2003 BURGUNDY GRAND CRU DINNER - Iggy’s, Hilton Hotel, Singapore (27/2/2017)
With most of the other vintages in the mid-1990s and early 2000s done, we now turned our attention to 2003.
2003 was the “heat-wave” vintage, where people died of heat-exhaustion in their homes, and train carriages melted on their tracks. In the vineyards, grapes threatened to shrivel-up and those winemakers who could afford it actually refrigerated their fruit right after picking. On release, I thought the vintage was quite a disaster. Hot, messy fruit, harsh woody tannins, overripe flavours unbalanced by a lack of acidity. And that was just the reds.
Over the years though, a few odd bottles here and there seemed to have developed more nicely than expected, coming into better balance and focus. In the past couple of years especially, more and more people starting reassessing the vintage’s long-term prospects. Thanks to everyone’s usual generosity, we had a line-up of some of the very best terroirs and makers in Burgundy tonight. This then was a good chance to see how far the wines had truly come along in the past 13-14 years.
So, the verdict…
Many of the wines on the night were truly impressive, and quite a few were starting to show really well. They were perhaps a touch less classically balanced and more heayset than usual; the fruit was dark and powerfully ripe; and many wines were still showing woody tannins in various measures. Save for a couple of examples, the wines also seemed to lack a bit of the transperancy and finesse that makes Burgundy so special for me. However, while definitely not a vintage that engendered elegance, these were yummy wines that were generally attractive in their own particulary way, especially when paired with appropriate food. In short. the hot, sticky, imbalanced caricatures upon release have indeed started coming together very nicely indeed.
All in all, it is not a vintage I will go out and buy - the wines are just not built in a style that I associate with the best of Burgundy. But if you can get past that, there are some truly great wines in the vintage that could grace any cellar.
BUBBLES TO START
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2003 Krug Champagne Clos du Mesnil - France, Champagne
An unusually soft, ripe and expressive young Krug, but this was nevertheless a top-class Champgane. It had a lovely nose that just exploded out of glass with wafts of chantilly cream, rose water and ripe white fruit shading into almost tropical shades, even a bit of lychee in there I thought. This was such a floral bouquet, bringing to mind Pierre Herme’s rose Isphahan dessert, with just a faint hint of savoury white mushrooms binging it back to more weighty territory. The palate was very fine as well, if not quite as put-together and integrated as the nose at the moment. It was very pleasing though, with unusual sweet cream flavours at first, and then weighty white fruit and rich lychee shades coming up along with a fresh citrus counterpoint with time - all this couched in sparkly acidity and very fine mousse. It did feel a touch soft and fleshy for a Krug Mesnil at first, but with time, the wine started showing a really muscular spine of underlying minerality that drove it into a long, long finish with savoury bits of stone and smoky earth notes lingering away. It really gripped the backpalate there. A fascinatingly different Krug. No harm drinking now, but I would be really intrested to see how this develops vis-a-vis other vintages over the next decade or so. (94 pts.) -
2003 Dom Perignon Champagne - France, Champagne
Third time round, and impressions are quite consistent - markedly ripe and forward, but not a bad DP. Unusually enough, this smelt so much like a bottle of 2003 Krug Clos des Mesnil that we had alongside - sweet cream, yeast, ripe, almost tropical fruit notes, and a dash of floral rose water. A lovely nose that was a strange echo of the other champagne’s. The palate, while pleasant, had nowhere near as much substance as the Krug’s though. This was all sweet and airy and felt just a little soft, with expressive flavours of ice-cream soda, sweet longans and lychees, and plenty of floral notes. Unusually ripe and forward, but not bad. There was a little touch of minerality at the end, all dresssed in quiet acidity and a gentle mousse. A good Champagne and a decent drink, but not one I would go out and hunt out - I think this will fade drastically in the long-term compared with the fabulous 2002 and 2004 vintages. (92 pts.)
