2003 Château Margaux, Margaux, Bordeaux

Mid crimson. Lightish nose with a whiff of very fine oak. Sweet start but pretty drying on the end. A hint of rusty nails on the end. Finishes a bit dry. But it got better in the glass and by the end of dinner was both sweet and delicate. There was some Margaux fragrance but it needed quite a time to open out. Far from a blockbuster. It's possible that this will eventually blossom into something much more special and expressive.

Drink 2010-2020

Tasted blind as a vintage comparison at the Valandraud vertical, the 2003 Margaux is fully mature on the nose. There is ample fruit here, well defined for the vintage with blackberry and cedar, this bottle demonstrating a subtle fungal character that I have not discerned in previous bottles. There are faint scents of rust iron piping that develop with further aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly dry tannin, offering more fruit than the 2003 Valandraud it was paired with: feisty black pepper and allspice finish with a decent aftertaste. There might be better bottles than this, even so, there is probably not another Margaux that touches this First Growth. I see no harm in broaching bottles now and over the next ten years.

"Am I being too stingy with the 2003 Chateau Margaux? A wine of extraordinary complexity and intensity, a style not unlike the 1990 Margaux possibly even more concentrated), a velvety texture, and notes of spring flowers interwoven with melted licorice, creme de cassis, and pain grille... There is riveting freshness to this offering... 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."