2003 Wine and Port Vintage
Vintage Summary and Recommendations:
Welcome to Vintage Wine and Port's 2003 wine page. Read on for our summary of the 2003 vintage, our top recommendations and region reports. Scroll down to see all of our wines currently available. If you cannot find what you are looking for please call us on 01425 837177 or Contact Us. We would love to help you with your wine choice!
The 2003 vintage was, overall, good. The sizzling heatwave that swept through Europe was easily the most defining hallmark of the vintage. Wines throughout the continent had far riper, fruiter notes than normal with some suffering from overcooked and baked qualities.
Our Wine Expert currently recommends the following wines for this year:
Visit our 2003 Wine and Port Offer Page
This Year in History: Fun Facts: The BBC announces that the hugely popular character Den Watts will return to its soap opera EastEnders, 14 years after he was killed off.
Eurovision Winner: Turkey with the song "Everyway That I Can" by Sertab Erener
Top Grossing Movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Bordeaux: The hot summer months of June and July, followed by an August heatwave, set the Bordeaux 2003 wine vintage apart from recent years. On tasting, the tannins are rather prominent in many wines. Many of the wines, particularly on the left bank, are very 'new world' in style, frequently displaying super-ripe blackberry, plum and cherry characteristics. Sauternes also showed well, with a number having very good freshness alongside a rich weight of residual sugar and botrytis (noble rot). A 2003 Bordeaux, whether dry or sweet, would make a perfect 22 year old wine gift for an anniversary celebration this year.
Italian: In Piedmont, as elsewhere, the heat wave shrivelled grapes and resulted in some unbalanced musts, although the oldest vines in Barolo and Barbaresco managed to withstand the weather and yield some exceptional wines. As for Tuscany, very difficult heat wave conditions were felt in all but the highest vineyards of Chianti Classico. For this reason, Tuscan 2003 wines tend to be fairly unbalanced.
Portugal: A general declaration of vintage, the 2003 produced classic Vintage Port. This year's wines have great traditional tannic structure with attractive ripe fruit flavours.
Spain: The growing season in Spain was made difficult by drought, however those producers who looked after their vines produced excellent, intensely concentrated wines.
Shop with Confidence
All of our premium wine gifts are available for fast, immediate delivery directly from our own cellars. With no minimum order required—buy just one bottle or as many as you like!
- Free UK standard delivery on all orders over £100
- Complimentary tasting notes and personalized gift messages—add yours at checkout
- Three-month replacement guarantee for complete peace of mind
- Choose from our exclusive range of luxury gift boxes
- Award-winning retailer: IWC Fortified Wine Merchant of the Year (2024, 2022, 2021)
- 5-Star Trusted Shops rating for exceptional customer satisfaction
28 products found.
Cotes du Rhone, 2003
Chateau Saint-Maurice
Appearance:
Garnet with a fading ruby rim; clear but showing signs of evolution. Light brick hues suggest peak maturity.
Nose:
Open and expressive. Ripe red cherries, dried raspberries, and fig notes mingle with aged characters: leather, sun-dried herbs, and a faint balsamic warmth. Subtle traces of peppercorn, dusty earth, and old wood lend complexity.
Palate:
Silky and mellow, with the soft grip of resolved tannins. Grenache lends sweet red fruit and a soft texture, while Syrah adds depth, spice, and a faint savoury note. Expect flavours of cherry compote, black olive tapenade, and worn leather, backed by a warming hint of alcohol typical of the hot 2003 vintage. …
more >>>
Price: £35.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Croft Port, 2003
Vintage Port
A 2003 vintage Port Wine from Croft Port. A medium intensity Port with a garnet core and mahogany rim. A lovely pronounced nose of figs and prunes, with some walnut characters. Also slightly earthy. Good sweet fruit on the palate and a full mouth feel. This is followed by a long, smooth nutty finish. After a 40-year absence, the 2003 Croft was made by the use of traditional treading in stone Lagers. The 2003 reflects the benefits of two years of strict vineyard management with gloriously pure fruit and scents of wild blueberry and crême de more. The purity and expression of fruit persists on the palate, supported by dense but very svelte tannins, culminating in a long finish. …
more >>>
Price: £54.95
Stock: Out of Stock
Dow's, 2003
Vintage Port
An outstanding 2003 vintage Port Wine from Dow's Port.
Reviews:
"The complex aromatics of the opaque, black-colored 2003 Dow Vintage Port display chocolate, dried oak, black cherries, blackberries, copious spices, and a myriad flowers. This fresh, backward wine offers a medium to full-bodied, deeply concentrated core of spice-laced dark fruits. Softly-textured and seductive in the mid-palate, it boasts abundant layers of candied Damson plums, blueberries, black cherries, molasses, and hints of chocolate before revealing its firm structure. Extremely youthful and primary, this exceptional effort demands patience. …
more >>>
Price: £69.95
Stock: Out of Stock