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This is a giant wine with lots of muscular tannins and rich fruit. Full and beautiful, very ‘Cabernet’ with currants and spices in the forefront. Broad shouldered, with notes of fresh mushrooms, pure fruit, souis bois, and a very long, long finish. This shows incredible class for the vintage. Robert de Luxembourg says it reminds him of the 1975 vintage with the powerful tannins. Pull the cork after 2015.James Suckling | 95 JSAromas of blackberry, tobacco and hints of oak. Full-bodied, with lots of silky and round tannins and a long finish. Lots going on here. Layered and powerful. Best after 2010. 460 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSEvery year, this estate turns in a wine which closely rivals the neighboring Haut-Brion. This year, the rivalry is just as intense. This has sweet, ripe, beautiful fruit, delicious acidity already. But wait for the tannins to kick in.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2003 La Mission Haut-Brion shows more creme de cassis, plenty of cedar wood, melted licorice and charcoal in a medium to full-bodied wine. It is a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc. Rustic tannins in the back knock down the ultimate pleasure, and the point score, ever so slightly, but there’s no doubting the complex, perfumey, noble aromatics this wine has managed to attain despite the staggering heat and drought in June, July and August. This has reached full maturity, but should hold nicely for another 7-10 years.Here’s a case where the second wine comes very close in quality to its bigger sibling, possibly because it is showing great complexity and is even more evolved than the Mission Haut-Brion. 2003 was tough in the Pessac-Leognan because of the lighter soils and the enormous heat and drought. Hence, the harvest here started in mid-August, which was historic.Robert Parker | 93 RPThe 2003 La Mission Haut-Brion is one of the few examples of this infamous vintage that has improved in bottle, though it’s still far from a first- or even second-tier La Mission. My most recent bottle displays all the tropes of that hot summer: black cherries, fig, singed leather and cooked meats. It does not have the delineation of the best vintages. The palate is reasonably well balanced with sweet black fruit, still displaying those fennel and garrigue notes. The finish is opulent yet slightly monotone. Tasted at a private dinner in Bordeaux.Vinous Media | 90 VM

The warmth of the year comes through in a fatter more velvety texture than you find in many Haut-Baillys, and in its clearly generous autumnal berry fruit, deep black pepper, liquorice and saffron spice. All this is set alongside pulsing aromatics, and a juicy finish that shows the fruit was ripe but not overripe. Excellent, easy to recommend in what was a challenging vintage where terroir absolutely shone through. Drinking Window 2020 - 2038.Decanter | 93 DECThe warm vintage of 2003 gives this loads of fruit, like raspberries and strawberry jam. Full-bodied and very fresh with soft, round tannins. A long and yummy wine. Delicious now but please wait to pull the cork until at least 2013.James Suckling | 93 JSI remember being worried about how well the 2003 Haut-Bailly would turn out, but it has aged beautifully. Made from a final blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, it currently offers fresh tobacco leaf, red and black currant notes, and hints of burning embers and charcoal. Having put on weight over the last eleven years, it is more complete and fuller than I expected. Enjoy this pretty, luscious, fully mature 2003 over the next decade.Robert Parker | 91 RP

This is pure and focused with blackberries, plums, and currants on the nose, with hints of dried spices on the nose. Full and very precise, with chewy tannins and a powerful finish, Tight and rich, with lots of fruit. Give this a rest until 2013, then pull the cork.James Suckling | 93 JSGorgeous aromas of blackberry, currant and spices. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and layers of fruit. Goes on and on. Best after 2007. 10,830 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Decadent and rich with a meaty and ripe fruit aroma. Full, dense, and juicy, with round, velvety tannins, and a long finish. A big burly wine. Pull the cork after 2015, this needs the time. Find the wineJames Suckling | 93 JSGood deep red-ruby. Extravagantly ripe, exotic aromas of roasted dark fruits and roasted meat. Large-scaled, fat and full, with atypical sweetness nicely leavened by harmonious acidity. Creamy, dense and full for Lafon-Rochet. Finishes with smooth tannins and excellent palate-saturating length. A great vintage for this chateau.Vinous Media | 91 VMVery exciting aromas of crushed blackberry and lightly smoky barrels. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a medium finish. A bit tight but balanced. 10,555 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Aromas of blackberry and lightly toasted oak follow through to a full-bodied palate, with chewy tannins and a rich, fruity aftertaste of plum, berry and vanilla. All there. Solid wine. Best after 2011. 14,165 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSBright red-ruby. Pure aromas of raspberry, violet and minerals. Suave and supple but classically dry, with an enticing floral character throughout. Very stylish, smooth wine, with tannins nicely buffered by berry fruit.Vinous Media | 88-91 VMBig, round, and juicy, with lots of plummy and chocolate character. Full and round, very yummy. Why wait?James Suckling | 90 JSAlso a stunning wine, the 2003 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux is a sleeper of the vintage. Much fresher and less evolved than I would expect a second wine to be from this vintage, it is a Margaux-like effort with a flowery character, good precision and freshness, red and black currant notes, and an attractive, medium-bodied, surprisingly concentrated mouthfeel. It is clearly one of the finest second wines made in this vintage. It can be consumed over the next 5-8 years.Robert Parker | 90 RPThe second wine of Château Margaux is certainly as good as many crus bourgeois. This vintage is ripe and elegant. For fruit that is so ripe what is fascinating is the way the wine finishes with acidity and a great lift. Delicious in three to five years.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

