This flamboyant, dense, opaque purple-colored wine, made from a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot, is muscular, with an unctuous texture and high levels of tannin as well as extract. Compared to its other sibling in the Mouton-Rothschild stable, d'Armailhac, it is far more closed and tannic but still somewhat ostentatious, with smoky, leathery notes intermixed with oodles of black fruits and spice box. The wine may, however, have trouble eclipsing the brilliant 2001. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020.

Robert Parker
Wine Advocate # 469 - Apr 2003