2003 Le Dome
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
The final blend for the 2003 Le Dome was 73% Cabernet Franc and 27% Merlot. This is another shockingly great 2003 that is close to full maturity. It reveals a brilliant combination of power and complexity. The deep plum/garnet color shows no lightening, and the wine exhibits supple tannins, a voluptuous texture, and notes of forest floor, blueberries, raspberries and mulberries. Ripe, but not over-the-top, this offering was aged in 100% new oak, but you would never know that given the fact that any evidence of oak has been pushed to the background except for a trace of espresso. This brilliant, impeccably made wine is a spectacular success in this vintage. It should drink well for 6-10 more years.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Good deep red. Sexy nose offers cherry, leather and rose petal, plus a whiff of game. Sweet, lush and silky, with good life to the raspberry and animal flavors. Nicely plump but with no shortage of energy for the year. Finishes with substantial dusty, broad tannins.
Ruby-red. Black cherry, minerals and menthol on the nose. Rich, broad and sweet on the front half but a bit tough in the middle. Shows an intriguing saline quality on the back end, but turns drier too, despite the wine's obvious ripeness, and finishes with dusty tannins. Still a bit inscrutable.
Good deep red color. Sappy aromas of red fruit liqueur, violet and tobacco leaf. Sweet on entry, then broad, concentrated and quite dry in the middle palate, with flavors of currant, tobacco leaf and oak. Will merit a score at the top of my projected range if it fills in with elevage The flavors are uncompromisingly dry, but the tannins are fine.
About the producer
The man behind highly regarded Saint-Émilion wine Le Dôme is a Nigerian-born Brit who sold his engineering firm in 1992 to move to Cahors and restore a pile of ruins. After meeting a local vineyard owner at a dinner party, he ended up selling his production to Oddbins and was caught by the wine bug.