Having sold a fair amount of the 2003 since it arrived in South Africa last year, last thursday was the first time I had a chance to penned down my though and note, for sake of remembering this unique vintage.
We will all remember 2003 vintage in Europe, and more specially in Champagne, an unusual year, best characterized by extremes at every step of the growing season with severe spring frosts in spring, followed by one of Europe's and Champagne hottest summer, resulting in one of the earliest harvest since 1822! resulting in a very few houses releasing a vintage that year, except for the greatest and most consistent producers, invariably Dom P.
Bright, pale straw with yellow green reflections, captivating aromatic, flint and chalk minerals lifted by citrus zest, burnt matches lending a toasty element, honey, smoky complexity and what is even more remarkable, considering the warmth of the vintage the acid line does not seem to disturbed, in fact it shows and impressive citric freshness, with an ideal alcohol of 12.5% abv, textured, broad, full bodied, long and persistent, though seductive already now, this has lots of stamina and should be best revisited in 2019+ up to 2030+.
