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Wine Review: 2003 Chateau Puy Guilhem
chris wrote this on February 21, 2009
2003 Chateau Puy Guilhem
90% Merlot, 7% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Franc
Fronsac (Bordeaux)
$22 @ Wine Authorities
This is a very special bottle of wine for me. Not only have I met the wine maker, Jean Marc, but I was so impressed with his wine that I bought a case of it with a special purpose in mind. 2003 was the year that I first met my fiance, Courtney, and by the time that you read this post we will be married (we married Friday, Feb 20th). The review below is from the first bottle in the case, opened at our first meal as husband and wife, at the Second Empire Tavern in Raleigh. Each anniversary for the next 11 years I plan on opening another bottle of this fabulous wine, experiencing its growth and evolution year by year with the most important woman in my life. Hopefully, both our marriage and the wine will improve with time!
As usual, lets start with a bit of label decoding. Fronsac is a “right bank” appellation of Bordeaux, a lesser known neighbor to the high profile AOC’s of Pomerol and St. Emilion. Wines from Fronsac are great values as the region produce top quality wines without the price tag associated with more internationally known regions. Fronsac and the other “right bank” AOC’s of Bordeaux are blends, predominately Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The Puy Guilhem is unusual in that Malbec has also been added to the blend, a grape that has fallen out of favor in Bordeaux wines. Because the blends are predominately Merlot, wines from the “right bank” are generally softer and more approachable than the Cabernet Sauvignon wines from the “left bank” of Bordeaux.
As for the vintage, 2003 is not a “marquee” vintage due to an extremely hot year in France. Because of this, wines from the 2003 vintage are fruitier, ready to drink sooner, and do not require extensive cellar aging for the wine to reach its potential. It also means that the wines from 2003 will cost much less than wines from superstar vintages (2000 and 2005 come to mind). Now on to the wine…
I decanted this wine before serving in the event that it was still young and “tight” but it opened up quite nicely once poured. Bordeaux wines aren’t known for being tremendously aromatic, and this wine is no exception. From the glass there are terrific aromas of red currants, plums, hints of prune, and spicy cinnamon. The palate has all these same flavors with nice acidity and firm but not overwhelming tannins. You will not believe how seamless this wine transitions across your palate, going from fruity plum to tart currant to cinnamon on the smooth finish. It is no surprise that it paired very well with the filet I had for lunch, cutting the tannins and really bringing out the acidity of the wine in a night bright burst of red currants with hints of balsamic.
On wine style and quality I rate this wine an A-. That nice spicy cinnamon finish is characteristic to grapes grown in the special clay soil from this region of Bordeaux, a clear expression of terroir lacking in many wines made outside of Europe. Its very well balanced, with no hints of the 14% alcohol by volume and seamless oak integration despite 12 months in a barrel.
As for criticisms, the wine is medium bodied, but it just feels thinner and less weighty than typical for Bordeaux. It has a short finish, also unusual for Bordeaux. I have to chalk these up to the the 2003 vintage, where low grape acidity from hot years can result in lighter bodied wines. The hot vintage is also the cause for the 14% alcohol by volume, higher than the usual 13% for Bordeaux. There is no perceivable burn, though the higher alcohol most likely contributes to the shorter finish while also adding a nice smoothness to the body of the wine. It would have been easy to heavily oak this wine to try and compensate for the vintage shortcomings but I applaud the winemaker for letting the both the terroir and the vintage express themselves naturally.
On value I rate this wine a solid A. For $22 you get an AOC Bordeaux wine ready to drink now that shows the character of both its vintage and its terroir. The only reason I do not rate it higher is that the 2000 vintage sells for the same price.
Overall Rating: A-
Until the next wine!- Chris
Topics: classes, reviews | 2 Comments »
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February 22nd, 2009 at 11:36 am
Congratulations to you and Courtney! May you have many years of happiness and wine ahead of you. :)
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:52 am
Thanks Leandra!