2003 Wine

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)

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, 93 points: Tight at first but quickly picks up steam in the glass with dark cherry plum tobacco pepper mineral and hot stone notes pumping through the long fruit- and terroir-filled finish. Really fleshes out nicely with velvety...

Antonio Galloni's Vinous, 95 points: As always, the 2003 Dom Pérignon has a lot to say. Bold, powerful and intensely phenolic in feel, the 2003 packs serious energy to match its explosive personality. The combined effects of a spring frost that decimated...

Jancis Robinson's Purple Pages, 95 points: Very deep crimson. Brule mulberry notes on the nose. Warm and sweet but remarkably gentle on the palate. Lively edge of leafy Cabernet notes - another wine saved by is Cabernet Franc content (60 per cent in this case)...

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...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 96 points: The spectacular 2003 Leoville Poyferre exhibits a dense purple color with a touch of lightening at the edge as well as notes of creosote, barbecue smoke, jammy black currants, licorice and spice box. This intense...

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...

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...

Wine Spectator, 98 points: Intense blackberry and cherry with hints of currant. Toasted oak and sweet tobacco too. Roses and other flowers such as lilacs. Full-bodied with masses of tannins yet incredibly long and seductive. Best after 2012. 18330...

Stephen Tanzer's IWC, 90 points: Good bright ruby-red. Black cherry, cassis, licorice and minerals on the nose, with hints of band-aid and mint. A bit riper than the Counterpoint, but still a tad tart, with the blackcurrant and mint flavors firmed by...

Wine & Spirits, 94 points: From the Plateau de la Crau in the southeast portion of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the Bruniers produce this wine from vines averaging 50 years of age. The brooding, densely ripe 2003 feels richer and bigger than the 2001 or...