2003 Chateau Margaux from this lot has the following scores - Jean-Marc Quarin 98 points, Jeff Leve The Wine Cellar Insider 98 points, Adrian van Velsen - vvWine.ch 98 points, James Suckling 97 points, Decanter 97 points, Vinous 96 points, Wine Enthusiast 96 points. This is the tasting note for 2003 Chateau Margaux from Robert Parker - Tasted blind as a vintage comparison at the Valandraud vertical, the 2003 Margaux is fully mature on the nose. There is ample fruit here, well defined for the vintage with blackberry and cedar, this bottle demonstrating a subtle fungal character that I have not discerned in previous bottles. There are faint scents of rust iron piping that develop with further aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly dry tannin, offering more fruit than the 2003 Valandraud it was paired with - feisty black pepper and allspice finish with a decent aftertaste. There might be better bottles than this, even so, there is probably not another Margaux that touches this First Growth. I see no harm in broaching bottles now and over the next ten years. 2003 Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac from this lot has the following scores - Jeff Leve The Wine Cellar Insider 96 points, Vinous 95 points, The Wine Advocate 95 points, Jean-Marc Quarin 95 points, Wine Spectator 94 points, Wine Enthusiast 94 points. This is the tasting note for 2003 Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac from Robert Parker - The 2003 harvest began on September 15 and finished ten days later. The result is an outstanding 2003 Mouton-Rothschild, but it is not one of the superstars of Pauillac or the Northern Médoc. Its nearby neighbors, Lafite-Rothschild, Cos d’Estournel and Montrose, all produced wines that qualitatively dominate this effort from Mouton-Rothschild. Nevertheless, there is a lot to like. The tannins, which were so tough initially, have softened somewhat, and the nose offers up notes of cedarwood, roasted coffee, tobacco leaf and red and blackcurrants. This spicy, earthy, fleshy, medium to full-bodied 2003 is not one of the stars of the vintage. It is close to full maturity, where it should remain for another 10-15 years. 2003 Chateau Haut Brion Pessac Leognan Premier Grand Cru Classe from this lot has the following scores - Wine Spectator 96 points, Wine Enthusiast 96 points, The Wine Advocate 95 points, Jeannie Cho Lee (formerly Asian Palate) 95 points, Jean-Marc Quarin 95 points, Decanter 95 points. This is the tasting note for 2003 Chateau Haut Brion Pessac Leognan Premier Grand Cru Classe from Robert Parker - Even better, and clearly the best wine made in the Haut-Brion stable in 2003 (the last vintage of the great Jean-Bernard Delmas as administrator), the 2003 Haut-Brion is a blend of 58% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc that hit 13% natural alcohol, which seemed high at the time, but given more recent vintages is modest. Dark ruby/plum in color, with no amber or orange at the edge, the wine exhibits an abundance of roasted herbs, hot rocks, black currants, plum, and balsamic notes. Quite rich, medium to full-bodied and more complete, with sweeter tannins than La Mission Haut-Brion, this full-bodied Haut-Brion has hit full maturity, where it should stay for at least a decade. Bravo! These are two great successes in this vintage that have aged well and surprised me by their intensity and overall complexity.