WHITES
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2003 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
Oh dear. This was the first (non pre-moxed) Leflaive Chevalier that has ever dissapointed me. While not a bad wine by any means, the heat of the vintage was just not well controlled on this wine; particularly galling when the a 2003 Ramonet Montrachet that we had alongside was absolutely superb. The nose was sweet, almost new worldly, with ripe melons and yellow fruit along with a whiff of cream corn. This was echoed on the oily textured palate - fat and sweet, almost confected, with melons and honeyed pears and a torpical lilt of canned lychees at the fore, carried by soft acidity and a little spine of spice and mineral towards a caramel corn finish. There was certainly Grand Cru weight and intensity here, but it all felt markedly simple and fleshy - a bit of a slutty wine, lacking the cut and precision that one normally gets on any Leflaive wine, let alone the usually consistent Chevelaier. Not a bad Chardonnay by any means, but dissapointing for what it is. Should be drunk up early too. (91 pts.) -
2003 Domaine Ramonet Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
A brilliant effort in a difficult vintage, this was a superb wine that made the 2003 Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet next to it feel like the ugly step-sister. It strarted out with a wonderful nose, riper than usual, but very attractive in its cream and sweet yellow fuited aromas lightly layered with hints of toastiness and exotic cardammon spice, all this with a twang of underlying underlying minerality. It was on the palate where this really shone though. It had that beautiful Ramonet clarity and balance, with barely a tint of over-ripe, surmaturite tones on its warm yellow fruited notes flecked with gentle notes of spice, toast and mineral in the long, full, seemingly endless finish. It was super-powerful, yet somehow still stylish and elegant, and quite effortlessly so at that, pulsing with an incredible quiet intensity. A beautiful, beautiful wine. Complete, open and transparent, and drinking birlliantly well now. This has gotten pretty low scores from most critics compared to other vintages, but on the night, I thought it was fantastic. (95 pts.)
GEVREY
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2003 Serafin Père et Fils Charmes-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
A really good start to the reds - this really punched above its weight. It had a lovely nose, with ripe dark berries, dried orange peel and nice floral notes flecked with lots bramble and spice, and then a touch of earthy, meaty funk at the edges. The palate was firing on all cylinders, with a light dash of dusty of tannins and woody bramble and then a lovely flush of warm spice, all dancing around a core of sweet, syrupy dark cherry fruit. A warm and generous wine. A touch ripe, but deliciously so, and nicely balanced throughout in spite of its warmth. Right at the finish, the woody bramble and and bittersweet spices that I have come to associate with the vintage came out a bit, but this was more of a seasoning than a distraction. A really nice drop, drinking nicely now. This stood toe-to-toe with a Rousseau Clos de Beze, which is saying something. (93 pts.) -
2003 Faiveley Chambertin-Clos de Bèze - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
In a very awkward state. The nose was pretty attractive, but for a touch of sweaty socks and volatile acidity weaving in and out of ripe dark cherry, spice and woody, brambly menthol aromas. The palate was not easy to drink though. It was dominated by its structure, with very tough woody tannins coating the mouth, and juicy acidity sticking out somewhat like a sharp elbow, all rather overshadowing otherwise good, deep flavours of dark berries infused with a nice spiciness. There was Grand Cru breadth and depth on this, but it is in a very awkward space, and needs years and years yet for the fruit to come out from behind all that woodiness. Dissapointing. (90 pts.) -
2003 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
A very good wine, even if it is not amonsgt the better Rousseau Beze’s. Still though, very commendable quality for the vintage. It had the most typically Gevrey character on the nose out of the trio of Grand Cru from the village, with lifted tones pure red berries shading into intense blue fruit aromas; a touch volatile at first, edged with acetone notes, but when that calmed down, the fruit was met with a gentle earthiness and some nice floral accents. The palate had a surprisingly lovely texture - it was silky and balanced and drinking beautifully, showing a really nice purity to its red cherry expression in spite of the vintage, along with a good sense of length and intensity. The finish did show a strange buttersweet hint at the edges at first, but this faded behind the fruit quite quickly. I though the Serafin Charmes Chambertin drank just a bit more charmingly on the night, but this has a touch more stuffing in it and should age better over the next few years. (93 pts.)
