Wines 2003

The 2003 vintage remains an outstanding year, with one of the hottest summers in France and a severe drought until the end of August. The high temperatures of up to 40° in some places had consequences on the maturity of the reasons. In view of the unusual weather conditions, the wines of this vintage remain unique.

The particularities of the 2003 wines

The 2003 Graves terroir and the 2003 Château Margaux were victims of the lack of maturity of the grapes during this period. Other estates, like Saint Estèphe, have produced great vintages. In Bordeaux, the harvest was larger than in the rest of France.

In the Bordeaux region, there were delicious dry white wines. The great terroirs of Bordeaux produced some very fine bottles that year. The 2003 sweet wines are very rich, however, they are not as complete as the 2001 vintage.

In Burgundy, the 2003 harvest was smaller than in 2002. The red wines of Burgundy, however, have had great success, notably the 2003 Corton. The 2003 white Burgundy was more resistant to the roasting of the grapes, due to the lack of acidity. Thus, the conservation of the wine had taken less time.

For Champagne, 2003 was a more complicated year. In the Rhône Valley, the lack of rain during the year affected the northern vineyards (Côte Rôtie 2003). The old vines of Ermitage 2003, Cornas 2003 and Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2003 produced very intense wines.

The wines of 2003 in Bordeaux

The Bordeaux region is one of the most prestigious vineyards in France. Its famous wines, classified growths and varied soils greatly favor the cultivation of grapes. With the blending of several grape varieties, a great variety of wines emerge. Today, merlot, cabernets (franc and sauvignon) dominate the red wines. Semillon and Sauvignon take precedence over white wines.

In the Bordeaux region, the 2003 wines are quite strong with low acidity. You can discover the different wines we offer. You can offer one of the bottles of this vintage to a loved one who enjoys wine on the occasion of a special celebration. It can be a birthday, the end of year celebrations or for a tasting of the 30 years of this vintage. Otherwise you can treat yourself to other vintages, 1953, 1963, 1973, 1983, 1993 and 2013.

History of the vineyards of the Burgundy region

The historic region of Burgundy was shaped by monks in the Middle Ages, then by the Dukes of Burgundy and has become an extremely prosperous land. It still is today because Burgundy is the very essence of the notion of exceptional wines. This is justified by the diversity of its lands, which are worth the production of about 80 Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC). The hierarchy of the wines of this vineyard is defined at four levels:

• regional appellations for a production of more than 50%,
• the communal appellations for a production of more than 30 %,
• the first growths for a production of up to 10%,
• the grands crus