2003 Domaine François Lamarche La Grande Rue Grand Cru

**Harvest of August 30th** Discreet if not invisible hints of wood spice complement gorgeously spicy and elegant black cherry pinot fruit nuanced with an abundance of different herb and tea notes. The medium full flavors, while clearly very ripe avoid any sense of surmaturité, are classy, precise and very pure with a dusty, intense and sappy texture that both coats and stains the palate. I very much admire the way this is at once powerful and weighty yet manages to retain a first rate sense of balance. To be sure, this is indisputably a child of the 2003 vintage, which is to say notably ripe yet it completely avoids the excesses that plague some wines.

Good deep red. Exotic, liqueur-like aromas of cherry, coffee, mocha and minerals. Impressively concentrated, opulent and powerful, with harmonious acidity and strong minerality giving this terrific sappiness for a 2003. The wine's spicy red fruits offer excellent mouth coverage.