Winemaker Notes
Blend: 60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Situated northwest of Libourne, this 37-acre vineyard, planted with 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, has fashioned a sleepers of the vintage. Produced from 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the dense ruby/purple-hued 2003 exhibits an opulent black raspberry and cherry-scented bouquet offering hints of cedar, vanilla, and roasted herbs. Beautifully-textured, medium to full-bodied, with silky tannin, it can be enjoyed now and over the next 5-7 years.
In most of France, wines are named by their place of origin and not by the type of grape (with the exception of Alsace). Just like a red Burgundy is by law, always made of Pinot noir, a red Bordeaux is a blended wine composed mainly of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Depending on the laws of the village from which the grapes come, the conditions of the vintage and decisions of the winemaker, the blend can be further supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and in rare cases, Carmenere. So popular and repeated has this mix of grape varieties become worldwide, that the term, Bordeaux Blend, refers to a wine blended in this style, regardless of origin.
JMS397527_2003 Item# 397527