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Search Flickinger Wine Inventory
Inventory updated: Mon, Jan 26, 2026 04:02 PM cst
Your search criteria:
Regions: USA Red
Vintages: Between 2003 and 2003
| Producer |
Vint. |
Wine |
Price |
Qty |
Order |
| | USA Red |
| Archery Summit |
2003 |
Arcus Estate Pinot Noir  |
$65 |
1 |
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| VM 90 (6/2006): Deep ruby. Oak spice-driven bouquet incorporates creme de cassis, candied blackberry, vanilla, mocha and graphite. Round, supple and fat, with powerful, very sweet dark berry flavors and strong accents of Asian spices and vanilla bean. Firms up on the finish, showing solid but well-knit tannins. Fans of the lush, weighty school of pinot will really go for this. Josh Raynolds. |
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| Behrens & Hitchcock |
2003 |
Kenefick Ranch Cuvee Torn Label |
$40 |
1 |
|
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WA 93-95 (2/2005): The 2003 Kenefick Ranch Cuvee (a 400-case lot of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot) exhibits an inky/ruby/purple color along with a gorgeous perfume of smoke, blueberry liqueur, creme de cassis, white chocolate, and espresso roast. Dense, opulent, and full-bodied, with a terrific texture as well as palate penetration, and a 40-45 second finish, it is capable of lasting a decade or more.
VM 91+ (6/2005): Medium ruby. Cool, pure aromas of cassis, licorice and violet. Juicy, dry and lively, with excellent flavor intensity and enticing floral lift. I would have guessed this had some cabernet franc. Quite tightly wound after the bottling, and currently showing its tannic side. But this will almost certainly merit a higher rating with four or five years of additional bottle aging. In this vintage, Les Behrens used a mechanical punchdown tank for the Kenefick Ranch cabernet sauvignon-an approach that was used for more wines in 2004. |
|
| Beringer |
2003 |
Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon |
$109 |
5 |
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| WA 95 (6/2013): The best wine of this group is the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve. For statisticians, the composition includes 32% from the St. Helena Home Vineyard, 19% from the Steinhauer Ranch, 12% from Marston Vineyard, 12% from Bancroft Ranch, 8% from the Quarry Vineyard, 6% from Rancho del Oso, 6% from Chabot, 3% from Bancroft, and 2% from Steinhauer Ranch. All these grapes were hand-picked between September 19 and October 28. This is a winner that is seemingly just entering its plateau of full maturity. It boasts a dense ruby/purple color along with a sweet bouquet of black currants, creme de cassis, chocolate fudge, subtle barbecue scents, and hints of lavender, forest floor and tobacco leaf. Full-bodied, rich and dense, it is a classic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, as it has been in just about every vintage. The acidity is relatively low, and the 14.1% alcohol is average for a ripe Napa Cabernet. The pH is 3.71, which is just above average. This is a full-bodied, multidimensional red wine that should continue to drink well for at least another 10-15 years. |
|
| Butler Nephew and Co. |
2003 |
Port |
$48 |
1 |
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| Cakebread Cellars |
2003 |
Benchland Select Cabernet Sauvignon |
$99 |
2 |
|
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| WA 94+ (6/2013): The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Benchland Select (100% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14.3% alcohol) was aged 22 months in French oak (40% new). All of the fruit comes from the western side of Napa Valley, three-fourths from Oakville and the rest from Rutherford. Complex aromas of black currants, plums, Asian duck sauce and spice jump from the glass of this dense purple-colored wine. Gorgeously proportioned with loads of pure black currant fruit and licorice intermixed with subtle wood notes, this is a classic Napa Cabernet with a full-bodied texture, impressive purity and well-balanced acidity, tannin, alcohol, wood and extract. This beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon should age well for 15-20 more years. |
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| Camaraderie Cellars |
2003 |
Cabernet Sauvignon |
$20 |
4 |
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2003 |
Merlot |
$20 |
2 |
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| Copain Wines |
2003 |
Garys’ Vyd. Syrah Slightly Depressed Cork |
$59 |
1 |
|
| |
| WA 91 (12/2005): Guthrie’s ability to access Syrah from different micro-climates and soil bases is apparent with the 2003 Syrah Garys’ Vineyard. An opaque purple color is accompanied by aromas of dried herbs, blackberries, cassis, and smoky charcoal. Full-bodied, pure, and intense as well as elegant, it can be enjoyed over the next 5-7 years. |
|
| Dalla Valle |
2003 |
Cabernet Sauvignon Heavily Bin-Soiled Label |
$119 |
3 |
|
| |
WS 91 (11/2006): Firm, intense and vibrant, with tight, structured red currant, anise, black cherry and mineral notes. Hints of herb, cedar and sage fold in on the finish, keeping a tight, persistent focus. Finishes with tannins that are wrapped in fruit and mineral notes. Best from 2007 through 2011. 800 cases made.
