2003 Clos Saint-Julien
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Tasting notes
Made from 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot, this beauty from proprietress Catherine Papon-Nouvel was aged in 100% new oak, but you would never know that now as the oak has been pushed to the background. Only 208 cases were made, and the natural alcohol came in at 14%. The wine exhibits super-ripe mulberry, black cherry and black currant fruit intermixed with hints of wet rocks. Medium- to full-bodied with terrific freshness and precision as well as fully resolved tannins, it will offer plenty of pleasure over the next 7-8 years.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Full deep red. Dark berries, graphite, smoke and nutty oak on the nose. Rich, ripe and smooth on the palate, with a lively flavor of raspberry. This offers excellent density and texture and finishes with sweet tannins. Shows little sign of drought character.
(a 50/50 blend of 40-year-old cabernet franc and 80-year-old merlot, according to negociant Jeffrey Davies Full, deep ruby-red. Cab franc-dominated aromas of currant, tobacco leaf, iron and flowers. Sweet, stylish and suave, with nicely delineated tobacco and iron flavors. There's no shortage of depth here. Harmonious acids frame the fruit and give the wine lovely inner-mouth aromatic lift. Pure and brisk on the back end.