Clos Fourtet Saint-Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 2003

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

Coravining this taste to see if it's appropriate for tomorrow nights Plate & Bottle dinner. This is why you want to own a Coravin! Hedy is a good friend and if she wanted to open her own restaurant, she'd likely earn at least one Michelin star and perhaps two. Deciding if this 03 Clos Fourtet is going to work with her rosemary filet mignon. I'm thinking this is going to work nicely with her entree. The 03 Clos Fourtet is in a very good spot right now. Perfect bottle evolution. The nose has dark cassis, wild berries with spice and soy sauce. The palate is elegant dark cherries, olallieberries, blueberries, touch of dried plum, dry florals, sage, parsley, loamy soils, crushed dry rocks, stones, leather, pine tar, dry underbrush, dark moist soil, spice-box, structure, length, tension and balance all in perfect harmony. The acidity rains on the palate and it's ripe to dry spiced plum finish lasts and lasts. Add notes with the steak tomorrow night. This wine comes from a warm vintage and it's style while Bordeaux leans a little more toward Napa. It's a beautiful wine. So, elegant and beautiful that it was truly better enjoyed on it pure merits.

Yoon Ha

Master Sommelier/Wine Director Benu

Maybe not displaying the broadest range of flavors, but miraculously no raisination given the vintage.

David Eckert

Early but what the heck. This deep dark bad boy is a bit tightly wound out of the gate, but will not disappoint. Anise, blackberry notes.

Morris Birnbaum

Dense, plummy, still drinking young

Ron Siegel

Although enjoyable now it still needs more time to develop as it was somewhat primary.

Byron Hewett

Really good. Mature. Plush. Soft mouthfeel. Delicious.

Mark Flesher

Showing well tonight. More structure than 2 years ago. Cigar, dirty black cherry, spice. Pepper finish that continued hours later.

Antonio Claudio Tarre

A spectacular Clos Fourtet: complex nose, superb flavours, and a fantastic finish. What a wine!

Tan Ernest

Dark deep purple with long legs and overall resembling a much younger wine. The nose was perfumed with dark fresh fruits and liquorice with an underlying smokiness. On the palate, this gave away its vintage with lots ripe black fruits and hints of chocolate. Full-bodied with robust alcoholic base balanced by rounded well-integrated tannins giving a nice grippy long finish.

Swii Yii Lim

Cherries, vanilla, and tobacco. Classic, with some leather. Not bad, but barest whiff of TCA. Is this a root day?!