VM 90 (6/2006): Bright medium ruby. Bold aromas of blueberry liqueur, black raspberry, menthol, minerals and black olive. Offers concentrated, sweet dark fruit flavors but not quite the lush texture of the 2004. Dominant flavor of raspberry. The lingering finish shows substantial, slightly tough but nicely ripe tannins. This has filled out nicely since I sampled it from barrel a year ago. Incidentally, just prior to my visit Philippe Melka was hired as consulting winemaker here.
WA 88 (6/2013): I believe this 2003 was made during a period when much of the vineyard was being replanted. From the famous red soils in the Oakville Corridor on the eastern hillsides overlooking such great addresses as Rudd Estate and Screaming Eagle, the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits a dense ruby/purple color as well as a classic, earthy, creme de cassis-scented nose, but it seems more narrowly constructed and clipped in texture than usual. Nevertheless, there is still plenty to enjoy, including the dark fruits, earthiness and the medium to full-bodied mouthfeel. Given the lofty expectations due to the greatness of so many Dalla Valle vintages, the 2003 is not one of their most noteworthy efforts. Drink it over the next decade. |
|
| Farella Estate |
2003 |
Alta Red Wine |
$25 |
1 |
|
| |
| WA 88 (6/2013): The 2003 Alta, a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 5% Syrah, reveals a clean, pure, discrete but proper nose, medium to full body, and a rich, impressive style. It is a far more serious wine with better texture, richness and length than its siblings. Close to full maturity, it should continue to drink well for 7-8 years. |
|
| Faust |
2003 |
Cabernet Sauvignon |
$30 |
1 |
|
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| Gemstone |
2003 |
Proprietary Blend |
$50 |
1 |
|
| |
WA 91 (12/2005): The inky/purple-hued 2003 Proprietary Red Wine, a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and the rest tiny portions of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, reveals copious notes of chocolate along with hints of melted tar, charcoal, black cherries, and currants. Full-bodied, dense, and well-balanced, it should drink well for 10-15 years. Interestingly, Paul Frank continues to sell much of his production to such high quality wineries as Pahlmeyer. He will undoubtedly do more and more estate bottling as his vineyard ages.
VM 90+ (6/2006): (a Bordeaux blend based on 84% cabernet sauvignon) Bright, deep medium ruby color. Black cherry, cassis, bitter chocolate and mocha on the slightly medicinal, primary nose. Then juicy, spicy and bright, with cooler, high-pitched flavors of black cherry, spices and flowers. Less lush and porty than the 2002 version but fresher and more elegant. Finishes with good sweet tannins and very good length. |
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| Lagier Meredith |
2003 |
Mt. Veeder Syrah |
$55 |
2 |
|
| |
WA 93 (12/2005): An incredible bouquet of flowers and mountain berry fruit could easily be mistaken for a new Chanel perfume. Dark ruby/purple in color, with hints of licorice, violets, blueberries, blackberries and cassis, this 2003 Syrah boasts medium to full-bodied, elegant, pure flavors that cascade over the palate with a multilayered silkiness. Nothing is out of place in this beautiful, complex, relatively evolved style of Syrah. Consume it over the next 5-6 years. A natural beauty!
WS 92 (12/2005): Fragrant aromas of cracked pepper, wild berry, plum and pretty floral scents give this a complex bouquet. The flavors fold over onto the palate, offering intensity, richness and depth with an underlying sense of elegance and restraint, with a gravelly, stony edge. Best from 2007 through 2012. 770 cases made. |
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| Ch. Montelena |
2003 |
Estate Cabernet Sauvignon |
$99 |
2 |
|
| |
WA 93 (12/2006): While the 2002, which was quite extroverted right before bottling, has shut down, the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is still open-knit, although I suspect it will probably close down as well. It exhibits an opaque ruby/purple color along with a sweet, spicy nose of black currants, licorice, herbs, and damp earth. Rich and concentrated, it is the most accessible, and possibly the most elegant and French-oriented of the Cabernets produced between 2002 and 2004. This top-notch effort should be cellared for 2-3 years, and consumed over the following 20-25 years.