A STRANGE INTERLUDE
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2014 Frederic Cossard Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Monts-Luisants - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru
I am not sure how this popped into a line-up of 2003 Grand Crus, but it was an interesting interlude. It nosed more liked a German or Austrian Spatburgunder than a Burgundy Pinot to me, with cherry-ade and cola note, some sour plums, and whiff of unfermented grape juice, all spiked with a stemmy green hint and a bit of glue. A very “natural wine” nose if you know what I mean. The palate was a lot more interesting. It had a yummy, easygoing feel to it, with red berries and cherries fringed with a little green, all nicely balanced with a good bit of bright acidity, which made it a very quaffable wine. Enjoyable and approachable, but not simple either, there was some stuff going on there. Odd nose aside, this was actually pretty nice. (91 pts.)
CHAMBOLLE
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2003 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Musigny - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru
Wow - this was superb. I think Mugnier’s gentler, more feminine stylings really worked well with the heat of the vintage, resulting in a wine that was somehow still elegantly wrought in spite of its riper tones. It had a lovely nose, rather deeper and richer than normal, showing blueberries and spice carried along more savoury undertones of earthy undergrowth and mineral notes. With time, a fresher waft of fresh cut flowers started coming out as well. A very nice nose. The palate had lovely clean feel to it, something that the other 2003 wines on show did not always share, with a nice purity and an almost filigreed elegance to its juicy bluberry and dark cherry flavours. There was a lovely depth and fullness to it, with only a certain hint of stewed ripeness that showed-off the hotter vintage. Otherwise, this had all of the pure, transparent, and brilliantly integrated character that I love about Mugnier’s Musignies, with the wine coming across on one perfect whole from attack all the way into a long finish that wound its way through the back-palate with a trail of minerality. The most un-2003 of the 2003 wines, and a surprisingly early drinking Musigny to boot - this was a great wine that was drinking very well on the night. (95 pts.) -
2003 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru
I did not quite like this that much at first - it just felt a bit too ripe and hard - but it did get a lot better with time and air. While it never quite shed the hotter tones of the 2003 vintage (unlike say the lovey 2003 Mugnier Musigny alongside), this ended the night as a pretty solid wine. It had a really attractive nose, very Vogue in character, just sweeter and riper than normal, with almost dried blueberries and violets and spice alongside more savoury earthy tones. There was a lovely pure stream of blueberries and minerally earth on the palate, with gentle infusion of spice on the midpalate, all showing a lovely generosity and fulness. There was again that unusually ripe, slightly preserved sweetness that may put some off, but I thought it was controlled enough by the wine’s decent balance and good purity. It had a good long finish too, filled with smoky, spicy complexity. Unlike the Mugnier though, this was marked by fine, but tight tannins that were just a touch drying at the end; faintly, but certainly noticeably so. The sweetness and hardness here really marked the vintage out, and though they did not ruin an otherwise very good wine, they did mean that this was not up to the standard of the better Vogue Musignies over the years. There is still definitely upside on this though, and it would be interesting to try it again in 5 years’ time. (93 pts.)
CLOS VOUGEOT
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2003 Domaine Leroy Clos Vougeot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Inelegant finish aside, this was a hugely impressive wine - the best and most complete example of Clos Vougeot that I have had in a long time. It had that beautiful Leroy intensity on the nose, with smoky, meaty, brambly nuances, and loads of spicy tones dancing around a deep, dark core of berry fruit aromas. An arresting bouquet. The palate was full and intense, with luscious flavours of sweet plums and dark berries showing both muscular power and wonderful purity, all this seasoned with loads of spicy, woody, brambly accents. The wine had such an awesome scale - just layer after voluptuous layer of flavour leading into a finish of superb length. It was never the freshest drop, but there it was certainly devently balanced enough to carry all its weight quite effortless. It was indeed only on the back-palate where the 2003 really came out, not so much in the ripeness of the fruit, but in the way some powdery, slightly woody tannins came to the fore and made the wine feel just that touch more rustic than one would normally associate with Leroy. Apart from that though, a truly great CdV drinking quite at peak. (95 pts.)
