After reading this note, doesn’t it seem like the score would be lower than 99?
Am I being too stingy with the 2003 Chateau Margaux? A wine of extraordinary complexity and intensity, it reveals a deep purple color, a style not unlike the 1990 Margaux (possibly even more concentrated), a velvety texture, and notes of spring flowers interwoven with camphor, melted licorice, creme de cassis, and pain grille. Not a blockbuster, it offers extraordinary intensity as well as a surreal delicacy/lightness. There is riveting freshness to this offering, which tips the scales at a lofty (for this estate) 13.5% alcohol, as well as an alluring sweetness and accessibility. It probably will tighten up over the next few years. Nevertheless, it is a profound Chateau Margaux that brings to mind a hypothetical blend of the 1982 and 1990. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2035.
Is that the Leve or RMP note?
It’s got “pain grille”. It’s gotta be a French note.
Sorry, RMP
Stupid effin’ ‘pain grille’.
So these people smell their own farts, too, since they are so incredible?
Duh of course “arome du peter” notes…
I think blockbuster is usually used to refer to a huge wine as in fruit and style. At least thats how I’ve always read it.
ahhhhh, cris, that would make a lot of sense here.
mmmm melted licorice
The note is pretty precise. You shouldn’t focus on one word and let it detract from what you get out of the whole note. Look at some of the other key descriptors and you will see that he used some pretty powerful words to describe the wine. And, if you have not had it, it is pretty spectacular.
One of my pet peeves in tasting notes is (two fold really):
People who write imprecise tasting notes. These leave a lot more questions than answers.
People who focus on singular words or sentences in notes and not the whole thing. Then you miss the point. Ex.- I write a note that suggests a wine has flavors like xxxx and someone assumes the wine is flawed. But they don’t pay attention to rest of the note, especially to the parts where the wine is praised for other aspects and then give a score of 90 points.