Recently a friend and I got our hands on a great bargain: an exceptional 2003 Bordeaux which was marked at half price because the store assumed it was going bad. I would estimate that it peaked in 2010. The cork was in bad shape and there was a lot of sediment; buying it, we bet that it was still good and we won.
This wine is a blend, like almost all wines from Bordeaux. This one is about 90% Merlot and about 10% Cabernet Franc. It has a deep red color and, when swirled, shows plenty of legs. The legs are worth noting because they drip slowly and are spaced far apart, which should make any wine lover salivate with anticipation. It is hard to pick up much on the nose, there is no smell of alcohol but you can get the cherry/cranberry aromas of a good dry red, and it smells a bit musty, which to me is a dead giveaway that the wine is a Bordeaux.
This wine is so subtle that it could be easily gulped by any red wine drinker without noticing its complexity. An elegant wine like this is difficult to describe because it is so well balanced. We found it to be light, medium-bodied, jammy and dry but not overly tannic. There are hints of cherry, cranberry and plum mixed with tobacco, ash and dirt. The finish lasts about 1 minute. It truly is wonderful in that the fruit flavors are not overcome by the earthy, mineral flavors while the earthy flavors are not overcome by the fruit flavors. There is quite a range: while sipping it we felt at times that it was thin, but thick; fruity but dry; light, but full-bodied.
I enjoy a big, spicy, full-bodied wine as much as any wine lover, which made this refined, graceful wine very refreshing. This bottle makes you slow down and enjoy yourself; it reminded me that wine is natural and ever-changing. It begins as grape juice and ends as vinegar; we figured out how to trap it as wine, and wine like this is why we keep doing it.
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