RSV
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2003 Sylvain Cathiard Romanée St. Vivant - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
Another very impresive wine that drank rather differently from normal. This had a fabulous nose - dark cherries, dark wood spices and drifting wafts of dried floral notes alongside a touch of oaky vanillin. Lovely. The palate came across as rather bigger and brawnier than other vintages of Cathiard RSV, with lots of muscle underneath a full, lush and really quite lovely flavours of blue berries and black cherries, with a beautiful savoury counterpoint of earth and meat just starting to emerge on the midpalate. There was lovely purity here, and the wine also felt composed and balanced in spite of its size and strength. Like some of the other wines on show, it was only a twist of woody, slightly bittersweet bramble alongside the nice mineral notes on the finish that mark out the 2003 vintage. Otherwise, a lovely wine. I think it will be even better 3-4 years down the road as it loses some of the overt puppy fat on the fruit and integrates more fully. (94 pts.) -
2003 Domaine Leroy Romanée St. Vivant - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
Very sadly corked. An otherwise lovely Leroy nose of lush fruit and spice was marred by wet cardboard aromas. Likewise, the palate, while still showing an admirable clarity and purity in its sour plum and black cherry notes, was all but muted past the midpalate by the TCA. Sad. NR (flawed) -
2003 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
My wine of the night - this was stunningly good and drinking beautifully on the night. I would not have expected this of the 2003 vintage, but this was amongst the best examples of DRC’s RSVs I have ever had, starting with an amazing nose of earth and blue fruit, darker cherries, and then deep dark florals, alongside whiffs of orange peel and a gentle sprinkle of spice. A wonderful, wonderful nose - one could get high just sniffing this. The palate was at a wonderful as well. Incredibly complete, it was full, lush and pure - almost intoxicatingly so - with seductive flavours of black cherries and plums, infused with fragrant wood spices and dried flowers, and wrapped in a slinky robe of the silkiest tannins as it glided into a long finish full of warm spice and smoky herbs. Absolutely wonderful. This was a wine that married transperancy, power and grace, all this in spite of the challenges of the 2003 vintage. Wow. (96 pts.)
THE REST OF VOSNE
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2003 Bouchard Père et Fils La Romanée - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Romanée Grand Cru
Quietly impressive, but this needs many more years in the bottle yet. It had a very nice nose, with rich, lush aromas of dark cherries and more lifted blue-fruited tones. Unlike most of the other 2003 wines on show though, the palate here felt way too young. It was very sinewy, with a fine-boned tannin structure stubbornly holding fort. This was a big, dark fruited wine, with a quietly powerful show of black cherries and a lot of spicy, mnerally undertones leading into a round, mouthfilling finish, yet it was always the structure that stood out most. A wine of some quality, with tons in its tank, but this needs many, many more years before it approaches anywhere close to peak drinking. 92+ (93 pts.) -
2003 Domaine Francois Lamarche La Grande Rue - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Grande Rue Grand Cru
A bit of a schizophrenic creature - one would not expect Lamarche to do well in vintage like 2003 with their slightly more extracted stylings, but this was a particularly fine-boned La Grand Rue. The nose was pleasant enough - with plums and dark cherries, meaty and earth and soil, and then a lift of spice and touch of rubbery scents at the edges. The palate was where the wine really did quite well though - it had a certain clarity and juiciness that does not usually get on Lamarche wines, and I certainly was not expecting that on a 2003 of all vintages - so much so that the wine showed none of that rather muddled lack of definition that plagues some of the poorer examples of La Grand Rue. Instead, we got lovely juicy notes of dark cherries and cherry skins riding on a bed of fine tannins that gave the wine a fine grip on the way through to a slightly brambly finish. Not a showstopper, but a very pleasant drink indeed - a very finely shaped 2003 that was showing well on the night. (93 pts.) -
2003 Nicolas Potel Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Gaudichots - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
A fabulous wine - this was much, much better than the tired 375ml that I had a couple of years back. It had an amazing nose, somewhat subtler, almost restrained compared to some of the obviously ripe 2003 character on some of the other wines, with very focused and alluring aromas of dark cherries and blackberries along with perfumed notes of violets, earthy soil, and lifted accents of bramble and spices. Lovely. The palate was very un-2003, showing a lovely bright clarity to its dark cherry flavours. Higher-toned than most of the other wine on show, this was a wine of finesse, marrying elegance with intensity, with fine tannins giving it a nice chew to it on the midpalate and through into an earthy finish. Markedly better than the two Vosne Grand Cru on the same flight, this was a lovely, characterful wine that showed beautifully on the night. (94 pts.)
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