VM 91 (6/2006): Bright ruby-red. Sweet aromas of black cherry, flowers, menthol and creosote. Supple, sweet and fine-grained, though not especially nuanced for this wine. Strong note of chocolate. Finishes with a fairly fine dusting of tannins and lingering notes of cherry and licorice. This seems a bit less vibrant than it was from barrel a year ago. Barrett noted that the December 2005 bottling date was quite late for this wine, and my sample had not yet recovered.
WS 87 (10/2007): Firm and dry, this is marked by chewy tannins. The core currant, pencil lead and dusty berry flavors are well-focused and long on the finish. The tannic strength and dryness are my major concerns. Decant. The best of two bottles tasted. Drink now through 2013. 12,000 cases made. |
|
| Ridge Vineyards |
2003 |
Dynamite Hill Petite Sirah |
$50 |
1 |
|
| |
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|
2003 |
Monte Bello (375 ML) |
$129 |
3 |
|
| |
WA 94+ (6/2013): One of the smallest crops to be included in the Ridge Monte Bello, only 32% of the production made it into the 2003, which is largely Cabernet Sauvignon (85%) and the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot. Out of barrel as well as post-bottling I liked this wine a lot, and it has changed very little from when I last tasted it in February, 2010. It boasts an inky/blue/purple color along with sweet black currant, blueberry, graphite, licorice and toasty vanillin aromas. The tannins are still noticeable in this full-bodied 2003, but seem reasonably well-integrated. Forget this wine for another decade and drink it over the following 30+ years.
VM 92+ (10/2006): (85% cabernet sauvignon, 8% merlot and 7% petit verdot) Full ruby-red. Knockout nose offers blackberry, currant, plum, cedar, minerals and dark chocolate. Fresh, succulent and quite firm in the mouth, with brisk acids and a minty nuance lifting the dark berry and chocolate flavors. Finishes with chewy tannins that come across as a bit less harmonious than those of the young 2004. But this youthfully closed wine grew sweeter with aeration.
WS 86 (11/2006): Lean, herbal and pebbly, with a taut band of dried currant, mineral and cedary oak. Turns dry and austere on the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2006 through 2012. 1,500 cases made. |
|
| Silver Oak |
2003 |
Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon |
$95 |
4 |
|
| |
WA 87 (6/2013): Abundant notes of roasted herbs, aggressive toasty vanillin and a woodsy character emerge from this medium dark garnet-colored wine that is revealing some lightness at the edge. The Silver Oak Cellars offerings seem far less concentrated and impressive than they did 15-20 years ago. This 2003 reveals a distinctive herbaceousness as well as a nose of Asian spices, black cherries, black currants, spice box and loads of forest floor and underbrush scents. Its American oak aging is somewhat intrusive, even at age ten. Fully mature, it needs to be drunk up.
WS 86 (10/2007): Tight, earthy and unusually tannic for this wine, with fresh earth, mineral and dried currant fruit shaded by a dill-coconut flavor. Drink now through 2012. 70,000 cases made. |
|
| Spring Mountain Vineyard |
2003 |
Elivette Proprietary Blend |
$75 |
2 |
|
| |
|
|
2003 |
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon |
$80 |
2 |
|
| |
|
| Stags' Leap Winery |
2003 |
The Leap Cabernet Sauvignon Corroded Capsule; Signs of Old Seepage; Scuffed Label |
$70 |
1 |
|
| |
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| Sterling Vineyards |
2003 |
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Scuffed Label |
$25 |
1 |
|
| |
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| Sullivan |
2003 |
Estate Merlot |
$15 |
16 |
|
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| Terlato Vineyards |
2003 |
Dry Creek Syrah |
$16.15 |
1 |
|
| |
| WS 86 (12/2005): This trim Syrah features a band of spicy nutmeg, dried berry, sage and hazelnut flavors that turn dryer on the finish. Needs time in the bottle or decanting. Drink now through 2008. 975 cases made. |
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| Twomey Cellars (Silver Oak) |
2003 |
Merlot |
$30 |
1 |
|
| |
| VM 89 (1/2007): Red-ruby. Dark plum, redcurrant, flowers and spices on the nose. Rich, plump and ripe but dry and serious, with complex flavors of plum, redcurrant, tobacco, leather and mocha. Finishes with lush, ripe tannins and a rather sophisticated texture.Lacks only the length for an outstanding rating. Stephen Tanzer. |
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| Vinoce |
2003 |
Proprietary Blend |
$40 |
3 |
|
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| WS 85 (12/2004): Ripe and detailed, with fine intensity to melon, fig, grass and lemon-lime flavors that finish with a mineral note. Drink now. 600 cases made. |
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