Cerbaiona Brunello di Montalcino 2003:
Probably one of my favorite '03s when it first came out, and this go 'round did nothing to change that. An extremely perfumed nose of cherries, violets, smoke and menthol all pulse from the glass. The wine is built on fruit- scorned, sexy, crunchy, energetic stuff that stops short of being too much by virtue of the additional components present. And they are: a tannic grip, a persistent finish, vibrant acid and balance. Really a lovely, pure expression of Brunello. 95 points
Talenti Brunello di Montalcino 2003:
Another early favorite, though for different reasons. (BTW- had the '04 two nights ago and it rocked, notes to come.) This was a ruby red color with a core of fresh aromatic flavors- light tar, raspberries, toasted oak, black plums, fresh ground spices and leather. In the mouth the wine is lighter than its counterpart, put shows plenty of depth and character. There are still some unresolved bits of acid and wood that need to be smoothed out but otherwise this wine appears to be rounding into form nicely. I expect in the next few years it should be ready to go. For now forty-five minutes to an hour decant is all the wine needed to really get going. 91+ points
If you think 03s are as good as 01, 04, 06, or 07s(on average, you notice i pointed out there were certainly some very good 03s, just a minority), I’d be happy to trade you my 03s for the others. The retailers/wholesalers i know have started virtually giving away the remaining 03s like they have scarlet letters. ignore that if you want, but i’m buying formerly $70 bottles from strong producers of 2003 for ~$20 and they still aren’t amazing QPRs these days. Wine deflation will be worse in 2010 than 2009 for mediocre vintages. Ignore it if you wish. May you have all of the full retail, trophy 2003s you want.
Interesting notes. The trouble I’ve had with '03 Brunello is, like some '03 CdP, there are some scorched, cooked, stewy flavors. Would’ve been nice to see a Montalcino-wide effort to cut hang times in a year like that, but I fear the prevailing “big Brunello” style is a factor. Regardless, enjoyed the notes - and I have also come across some lovely, traditional '03 Brunello. It’s out there!
I am in Rich’s camp. Tough for me to buy 2003 Brunello, when 2001 and 2004 cost about the same amount of money. Recently, with the discounts of 2003s, it makes it more appealing, but I am still not a huge fan of 2003s.
Not that this really has anything to with this but . . .
Do you remember the time Parker, in one of his books, included New Zealand as a part of Australia?
I have noticed what I consider overripe flavors in some '03 Brunellos I’ve tried. I have also had a couple that didn’t have those. This was brought to my attention by someone more knowledgeable on the topic than myself, but another thing I’ve since noticed is that those Brunellos with flavor profiles closer to what I expect in years that weren’t really hot often have an awkward finish. When hang times are reduced in a year like this, the grapes might achieve sugar ripeness without total phenolic ripeness, and I have seen it in terms of bitterness and astringency that are quite evident once the fruit starts to fade from the palate. I do agree that the trend towards a bigger style might lead producers to harvest closer to the usual time and deal with overripeness rather than bitterness. Of course, I am not saying this is the case with every wine from the vintage, but much what I’ve tasted (which isn’t a whole lot) has gone one of those two ways.
Interesting. On a visit to Montalcino, a smaller producer told me that for several years he had “followed the trend” in hanging grapes longer and using more barrique. But he explained that he had grown tired of the “black Brunello” that seems to fall in line with a big, international style. I noted that his '03 was racy, complex, and beautiful. He responded, “I just decided to pick when I used to pick, before the trend.” Later that week I had similar conversations with other producers.
Of course, that is anecdotal and a rather small sample size. The implication to me was: the elegant style doesn’t require as long a hang, and still achieves plenty of phenolic ripeness. And during hot vintages, the earlier pickers will still have that ripeness. But your POV indicates there is plenty of variation in play.
Anyway, there are large differences from producer to producer in '03, but I wouldn’t dismiss the vintage by any means.
It’s interesting to hear a different take on some of these wines. I certainly agree with that last point, in this case and in general. I remember having an '02 Brunello that impressed me quite a bit, and there’s a vintage many were eager to write off.
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