95 points -- The 2003 Hermitage is a classic a backward, huge, massive wine that is just oozing with creme de cassis and melted licorice along with some toasty new oak smells. The wine is full, rich, and in need of a good decade of cellaring. A 50-year wine that should prove to be utterly extraordinary by 2016 or so, its massive concentration and great purity argue for long-term cellaring.
Drinking Window: From 2016