For reasons which are too boring to go into, I had to sell a lot of wine over the last few years, including bottles I had bought for my daughters, born in 2003 and 2006. I’m now in a position to buy some back but I’d appreciate your advice before doing so. I’m obviously looking for wines which will still be good in ten years from now. I’m only looking for red wines, since I hung on to the Sauternes. My means do not extend to 1st Growths and the like and I’m more keen on finding LB wines than RB ones.
2003: not my favourite vintage and I wasn’t sorry to see them go, but I had never tried several big guns before I sold them. I’m considering Léoville-Barton and Poyferré from St.Julien, Pichon Baron and possibly Pontet-Canet from Pauillac. In St.Estephe, I fear that Montrose and Cos are above my means.
2006: much the same ideas
So if you have any opinions based on your own tastings, I’d be very grateful.
I did this for my 3 children. All red BDX wines. If I had to do it over again, I’d go with an ageable Riesling with a little sweetness. The BDX was great for me, but I believe their 18 or 21 year old palette would prefer the Riesling.
My very top choice when I started reading your email was the 2003 Montrose, then saw your reference at the end about cost. My second choice is 2003 Leoville Barton. I would not get the Poyferre, a bit glossy for my palate and I wonder how it goes the distance you are seeking (I guess a contrarian might say, for your kids, perhaps they would prefer a more modern-styled Bordeaux than classic, this making the Poyferre a decent option).
The 2003 Leo Poy is indeed “glossy” but among those who love that kind of wine is very highly regarded. The last time I had one it just wasn’t ready. The 2003 Pontet is not really glossy and might be a good choice. The Barton is an excellent recommendation for a somewhat more classic wine in an un-classic vintage.
The range of available choices in 2006 is much greater. The Montrose is sub-$100 here and would be an excellent choice. Cos would be a choice too, but I have no idea how much it is there. The Rauzan Segla is also a wine I have very much enjoyed and well below the top range in price
IMO 2003 Giscours, Sociando Mallet, Duhart Milon are all fine and shouldn’t be too expensive. I own a case of each and these are ripe Left Bank Bordeaux but not over the top. Not terribly dissimilar from vintage 1990 IMO.
John - I get your point, of course. Without descending into gender stereotyping (me, not you!), I do know they like sweet wines, hence the various Sauternes I already have, but one at least has a promising nose for reds. Of course if they don’t like them, they can always sell them or let me drink them!
Robert - yes, spot on. My own taste for Poyferré is waning, but it’s probably a safe bet anyway and the Barton seems abvious. As for the Montrose, well, you never know - the normal price is now around 180€ which is a little off-putting!
Neal - I’m tempted by the PC. Cos is slightly less expensive than the Montrose - around 140€.
Jürgen - I wasn’t keen on Giscours, I have SM, but I like your idea of Duhart, which I admit to having completely overlooked.
For 03, none of you commented on Pichon Baron. Is it worth a punt or not?
I have neither purchased nor tried the 2003 Pichon Baron, But it has definitely been on my rather long list of some wines to pick up. I had the 2001 recently and it was excellent. I’m also looking to pick up the 2000. I know some people that I respect are pretty big on the 2003. I think Jurgens recommendation of the Sociando is excellent, I have a ton of it, glad to see you have it as well.
Robert - I’m not a fan of SM, in spite of my love of Loire reds. I’ve waded through countless vintages since the 82, finally throwing in the towel with the 08, so I sold the lot when the time came without regret but I did hang onto the 03s out of curiosity, so fingers crossed! I’ve always had massive respect for Jürgen’s taste so if the two of you think it’s good, that’s a good sign!
I think I’ll hunt down some Pichon 03 too.
Neal - apologies, I stupidly misread your post - you were referring to the O6s not the Cos and Montrose 03s - good ideas, I promptly sent out a search party for both.
Try 2006 Trotanoy. It’s a fantastic wine that has the structure to last for many years but should be drinking well by the time your kids are old enough to enjoy it. A Pomerol might be a softer entry into Bordeaux than something like a brawny and austere wine like Leoville Barton can be. Just my $.02.
From a British perspective, I agree that maybe you should consider Northern Rhône in 2003 Julian. Burgundy is equally problematic as Bordeaux and so is Piedmont. What they all have in common, apart from the Northern Rhônes, is doubtful ageing credentials.
The rule in Bordeaux in 2003 is to venture as far up the Medoc as possible. A lot of the wines are surprisingly drinkable now, to some most flattering and desirable, to others, like me, lacking the equilibrium and gravitas I like in Bordeaux and borderline over cooked. The problem in 2003 is that in some cases the fruit got cooked/burnt before it could ripen.
Montrose is delicious but I was alarmed by how evolved it was last time I drank it. I would opt for Cos instead, but both are now v expensive. In Pauillac I would opt for Pontet Canet but with low conviction, assuming first growths are ruled out. In St-J it’s tough - Lillian Sartorious openly disparages her 2003 - and even worse in Margaux. I wouldn’t touch the right bank. Pessac maybe a better bet.
In 2006 you are on much safer ground. In fact many of the 2006s are aging glacially as Christian Seely observed at a tasting here recently. Both Pichons are solid bets in 2006. So are the Leovilles, Barton and Las Cases. In Margaux, Giscours and Brane Cantenac are excellent and age worthy. If I had a limited budget I would consider these.
Elsewhere La Conseillante shines on the RB even though it has gone up a fair bit lately in price. Figeac is good too. In Pessac Haut-Bailly really stands out.
I’ve had the 2003 Montrose, Pichon Lalande, and Pichon Baron in the past few months, with the Pichons together a few weeks ago. The Montrose was exceptional, the best young Montrose I’ve ever had (which includes 1986, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 2000, and 2001 at comparable ages) and one of the best young Bordeaux I’ve had in years.
OTOH, neither of the Pichons really excited me. Each showed a lot of the character I associate with their respective estates, which is a good thing, but in each there was a lack of the delineation and precision that I expect from them and that the Montrose exemplified. That said, they may be in an awkward place or it may just have been my palate that night, so just take this as one of many possible data points.
For 2003 - I really like the Pichon Baron, but it’s also the only PB I’ve ever had, so I don’t have anything to compare it to. Now that my girlfriend knows what the label looks like, she implores me to grab a bottle every time we’re at the offsite storage. 2003 Barton is awesome, as is the 2003 Montrose. I can’t speak to how they’ll age, but I remember Neal Martin mentioning that these two are not in danger of fading anytime soon.
The 2006 Smith Haut Lafitte is really good! The 2006 Lagrange is also good, for a lighter style. Happy hunting!
Edward, Gerhard - I’m not at all a Rhone drinker but who’s to say the girls won’t be, so why not indeed?
Mark - I like the idea of the Issan - if it’s anything like the 01, which I certainly believe to be better than the 00, it’s a good plan.
Ian - I share your concerns about Bdx 03, hence the lack of any qualms when I had to make choices as to which wines to sell. They were all in the first van. It’s all the more galling seeing the swine at a lot more now, but hey, needs be.
I shall probably end up going for everything mentioned actually and tasting a few myself!
One nobody has mentioned is GPL 06. I certainly wouldn’t touch the 03 with a barge pole - I shifted mine long before I had to - but the 06 is still relatively good value. Have any of you tried it?
You are right Julian about the 2003 GPL - as Eric Idle once quipped it is ‘one for laying down … and avoiding’…I drank a few bottles of the 2006 a few years ago. It was highly accessible but rather dull and simple. I know there is a lot of love for GPL on this board but I think you can do better in the Margaux appellation in 2006 at a similar price point.