeaux, I remarked on the "very attractive freshness indicating a good balance of acidity... packed with very ripe fruit, and the tannins were ripe and soft". I found my en primeur tastings "very enjoyable".
These past impressions have now been supported and substantiated by this tasting of the Firsts and by the more extensive tasting of the Non-Firsts in March 2011.
At the top level, and this includes the Firsts, the top Seconds and other Growths, very good wines have been made, despite the rather gloomy predictions that were floating around in 2004. Some of them have still some way to go in respect of maturity, but the lesser ones will be ready now or at least very soon.
What these two recent tastings have shown and reminded me is that given a chance, and that must include good honest wine-making, finally if you can wait long enough, the foundation provided by the "terroir" comes through. There is no magic in this. It is nature making its presence tasted, and understood.
Now it is not a question of which wine should I buy, but rather which wine is affordable! Latour and Lafite, Petrus, Le Pin and Cheval Blanc are the most expensive. The current market price is over $1,000 a bottle. One need not go to those levels as there are great wines to be found at the lower levels.
The wines from Pauillac and St Estephe benefited most from the high clay content of their subsoil, hence amongst the best buys are the less expensive Cos d'Estournel, Calon Segur, Montrose Pontet Canet, Pichon Lalande and Pichon Baron, Pape Clement. And the Second wines of Latour and Lafite - Les Forts de Latour and Carruades de Lafite.
2 comments:
Bordeaux Firsts of 2003
N K Yong
08 June 2012
The last time I reviewed Bordeaux 2003, it was the non-Firsts in March last year. A host of the 2003s (non-Firsts) were tasted, and my conclusion then was that most of them were not ready unless you could not contain yourself.
Early this month, I had the great pleasure of reviewing four of the Medoc Firsts - Lafite, Latour, Mouton and Haut Brion - at a gathering of wine buffs in Shanghai. No, not over a Shanghainese dinner but a Western-style dinner at the Hyatt on the Bund. It was a varied group, youngish, very keen and eager to learn. The wines were Lafite, Latour, Mouton and Haut Brion 2003. As Margaux 2003 was not available, Margaux 2004 acted as a substitute to demonstrate the style of Margaux and - to save the best for last - Yquem 2003!
2003 is still only just over eight, not yet fully nine years old, not even an adolescent, and drinking the Firsts would still amount to infanticide! There is a plausible excuse for looking at the Firsts now however. 2003 was possibly the most torrid vintage ever known, at least in modern times. Concern has been expressed from its very birth as to its ageability.
The vintage itself as it was examined at the time of the 2003 en primeur in May/June 2004 tasted very well, quite against preliminary expectations. It certainly was not a "roasted" vintage as some had feared and as I wrote at the time "at the top level the wines had a very attractive freshness, indicating a good balance of acidity". "At the top level" is the key phrase here.
Tasting notes
HAUT BRION 2003: Very deep red-garnet, beautiful bouquet. A seductive fragrance of ripe cassis, touched with cedarwood scents. Very ripe fruit, more Merlot in character, soft and rounder than the Pauillac Firsts, flavours of sweet cedary cassis, very very long delicate finish. A beautifully elegant wine. Almost ready, will keep for another decade or two.
MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 2003: Colour more or less the same as the Haut Brion - deep garnet red. Classic Pauillac character on the nose, very cedarwood and cassis. Very "Mouton" on the palate - rather compacted cedarwood, cassis. Like tasting a piece of very compacted dark cedary chocolate. Those not used to this "Mouton" palate will think it disagreeable. It is simply adolescent Mouton. The potential is there. Needs time - say another five at least, preferably 10 years. But it will be classic Mouton Rothschild.
LATOUR 2003: This is massive and stunning.
Very deep ruby-garnet, with a beautiful very fine cassis and cedarwood bouquet that seduces and haunts you! A big powerful broad-shouldered wine, big but refined. Very ripe, very sweet cassis and blackcurrant, intensely concentrated, almost impenetrable. Very soft ripe tannins, which in company with the firm minerality provided the spine and the support. This is classic Latour. Will need another 10 years to achieve full maturity, and will go on for another 20 plus years.
LAFITE ROTHSCHILD 2003: This was served last, and coming after the Latour it suffered somewhat from the juxtaposition.
A slightly lighter garnet-red colour shimmering beside the impenetrable opacity of the Latour. A beautiful very classic Lafite in the making, very youthful. On the palate a great contrast to the Latour. Where the latter is massive and broad-shouldered in its presence, Lafite exemplifies the classic much understated gentleman, aristocratic, refined, reserved, well brought-up, well-mannered, and always polite. Gently faded away on a lingering palate.
For those unfamiliar with Lafite, just be patient. It took me 16 years to understand and finally appreciate Lafite. My first Lafite was the 1970 and I thought it was weak beside the Latour 1970.
It was not until 1999, when on the 50th birthday celebration of my wife Melina at Château Rauzan Segla in company with several Château proprietors and directors, including John Kolasa, and Georg Riedel (of Riedel Crystal) who were also '49ers' one generous guest brought the Lafite 1949. And it was pure magic! And when one remembers that it was in the company of other legendary '49ers such as Latour, Mouton, Cheval Blanc, I finally understood and learnt that with Lafite you have to be very patient. WAIT.
YQUEM 2003: Deep shimmering light 18K gold colour, with a typical hauntingly exotic bouquet of very sweet very ripe fruit lightly botryticised, this last taking a little while to develop in the glass. Overall impression of elegance and breed rather than an overbearing, botrytis-laden presence. This is almost ready, and will last for another 50 years.
Summing up
In July 2004 when reviewing my tastings from the cask of the 2003 in Bordeaux, I remarked on the "very attractive freshness indicating a good balance of acidity... packed with very ripe fruit, and the tannins were ripe and soft". I found my en primeur tastings "very enjoyable".
These past impressions have now been supported and substantiated by this tasting of the Firsts and by the more extensive tasting of the Non-Firsts in March 2011.
At the top level, and this includes the Firsts, the top Seconds and other Growths, very good wines have been made, despite the rather gloomy predictions that were floating around in 2004. Some of them have still some way to go in respect of maturity, but the lesser ones will be ready now or at least very soon.
What these two recent tastings have shown and reminded me is that given a chance, and that must include good honest wine-making, finally if you can wait long enough, the foundation provided by the "terroir" comes through. There is no magic in this. It is nature making its presence tasted, and understood.
Now it is not a question of which wine should I buy, but rather which wine is affordable! Latour and Lafite, Petrus, Le Pin and Cheval Blanc are the most expensive. The current market price is over $1,000 a bottle. One need not go to those levels as there are great wines to be found at the lower levels.
The wines from Pauillac and St Estephe benefited most from the high clay content of their subsoil, hence amongst the best buys are the less expensive Cos d'Estournel, Calon Segur, Montrose Pontet Canet, Pichon Lalande and Pichon Baron, Pape Clement. And the Second wines of Latour and Lafite - Les Forts de Latour and Carruades de Lafite.
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