Saturday – An All Cab Evening – Part 2

Click here for Part 1

The other Cab. blend for the evening was a 2003 Château Lynch-Moussas. In late 2008 we had the 2000 version of this wine and it was exceptional.

http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2008/09/saturday-night-dont-believe-hype_21.html

It made the “Zippy Sauce Top Ten wine list” and Mick, Amy and Kathy were all cussing at me for only buying 1 bottle of it. So I was excited to see if the 2003 version could match its earlier sibling.

"Lobster Chowder"

The nose on this wine was a huge aroma of coffee beans to the point were that aroma almost overpowered all of the other aromas in the wine. You could just make out some graphite, earth and a touch of dark chocolate in the background. The coffee aroma was also the dominate taste on the wine as well with a complimentary vegetal taste to round out the wine. The structure on this wine was spot on, very nicely balance but my only issue with it was the finish which just seemed to disappear almost instantly.

"As good as the 2000 version?"

With the food this wine came more into its own. It was very good with the Lobster Chowdar, good with the Beef Tenderloin and perfect with the chocolate cake.

Here is the LCBO Information on the wine –

Château Lynch-Moussas 2003

Vintages 963256

750 mL bottle
Price: $ 43.55
Wine, Red Wine,
12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Bordeaux, France
By: Borie-Manoux S.A.R.L.
Release Date: Oct 13, 2007

Tasting Note - Beautiful aromas of blackberry, currant and light licorice follow through to a full-bodied palate, with big and velvety tannins and a long, flavourful finish. Rich and tight wine with wonderful texture. Very well done for this estate. Best after 2010. Score - 90. (James Suckling, www.winespectator.com, March 31, 2006)

"Cab Cake!"

Here is the group rating for the wine -Mick – 88, Mark - 90, Kathy – 86, Amy – 86, Overall – 87.5

The wives were very harsh on this wine in my opinion as it was much better than a 86. I think first impressions on this wine were hard to overcome as this wine really lost something when it was on its own, especially vs. the Merryvale Profile. This wine really came to life when paired with the food. I will happily admit that the 2000 Château Lynch-Moussas was superior to the 2003 version but I’m not disappointed that I have two more bottles of the 2003 on the rack. If the LCBO/Wine Spectator article is correct with the line “Best after 2010” then maybe we hit this wine a touch early. It will be interesting to see how this wine develops in a year or two.

Cheers!

Mark