Best Sellers New Arrivals Local Events Locations Gift Cards My Account Advanced Search
  • Home
  • : 2003 Smith-Haut-Lafitte Rouge, Pessac-Léognan
2003 Smith-Haut-Lafitte Rouge, Pessac-Léognan Product Zoom

2003 Smith-Haut-Lafitte Rouge, Pessac-Léognan

SKU #1026979 93 points Wine Spectator

* Ranked #58 in the Top 100 Wines of 2006 * Loads of blackberry and licorice with hints of meat and smoked oak. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and lots of very ripe and exotic fruit. Very exotic and wild. Rich finish. Best after 2009. (3/ 2006)

92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The opulent, accessible 2003 offers a dense plum/ruby-tinged color and a big, sweet bouquet of creme de cassis, smoked herbs, lead pencil, and subtle wood. It is a deep, fleshy, medium to full-bodied offering with low acidity, a plump, opulent texture, and a heady finish. Enjoy this beauty over the next 15+ years. (4/ 2006)

91 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

Good deep red with ruby highlights. Ripe, expressive nose offers plum, strawberry, currant and tobacco. Dense, fat and sweet, with lovely breadth but also excellent vinosity for the year. The red fruit, tobacco and smoke flavors are nicely framed by firm acids. Finishes broad and long, with sweet tannins and plenty of energy. Accessible now but should evolve positively for a decade or more. (6/ 2006)

K&L Notes

Tasted many times-results not consistent. At UGC tasting-intense, black fruit aromas, sweet mid-palate and quite full-bodied. At LD Vins, Boysenberry and blueberry aromas. Tannic on back palate, but seems to have good stuffing and very sweet fruit flavors. The aromas were more consistent than the flavors. *.5 (Clyde Beffa, K&L's Bordeaux Buyer - 4/2004) Jancis Robinson: "Deep crimson. Very round with fully resolved tannins. Much easier and possibly more worked than most with some Graves fragrance." (10/2010)

Share |
Price: $49.99
WS 93 RP 92 ST 91

Real Time Inventory by location:

The item you have chosen is not in stock in our retail stores or within our main warehouse.

Product turnaround time varies by location of inventory and your chosen method of shipping/pickup. For a detailed explanation click here.

Product Reviews:

Add your own review of this item

You also might be interested in...

1997 Lanessan, Haut-Médoc

1997 Lanessan, Haut-Médoc
$17.99

1996 Clement Pichon, Haut Médoc

1996 Clement Pichon, Haut Médoc
$24.99

2001 Lanessan, Haut-Médoc

2001 Lanessan, Haut-Médoc
$19.99

1997 Potensac, Médoc

1997 Potensac, Médoc
$26.99

1996 Lanessan, Haut-Médoc

1996 Lanessan, Haut-Médoc
$19.99

Additional Information:

Varietal:

Cabernet Sauvignon and Blends

- Cabernet Sauvignon has come a long way from its role as a blending varietal, however dominant, in the wines of Bordeaux. Today it is the most planted red varietal in the world. Identified as a descendent of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon needs to be planted in warmer climates to fully ripen. Its small berries can easily be identified for their distinctive blue color, thick skins and high tannins. And while the varietal has its own definitive characteristics: green pepper-like aromas and black currant flavors among them, it is perhaps most prized for its ability to convey terroir, vintage and winemaking. A relatively new varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon started making inroads into the wines of the Médoc and Graves in the late-18th century. Today it is also dominant in the up-and-coming Entre-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux and can also be found in Southwest France. It is the companion varietal to Sangiovese in Italy's Super Tuscans and is planted all over Europe, stretching to lesser-known winegrowing regions like Russia and Lebanon. In the Americas Cabernet Sauvignon has found champions in every nook and cranny of California and among winemakers in Washington, where it complements plantings of Merlot. In South America, Cab thrives in Chile, but can also be found in smaller amounts in Argentina and even in Mexico.
Country:

France

- When it comes to wine, France stands alone. No other country can beat it in terms of quality and diversity. And while many of its Region, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne most obviously, produce wine as rare, as sought-after and nearly as expensive as gold, there are just as many obscurities and values to be had from little known appellations throughout the country. To learn everything there is to know about French wine would take a lifetime. To understand and appreciate French wine, one only has to begin tasting them. Click for a list of bestselling items from all of France.
Sub-Region:

Bordeaux

- View our bestselling Bordeaux.
Specific Appellation:

Pessac-Leognan/Graves

- Graves is the large red and white wine region located to the southeast of the city of Bordeaux along the Garonne River. Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the red wines from the area, while the whites are mixtures of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. The most important area within the Graves is the village of Pessac-Leognan. Most of the great chateaux, including Haut Brion, a premier cru and the only wine outside of the Medoc to be included in the 1855 Classification, are located in this small appellation. Graves derives its name from the rocky, stony terrain of the region. Many people believe that the stony soil radiates the day's heat at night and thus makes the grapes ripen earlier than the other regions in Bordeaux.