A great vintage in Bordeaux - but not across the board. The exceptionally hot, dry summer favoured the Left Bank (Medoc side) with St Estephe, Pauillac, St Julien and Margaux making some sensational wines.

In October of 2003, very soon after the vintage had been gathered in, there were mixed messages coming from Bordeaux. Some said it was a marvellous vintage, whilst others sucked their teeth, kicked at the earth and said no one could possibly make good wine in that heat. The reason for this anomaly is now clear - it depended where you were speaking from. Bordeaux is a huge region after all.

The vintage will always be remembered for the heat and the early harvest. Some of the hottest days ever recorded happened during August and most of the grapes were picked before the end of September.

The best wines have ripe fruit, ripe tannins, depth of flavour and almost impeccable structure that will keep them alive for a very long time. The worst were either sweet and jammy, wines that will quickly fall apart or wines with unnaturally high acidity and green, unripe, dry and dusty tannins. The vintage is being likened to 2000, 1990 or 1982. It is certainly a Cabernet year and the left bank has scored over the right - but it would be wrong to dismiss the right as there are some lovely wines that will give a great deal of pleasure in the years to come.

It's not every day that you find seductive Bordeaux. The best 2003s are certainly that. They remind me of 1990, 1989 and 1982 -- all hot vintages that produced rich, exotic wines with ripe tannins and generous fruit and that remain some of Bordeaux's most sought-after vintages.

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