Château Le Dôme, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

Bordeaux’s 2003 vintage polarized the critics, which, if you’re like me, means one thing: opportunity. Given how much influence critical pronouncements have on elite-level Bordeaux pricing, and given what we know about how great producers often pull off magical feats in challenging vintages, we know that (a) there are going to be some stunning successes lurking around out there, and (b) they’re going to be available at more-attractive prices.Which brings me, of course, to today’s wine—an opportunity to acquire a top-tier Right Bank red approaching the two-decade mark in stylish, impeccably balanced fashion. This is everything we look for in a well-aged Grand Cru, and if you were tasting it blind, there’s no way you’d identify it as hailing from a heatwave vintage. While so many Bordeaux châteaux produced ultra-rich, early-drinking wines in ’03, Saint-Émilion’s deep limestone soils insulated Château Le Dôme’s vines and managed to maintain balance despite record temperatures. The 2003 Le