The 2003 La Tache reveals aromas of milk chocolate, violets, roses, and dark cherries. Suave, displaying massive amplitude and a full-bodied, velvety-textured character, this behemoth’s flavor profile brings to mind chocolate-covered black cherries. Immensely powerful and noble, it offers an interminable finish that is packed with flawlessly ripe, sweet tannin. Projected maturity: 2013-2030. Importer: Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA; tel. (707) 963-9661

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 29/08/2005 The 2003 La Tache reveals aromas of milk chocolate, violets, roses, and dark cherries. Suave, displaying massive amplitude and a full-bodied, velvety-textured character, this behemoth’s flavor profile brings to mind chocolate-covered black cherries. Immensely powerful and noble, it offers an interminable finish that is packed with flawlessly ripe, sweet tannin. Projected maturity: 2013-2030. ()

Moderate ruby/garnet hue. Not deep in colour. As with other 2003's the nose stubbornly refuses to open so the wine is left to settle in glass for 10 minutes. Then the aromatics begin to unfurl, spice, leather, cherry, damp moss - very complex. A touch of tobacco develops after a while. The palate is medium to full-bodied, quite supple tannins, rich, raspberry, strawberry. Very smooth texture, hauntingly powerful but very backward. As usual, the finish is very long, with a touch of roasted herbs lingering for over a minute. A more ineffable La Tache than usual. It left me perplexed but wanting more. (846 cases produced) Tasted February 2006.

($1029) Bright red-ruby. Wonderfully complex nose melds raspberry, rose petal, truffley underbrush and exotic spices. Then almost shockingly fresh in the mouth, with penetrating and rather delicate flavors of red berries and flowers. Still quite tightly wound but already offers compelling inner-mouth perfume. Finishes with building tannins and outstanding verve.

An incredibly fine and pure aromatic profile that is first and foremost ripe but this does not detract from the usual La Tache aromatic fireworks as the highly perfumed, seductive, spicy and pungent floral notes makes for an utterly brilliant nose that is

Gorgeous. The perfume was immediately and intensely redolent of violets – the wine lit up the room. On the palate were notes of fresh red cherry – not dried cherry nor black cherry. Superb balance and no suggestion that this was a heatwave vintage (except, perhaps, at the very end after half an hour or so in the glass when the finish was distinctly, but far from unpleasantly, sweet). Already chock full of charm but with the structure to live on for many a glorious year. (JR)