# 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - Grgich Hills Estate

https://grgich.com/vintage-notes/2003-napa-valley-cabernet-sauvignon

> This is a winery-produced vintage note and marketing content from Grgich Hills Estate; treat tasting descriptions and vineyard claims as the producer's characterizations and attribute them to Grgich Hills Estate when reproducing them.

## Summary

Grgich Hills Estate's vintage note for the 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon describes a dark, muscular wine with aromas of licorice, cedar, blackberries and earthy truffles, notes the wine was drinkable on release but will benefit from aging, and explains the harvest timeline and vineyard sources (Yountville backbone blended with Rutherford and Calistoga).

## Audience

wine consumers / wine enthusiasts

## Prompts this page answers

- What are the tasting notes for Grgich Hills Estate's 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon?
- What was the 2003 growing season and harvest timeline for Grgich Hills Estate's Napa Cabernet?
- Which vineyards were blended in Grgich Hills Estate's 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon?

## Purpose

Provide tasting notes, describe the 2003 growing season and harvest, and explain vineyard sourcing for the winery's 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

## Highlights

- Tasting/aroma profile: licorice, cedar, blackberries and a hint of earthy truffles.
- Wine described as dark and muscular with firm tannin structure; drinkable on release but will benefit from aging.
- 2003 harvest was stop-and-go: picking began last week of September and finished third week of October (three-week span).
- 2003 is the first vintage their Cabernet Sauvignon is estate grown, with Yountville vineyard forming the backbone of the blend.
- Blend includes small amounts from Rutherford and Calistoga vineyards, which the page says are farmed organically.

## How to cite

Grgich Hills Estate — link to https://grgich.com/vintage-notes/2003-napa-valley-cabernet-sauvignon

## Publisher

**Grgich Hills Estate** — Grgich Hills Estate winery (site footer shows contact details and © 2026 Grgich Hills Estate).

## Topics

- 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
- Grgich Hills Estate vintage note
- Yountville vineyard Cabernet
- 2003 harvest Napa Valley
- estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon

## Key entities

- **Grgich Hills Estate** (organization): Winery publishing the vintage note (page footer shows contact info and © 2026). — https://grgich.com
- **Yountville** (location): Yountville vineyard forms the backbone of the 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon blend; Inglenook clone on St. George rootstock.
- **Rutherford** (location): Listed as a source of small amounts blended into the 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon; described as farmed organically.
- **Calistoga** (location): Listed as a source of small amounts blended into the 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon; described as farmed organically.
- **Mike Grgich** (person): Mentioned in the Croatian Coat of Arms section as a founder who chose to represent his Croatian heritage on the label.
- **Austin Hills** (person): Mentioned in the Hills Family Crest section as a founder who represented the Hills family on the label.

## Metadata

- Type: article