Is it time to drink up the lesser 2003 Bordeaux?

I have to admit I have somehow acquired a few 2003 lesser Bordeaux from various places over the past couple years. I alsor read somewhaere that they are "falling apart." This is a dangerously broad question, but should I be drinking these up now?

[Robin Garr]

Brian, I disliked the 2003 vintage across such a broad swath of Europe (parts of the Rhone and Italy and Spain were okay, but further north, where wine makers didn't have much experience dealing with overripe fruit, ICK! Couldn't believe that most of the Usual Suspects liked them for their blockbuster style, but this was a good opportunity for me NOT to buy Bordeaux, Burgundy and even <sob> a lot of the Loire and Alsace.

That being said, unless you're talking about the lowest-rank generic AOC Bordeaux stuff, it's hard for me to believe that it would already be falling apart after only five years from the vintage and three or four from bottling. Maybe it's losing some of that over-the-top fruit and revealing more of the weird high-alcohol and tannic structure beneath ... if so, will it ever mature into something interesting? There's the question, and frankly, I don't have the answer.

[Jenise]

I have to admit I have somehow acquired a few 2003 lesser Bordeaux from various places over the past couple years. I alsor read somewhaere that they are "falling apart." This is a dangerously broad question, but should I be drinking these up now?

I bought exactly two bottles of 03, and they weren't 'lesser' so I can't answer your question. Hopefully Alex can. But I know that Covert is drinking through many 03's among what he loves to call his Unsung Heroes, and is rebuying cases of the ones he likes best for everyday drinking over the next several years.

[David M. Bueker]

The lowest level '03 I bought was Fontenil, and it's nowhere near ready based on a taste back in January.

It's hard to generalize. While '03 isn't one of my favorite vintages, there were some classified wines I liked a lot (Leo-Barton and Montrose). For my tastes not overripe (but I like '82s, '90s, '00s too). Others WERE overripe. I didn't care for the vast majority of the lesser/cheaper Right Bank wines I tried. Ditto most lesser Graves and Medocs. But a couple of northern Medoc cheapies were pretty decent (Gloria, Lilian Ladouys, Meyney) if not great. In any case, it's a rare Bordeaux that will fall apart 3 years after release. But more modern styled Right Bankers might be best drunk up, if you haven't tried and found structured.

As to '03 elsewhere in Europe, there were a lot of cartoonish wines made, but also a lot of solid ones. I regretted most of my (few) Burgundy purchases, but some of the fringe appellations had some nice early drinkers. I quite liked a lot of Loire reds (not whites), and thought Germany variable but with a few gems (as long as you weren't looking for light and delicate). Didn't find many Rhones, Piedmonts, or Tuscans I loved, but it might be interesting to explore things like Spanna, Carema, etc.

I'm with Dale.
It's hard to generalize.

I think there will be some wonderful surprises in years to come ***from estates with the right terroir**ù.

To answer your specific question, I have no qualms about yanking a so-called lesser Bordeaux from the 2003 vintage and popping the cork.

As for the more serious wines, I think the nay-sayers will be confounded .

Best regards,
Alex R.

Man, I don't even know what Bordeaux is 'supposed' to taste like anymore. All I know is that what it used to taste like, it no longer does...

Had a 03 Reseve de la Comtesse and it was drinking well!
WTN: 03 Reserve de la Comtesse, Pauillac - the nose, as a second wine, is amazing. With the kind of intensity of the sexy red fruit (almost strawberry) matches with a PL! Of course the presentation is different where PL is more elegant and subtle while this one is more outgoing! Lots of clove and oak suggesting but seems like the Merlot content is low. Alcoholic in the mouth and with gripping tannin which mellowed in the glass in a short time. Lots of body , tannin and fruit , low acidity given the 03 vintage but yet doesn't discount it to be a totally enjoyable wine! It doesn't have the class of a claret but what the heck.

[Jenise]

Had a 03 Reseve de la Comtesse and it was drinking well!
WTN: 03 Reserve de la Comtesse, Pauillac - the nose, as a second wine, is amazing. With the kind of intensity of the sexy red fruit (almost strawberry) matches with a PL! Of course the presentation is different where PL is more elegant and subtle while this one is more outgoing! Lots of clove and oak suggesting but seems like the Merlot content is low. Alcoholic in the mouth and with gripping tannin which mellowed in the glass in a short time. Lots of body, tannin and fruit, low acidity given the 03 vintage but yet doesn't discount it to be a totally enjoyable wine! It doesn't have the class of a claret but what the heck.

Eric, I took the liberty just now of burying the prefix "WTN" in your above post. That will ensure that, in the future, anyone in the future looking specifically for a WTN on this wine will find your worthwhile comments irrespective of the fact that it wasn't posted as a tasting note in a thread of its own.

thank you Jenise!