1999, 2001, 2003 from Margaux

Just before I step on my journey to Shanghai, I was invited to attend a private tasting hosted by Crystal Wine. The tasting was presented to me in a semi-blind format. I reviewed them according to how the wines were numbered.

A) Some aged ruby tone with not particularly brilliant color (some age?). Less forthcoming nose, with traces of sweet plum, cassis fruit, spice and sweet caramel wood-infuse element. Ripe, feminine, supple in a well sap and tangy palate that is so Bordeaux. I was initially worried about the early brett-like, barnyard character that plagued so many Bordeaux in to 70s and 80s, with wines like Lynch-Bages, Brane-Cantenac. However, the wine turned pristine and pure, with more interesting red and back fruits emerged after aeration. This wine clearly demonstrated that, Margaux region being the most successful in this irregular vintage of 1999. A fine effort from Chateau Giscours 1999 (109.00) - Good

B) Denser, dark-ruby color. Very modern new wood-infused of roasted coffee, graphite and liqueur-black fruit. Lush, seamless textured, profound and early sex-appeal style. Personally, this is not my cup of tea. The wine came across more technically constructed rather trying to express it typicité. Not surprise, this estate is consulted by Michel Rolland. Chateau Kirwan 2003 (118.00)

C) After knowing it was Giscours 2003 (110.00), this is perhaps the most modern, high-tone Giscours I have tasted. It started off with the sweet lush personality and quickly turn into more angular frame, with rather aggressive tannin, especially more so when the fruit was less yielding, providing little flesh to deal with the increasingly tart, almost bitter finish. Seem to me, this wine was overly extracted.

D) This is clearly my finest wine of the whole lineup. Very dense in color and possibly the darker in the whole lot. My initial tasting of this massive wine, I thought, it reminded me of tasting barrel-sample. Very youthful with solid outfit (cool summer resulting higher natural acid level) and rather fleshy palate (much like tasting en primeur). Despite that, the wine surprisingly do not tire your palate with its scale, neither the tannin is over-the-chart. After some half-an-hour decanting, the sweet, caramel-wood emerged. The attractive cedar combined shaving of new wood along with tangy fruit and very fine, illusively elegant palate. Wow! I can't believe this is from Michel Rolland's hand, more so, is from a weather challenged vintage of 2002. The credit must goes to the superiority of the vineyard. 2002 Lascombes (115.00) - Outstanding

E) Du Tertre 2001 (85.00) is probably the weakest wine of all. Light to medium color with interesting mineral-plum-like fruit. However, with aeration, it turned increasingly herbaceous. The lack of material as well as the straightforward personality making it hard to deal with the rather overly extracted, or saignée (bleed) wine that came across as skinny and unbalanced.

F) This wine fall into the same problem of having the first-class makeup without the real beauty. The modern creamy-wood framework of milk chocolate, dark-fruit liqueur was indeed lush and attractive. However, as it continued to develop on the palate, the dusty tannin turned more evident and obstructive. 2003 Prieuré-Lichine (84.00)

G) Youthful purple ruby color. Quite massively constructed with sweet current dominance nose. Sweet velvety palate that is both sexy and attractive. My initial worry of herbal, green element has somehow disappeared after decanting the wine. However, this wine can't escape the fact as being modern. Made by Bordeaux's latest three musketeers, Michel Rolland, Alan Raynaud (Quinault l'Enclos) and Yves Vatelot. Lascombes 2003 (121.00) - Good

H) It started with modern confectionary sweet roasted coffee bean but soon give way to more floral, tangy fruit of red and black berries in additional to mineral and some classic Bordeaux of underbrush element. Despite concentrated, but the vibrancy and lift of this wine somehow give one the impression of being elegant. The substantial wood tannin of this wine also gave one the broad personality of this beauty. One of the few 2003 I like. Malescot St.-Exupéry 2003 (115.00) – Very Good

I) The exotic sweet oak plus spices of this wine almost reminded me of Chinese herbal medicine. The bitter chocolate, espresso of sweet oak clearly indicated the 100% new oak treatment. However, what impress me the most besides that seductive sweetness and concentration is the precision, the well delineated palate, as well as that solid backbone. This wine has shown me a more promising future than the 2003. Lascombes 2001 (110.00) – Very Good