DaleW > wrote in
:
>
> Never tried the 2003 La Tour Carnet. That said, 2003 was a blazingly
> hot year, and most wines show it. I didn't buy a lot, but concentrated
> on upper Medoc (St Estephe especially). But plan on drinking most soon
> (exception is Leoville Barton). I think a recent Decanter article
> raised alarms about how even "big boy" 2003s are aging, especially the
> modern styled (isn't LTC a Magrez property?).

La Tour Carnet is a wine from Magrez, and I think the first vintage under
his direction is 2000 or 2001. I have very fond memories of the 2001, that
I drank through several bottles. The wine was a bit tired last year and
best bottles were at age 5-6.

Reading Parker, I was in Médoc circa 2006 and purchased several bottles of
wine during Foire aux Vins in September. 2003 was the hot thing that year,
and I purchased something like two cases of wine, assorted. 3 here, 2
there.... to date, most of the wines have been unappealing, and I
concentrated on Médoc (I happen to be a left bank kind of guy). Du Tertre
was awful, as was the case with Brane Cantenac. Malescot St. Exupery is
just nice and all of them are overpriced even at 2006 prices.

Yes, I concur that Bordeaux is mostly overpriced. There are some gems to be
found, but it is too difficult currently.

In another message of this thread there is a mention to THe Wine Cellar's
Inside. Let me kindly point out that the owner of that blog is as close to
Bordeaux as you can be without being a proprietor. Mountains of caviar
being served in his honour at some of the properties during his visits (and
that is literal).

I enjoy reading his comments, but do not put too much trust in his notes
because he is sort of a public relations man for Bordeaux.

s.

On Wednesday, December 17, 2014 9:47:26 PM UTC+1, santiago wrote:
>
> I enjoy reading his comments, but do not put too much trust in his notes
> because he is sort of a public relations man for Bordeaux.
>

Yeah but the relative ratings of vintages should be fine, as he explicitly says "avoid this vintage". That doesnt sound like a bought mans words.

So you are saying that I shouldnt expect much from my 2003 la tour carnet, so I might as well drink it on a casual night during the holiday?

Michael Nielsen > wrote in
:
>
> So you are saying that I shouldnt expect much from my 2003 la tour
> carnet, so I might as well drink it on a casual night during the
> holiday?

I would say that, on average, 2003 is a vintage that is not my favorite
style of red Bordeaux. Whether they fit your taste or not is another thing.

When in doubt, I check with cellartracker, where many users have written
their tasting notes on the wine:

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes....chId=C0DD4E37%
23selected%3DW26856_2_K71ad485dcfa14f70bf36171bd07 c9501&UISource=list

or

http://bit.ly/1Av6t6J

where you can find some interesting notes from actual users like these:

1) Very enjoyable. Has held up surprisingly well for a 2003.

2) Impossible to rate, really. In some odd way that one is a great success
and on the other not my style at all. Starts out extremely ripe, full-
bodied, sweet and lush. Flabby and oaky as well. Nose is full of creme de
cassis, warm asphalt, coffee and roasted meat. Went quite well with a
ribeye steak and sauce bearnaise. On day two, it is more calm and
controlled but still shows ripeness and warm. This is a modern left banker
alright, and not my kind of wine at all.