Pauillac Wines

wines

Pretty, clean, and perfumed, with a milk chocolate and berry character. Full bodied, with round and velvety tannins and a long finish. Polished and very beautiful, caressing. Pull the cork after 2014.James Suckling | 94 JSA healthy, youthful dark plum/ruby/purple color is followed by a bouquet of smoke, barbecued meats, black currants and new saddle leather. With full body and sweet tannin, this 2003 is strutting its stuff. Although it is not as fine as the 1989, 1990, or 2000, it is a complex, classic Pauillac to enjoy over the next decade.Robert Parker | 94 RPConsidering the reputation of Lynch-Bages as a rich, polished wine, it is not surprising that, in 2003, the team of Jean-Michel Cazes and Daniel Lhose produced a superlatively ripe, opulent wine, one that could almost have come from Napa. But not quite: The fruit is compact and dense, with layers of acidity that speak more of Bordeaux than California. Imported by Diageo Chateau & Estates.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe terroir of Lynch-Bages shines through in ’03, with a wine that tastes like it grew somewhere-somewhere stony. The dark scent is funky, with a fresher blackberry flavor underneath. Richness powers the flavor, but the tannins keep it elegant and sophisticated, their tough grip becomes the center of the wine, berries grown in stone. After a sip, you can breathe in the structure; it’s all tannin, but it has life. This should be great 12 to 14 years from the vintage.Wine & Spirits | 94 W&SOffers warm cassis and black cherry notes infused with smoldering charcoal and roasted cedar details. Supple and fine-grained, with lingering tobacco and prune hints. Appealing now, though the vibrancy has been cooked out a bit.—Blind ’01/’03/’05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Drink now through 2025. 35,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Riper than 2000 with sultanas and plums. It’s full with ripe tannins and a juicy finish. Be patient. Try in a year or two.James Suckling | 93 JSBeautiful aromas of berry, currant and toasted oak. Intense currant character. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, intense finish. This is very structured and superclean. Excellent stuff. Best after 2011. 7,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2003 Les Forts de la Tour possesses a dense ruby/plum/purple color in addition to notions of cold steel, lead pencil shavings, and creme de cassis. Full-bodied, opulent, heady, rich, and lush, it can be drunk now or cellared for 15+ years.What can one say about proprietor Francois Pinault and his manager, Frederic Engerer? A strong argument can be made that in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004, Latour produced the wine of the vintage, although it has plenty of competition in the Northern Medoc in 2003. Moreover, the bargains are the estate’s least expensive cuvee, Pauillac, followed by Les Forts de Latour, Latour’s second wine which continues to increase in quality.Robert Parker | 92 RPDeep ruby-red. Wonderfully vinous and sappy for the vintage, with aromas of redcurrant, mineral and spice. Sweet, rich, lush and exotic but with good spice character giving lift to the flavors. A very fine-grained wine that will give relatively early pleasure, but it can’t match the 2004 or 2005 for backbone. Finishes dry and classic, with plenty of richness.Vinous Media | 91 VM