2003 Wine

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 93 points: The 2003 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano is a super-ripe, opulent wine that resembles the 1997 in its generous, full-bodied personality. The tannins are surprisingly well-balanced within the context of...

jamessuckling.com, 96 points: A wonderful and fascinating wine with a tangy sweet and sour character. Full and very sweet, with a dried citrus character and an underlying orange marmalade note. Long and delicious already. Lovely balance for having...

Neal Martin's Wine Journal, 96 points: A magnificent Dow. A deep opaque purple/black colour. Very youthful in appearance. The nose is very pure and as primal as its appearance: blackberry, liquorice, black olive and an engaging sense of minerality. But it is...

Wine Spectator, 94 points: A standout; ripe plush complex and concentrated with layers of generous plum currant and blackberry fruit framed by judicious toasty oak. Finishes with a flourish of flavors. Score range: 92-94 (JL)

Stephen Tanzer's IWC, 95 points: Inky ruby. Highly aromatic scents of ripe cherry and dark berries, singed plum, cured tobacco and succulent herbs, with a vanilla undertone. Sweet, expansive and powerful, offering intense black and blue fruit flavors...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 100 points: Amazing! The limestone soils of Ausone appear to have been the perfect foil for resisting the extreme heat and drought of June, July and August, 2003. This black/purple-colored effort boasts a glorious nose of violets...

Wine Spectator, 95 points: A fabulous nose of cassis and berries with hints of licorice. Full-bodied and lightly sweet with supersexy tannins and a long long finish. Very classy. Superb for Delaforce. Best after 2012. 4500 cases made. –JS

Wine Spectator, 92 points: What a beautiful and opulent wine. Aromas of chocolate berry and raspberry. Full-bodied with velvety tannins. Long finish. Elegant. Best after 2008. 2000 cases made. –JS

Wine Enthusiast, 97 points: Fonseca vintage Ports are always among the most attractive and long-lived. This 2003 conforms magnificently to that model. It is structured, rich, powerful and opulent. There are cassis and black fig flavors, as well as...

Wineanorak, 92 points: Sweet spicy nose with earthy, cedary notes. Concentrated palate with some firm structure and dense fruit, as well as nice earthiness. Fresh finish. A little closed at the moment.

Neal Martin's Wine Journal, 91 points: Tasted at Bordeaux Index’s “10-Year On” tasting in London. Comparing the La Conseillante to the L’Evangile, the former has a riper, more voluminous bouquet with fruitcake, raisin and dried herbs aromas that demonstrate...

Wine Enthusiast, 94 points: A wine that has the structure freshness and green tannins of a 2002 but the richness of a 2003. There is a great mineral character to the flavors which gives it a steely piercing profile that suggests great aging potential.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 90 points: A spectacular nose of spring flowers, forest floor, raspberry and bluer fruits is followed by a medium-bodied wine displaying shocking elegance (a characteristic not generally associated with this big, rich vintage). This...