Evolving Over Time: 2003 Château Coufran

I have a few more bottles left of the 2003 Château Coufran, a Bordeaux from the Haut-Medoc which I found at Grand Wines in Astoria about a year and a half ago. My first tasting note for this wine was almost exactly a year-ago in November ’06 and it was a nice and surprising exercise to taste this wine now and compare it to then.

First, it seems much more “mature” now as its changed its color slightly and is now a slightly lighter shade of brick red. It has very earthy, wood and leather aromas just hovering above the fruit. The fruit that’s there is dark fruit but it does take a back seat initially. The tannins are in the forefront. Very dry texture with a long finish.

What was most interesting to me is that it has essentially just switched its profile. A year-ago, the fruit was up front with the wood and earthiness in the background.

My hope is that another year in bottle will really bring these elements into harmony. I’m hopeful because after letting this wine sit out for a couple hours, it because much smoother and softer in texture.

The changes seen in the 2003 Château Coufran from one year to the next were a fun lesson in how a wine evolves. It really evolves. Fascinating!