Chateau Bellevue Mondotte 2003

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Deep in color, with lightening at the edges, the wine is powerful, concentrated and deep. There is an intense mineral element to the layers of perfectly ripe, exotic fruits. This is one of the wines of the vintage. Unlike many 2003 wines, this will enjoy a long life."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Even in a vintage such as 2003 there are wines that are youthful, unevolved and still in need of bottle age. The 2003 Bellevue Mondotte is one of those wines. From a tiny (5 acres) estate owned by Gerard Perse, this blend of 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits youthful aromas of blue and black fruits, chalk dust, lead pencil shavings and Christmas fruitcake. Full, ripe and moderately tannic, it requires another 3-5 years of bottle age and could turn out to be one of the longest-lived wines of the vintage, lasting another 25-30 years."

WEINWISSER: "Sattes Granat, feiner Rand mit orangem Schimmer. Diskretes Bouquet, rotes Cassis, Kirschentöne, kompakt, noch zurückhaltend, entwickelt nach ein paar Minuten einen gewissen Luftton. Stoffiger Gaumen, viel rote, reife Beeren, auch eine angenehm säuerliche Note in sich tragend, prägnantes Extrakt mit einer unglaublichen Beerenkonzentration im Innern, helles Karamell im Finale."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Beautiful aromas of blackberry, coffee and cherry follow through to a full-bodied palate, with soft, round tannins and a long, rich finish. Supersilky. Best after 2007. 480 cases made."