2003 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru (Magnum)

Gerard Raphet, who owns 12 hectares of vines, began vinifying under his own label with vintage 2002. He works extensively with David Hinkle and North Berkeley Imports, and this fall I visited strictly to taste the set of 2003s sent to California (all of the North Berkeley bottlings tasted below are labelled "Cuvee Unique" except for the Clos Vougeot and Clos de Beze). These 2003s were bottled very early:in July and August of 2004. Raphet's regular cuvees were bottled in October, also earlier than normal. These North Berkeley bottlings show captivating aromatics, with near-confectionery red fruit aromas and flavors perked up by spices and minerals. Though a few are downright liqueur-like, they manage to capture the superripe side of this vintage without the roasted extremes. Incidentally, there are just two Cuvee Unique bottlings in 2004 (both noted below). Raphet believes that his '04s will be best suited for drinking over the next five or six years.