Le Dôme 2003

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. Drink: 2014 - 2024

An impressive combination of 75% Cabernet Franc and 25% Merlot from a vineyard adjacent to Angelus, the 2003 Le Dome is fashioned by the passionate, conscientious proprietor, Jonathan Malthus. While quintessentially elegant, it is surprisingly powerful with an ethereal perfume of blue, red, and black fruits intermixed with notes of violets and spice box. Savory, expansive, round, deep, and richly fruity, it is a medium-bodied, long, supple, evolved St.-Emilion to consume over the next 10-15 years.