I popped this wine and had a few sips. First, though, let me say that I’m as prejudiced as any. I stopped buying these with the 2005 vintage, just as I stopped buying Melville at that time. Basically I felt that prices, yields, and alcohol went too high with 2005. Since I’ve learned that my great 2002s simply weren’t that good, and while some 2004s have been great others have been way too alcoholic. 2000 and 2001 together with 2003 are in retrospect my fav years.
This wine seems to really really sing. Amazingly complex aromatics of tree bark, asian spices, and pomegranates as well as blood orange. Palate is super vibrant and lively, even tangy, but still smooth. Could very well be the best B-C PN I’ve had.
Will post more after I’ve grilled the salmon, made the tomato confit and finished dinner.
Becomes a tad more stemmy with air, but not in a way I find intrusive. It actually reminds me of what an old fashioned dark Burgundy can be like.
I’m in the same boat as you. Stopped buying both in 2005.
Glad you had a good experience with the 2003. Thanks for the note.
John, Seems like we dropped these guys before things got controversial. Remember getting a bit of grief a few years ago over this.
Anyways, saved a glass for today and it is still singing. If I average the price of the bad bottles with the drinkable ones this comes out to one of my more expensive buys. So I’m the fact that this was good is not exactly convincing me to go back and buy more. Same decision I had to make with Rhys/Alesia where the effective cost got to be $80 pb, which to me is just not acceptable.
Thanks for the note Peter.
Skål from my experience means “Cheers” in Icelandic (perhaps other Nordic countries as well).
Any Icelandic connection?