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

Aromas of blackberry, toasted oak, sweet tobacco and espresso. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, fruity finish. I like the texture. Best after 2010. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 16,665 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSSpicy and earthy, with lots of ripe fruit. Full bodied, with soft round tannins and a juicy finish. Yummy and decadent. No need to wait, but it will be much better if you pull the cork after 2014.James Suckling | 91 JSUnder the management of Jean Merlaut, this estate has lost some of the super-opulence of the wines of the 90s, and gained finesse and elegance. That has stood the 2003 in good stead, emphasizing solidity and dry tannins to balance the wood and cranberry flavors of the fruit.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

This is a mouthful, with loads of fruit and truffle character. Exotic and wild, but starting to close. Give this five years.James Suckling | 93 JSIn 2003, this was the second wine of Leoville Las Cases as opposed to a separate entity. A brilliant effort, it was harvested between September 11 and 26, and boasts 13.3% natural alcohol. The final blend was 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot. Its deep garnet/ruby/plum color is followed by notes of bay leaf, black currants, licorice and lead pencil shavings. The wine is deep, full-bodied, rich and fully mature, but its length, richness, freshness and complete feel suggest it will continue to drink well for 7-8 years. It’s a beauty.Robert Parker | 91 RPGood ruby-red. Roasted plum, currant and leather on the nose. Thick, rich and deep, with uncanny sweetness and mouth coverage for this bottling. Finishes very long, with a suggestion of dried fruits and big tannins that are even sweeter than those of the 2005 (the IPT here is 71, vs. 65 in the '05).Vinous Media | 90 VMVery pretty aromas of blackberry, currant and licorice. Full-bodied, with velvety, round tannins and lots of attractive vanilla and berry flavors. Long. Best after 2009. 9,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

This is full and powerful, with loads of fruit and a tropical undertone of berries and mango. Loads of tannins in this big wine, but still very fresh. This needs more time than the 2000. Give it five years. Pull the cork in 2015.James Suckling | 93 JSAromas of blackberry, black olives and licorice. Medium- to full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a fruity finish. Refined and nicely done. Best after 2010. 21,665 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSGiscours should be taken seriously by consumers as the quality has been ratcheted up over the last 7-8 years. The deep ruby/purple-hued 2003 offers complex, evolved aromatics of wood smoke, chocolate, charcoal, black cherry jam, and cassis. Lush, medium to full-bodied, and broad, with low acidity, copious glycerin, and a layered, persistent finish (it lasts for 40+ seconds), this beauty can be drunk now or cellared for 15 years.Robert Parker | 90 RPThe wine has held up well and is clearly one of the better examples from this hot, dry vintage. There’s some brick at the rim and the nose is a little flat with just a hint of dark pastille fruit and licorice . There’s a sweetness to the palate and the tannins are a little chunky and drying but there’s still obvious fruit and that innate freshness to balance the obvious warmth of the year. Drinking Window 2021 - 2025.Decanter | 90 DECIn normal vintages it’s velvety and rich, but Giscours seems to have gone over the top in 2003. The fruit is certainly there, generally fresh, but there is an underlying sense of over-ripeness, which needs to be better integrated: Hopefully this will happen as time goes on. For the moment, it’s a question mark.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE