| | I was a bit late to this, so I couldn't get to as many wines as I would've liked. Still, I was looking forward to this after all the good notes from barrel samples Right Bank - 2008 Château Angélus - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
nose: pungent and slick nose of cedar, red and dark berries, spice tones, red cherries, florals and some spice tones. Very complex already, but very tightly wound with very good depth
taste: medium/full bodied with medium acidity and polished tones of black licorice, cedar, red berries, red cherries, bell pepper and a touch of floral tones. Very sneaky tannins, but they are certainly there
overall: very young as would be expected. This certainly needs some time on it's side to fully show what it has. This could turn into a real lovely angelus in time (93 pts.)
- 2008 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
nose: balanced and showy nose of black cherries, oak, spice tones, vanilla, black fruits and some berry tones. Nice depth and tight on the nose, but the oak is a bit bothersome
taste: very good and smooth medium feel with medium acidity and coarse tannins. Balanced with excellent tones of black cherries, spices, oak, black fruits and some berry tones
overall: this is a excellent wine, but the oak really does interfere a bit on both the nose and palate. Well balanced though with some very good potential down the road (89 pts.)
- 2008 Château Canon - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
nose: lovely and perfumed nose filled with spices, floral tones, dark red cherries, red currants and fresh picked berry tones. Very good depth with a real wafting quality to the nose
taste: sexy medium body with medium+ acidity and velvety tannins that show the youth but aren't too much. Balanced with elegant tones of floral tones, dark red cherries, red currants and fresh picked berry tones
overall: this could turn into something etheral. The feminine quality is there already as the nose is perfumed and the palate is very pretty. There is a lot of nuance that can emerge from this wine that shows off merlot's best qualities (92 pts.)
- 2008 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
nose: juicy and powerful nose of dark red cherries, raspberries, cranberries, spice tones and cedar. Good depth and very powerful at this stage
taste: full bodied with medium acidity and very chewy tannins. Big and powerful tones of dark red cherries, raspberries, cranberries and spice tones balance well together, but are covered up by a lot of tannins
overall: this bad boy needs a lot of rest before its time to drink. This is a big and powerful st emilion but it isn't overdone by oak either (91 pts.)
- 2008 Château Figeac - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
nose: elegant and balanced nose filled with red currants, berries, green peppers, spice tones, red cherries and bits of tobacco. Well layered and aiming more for finesse on the nose
taste: gorgeous and silky medium feel with medium+ acidity and velvety tannins set the base. Polished feel with finessed tones of red currants, berries, spice tones, red cherries and some bits of green peppers
overall: the tannins on this may deceive. This will need a good amount of time to fully round itself together and be as beautiful as it can be. This is one of the wines that really caught my attention in a good way (93 pts.)
- 2008 Château La Dominique - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
nose: fresh and balanced nose filled with spice tones, anise seed, red fruits, floral tones, and all sorts of fresh picked berries. Nice depth with an expressive side to it
taste: medium/full feel with medium acidity and taught tannins that make things tough. Behind the tannins lie excellent tones of reed fruits, floral tones, fresh picked berries and a touch of red cherries
overall: this can be a real lovely wine with some time. The tannins are pretty overpowering right now, but there is a lot to like underneath (90 pts.)
- 2008 Château Larcis Ducasse - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
nose: plush and creamy nose of red fruits, dark red cherries, cedar tones, red berries and some bits of spice box. Balanced and on the more forward side
taste: plump medium feel with medium acidity and good tannins. The tannins aren't oppressive and behind them sit tones of red fruits, dark red cherries, spice tones, and red berries. The mid-palate is a bit hollow right now
overall: this could be nice if the mid-palate fleshes out. On the more forward side both on the nose and palate. (90 pts.)
- 2008 Château Pavie Macquin - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
nose: jammier nose with tones of black licorice, cedar, coffee, spice tones and dark red fruits. Definitely on the rich and bold side of things
taste: fuller bodied with extracted and plush tones of black licorice, cedar, spice tones, and dark red fruits. chewy tannins back it up as well
overall: Not sure where this will head. The oak influences are very obvious and this is certainly in a very modern style (91 pts.)
- 2008 Château Troplong Mondot - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
nose: layered and dense nose of dark red cherries, spice tones, berries, black currants, cedar and a touch of anise
taste: medium/full bodied with medium acidity and silky tones of dark red cherries, spice tones, black currants, cedar and a good amount of berry tones. Plush tannins that are more on the sneaky side
overall: this has the makings of something very special. Well balanced and layered well on the palate, this is something very pretty right now and can get better (93 pts.)
- 2008 Château Trotte Vieille - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
nose: oak dominated nose with rich and over extracted tones of black fruits, dark red fruits, and kirsch liqueur
taste: full bodied and over ripe with big tones of oak, black fruits, kirsch and anise. Extremely fleshy right now with a good bit of extraction
overall: This was too big. It was almost too much, but this is definitely an extracted st emilion. Its really not that enjoyable (84 pts.)
- 2008 Château Clinet - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
nose: very perfumed and aromatic nose of spice tones, berries, red currants, red florals and bits of red cherries. Very good depth with a real silky quality to it on the nose
taste: plush medium feel with medium acidity and deceptive tannins. Poised and elegant already this is backed up with pretty tones of spices, berries, currants and red cherries
overall: This is a very sexy pomerol. It has that nice satiny quality that I love from pomerols on both the nose and palate. With some time, this could really become something (92 pts.)
- 2008 Château Gazin Pomerol - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
nose: feminine and pretty nose filled with tones of berries, red fruits, red cherries, floral tones and bits of spice tones. Well balanced with a refined sense to it
taste: silky medium feel with medium acidity and chewy tannins. Very pretty and sexy feel with tones of berries, red fruits, red cherries, and floral tones
overall: a very pretty pomerol right now. Well balanced with a very feminine take on the wine. Well balanced with good depth on both the nose and palate (92 pts.)
- 2008 Château La Conseillante - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
nose: extremely deep and well layered nose already with waves of asian spices, spice box tones, perfumes, violets, red fruits, red cherries, and a good amount of hi-toned berries
taste: absolutely gorgeous medium feel with medium acidity and silky tannins. Well layered and deep tones of asian spices, perfumes, incense, violets, red fruits and hi-toned berries all balance very well together
overall: this was an absolute stunner for me. Extremely balanced on both the nose and palate with great depth on both as well. This can turn into a real knee buckler with time and is sublime already (95 pts.)
Margaux - 2008 Château Brane-Cantenac - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
nose: very pretty and classy nose filled with tones of red berries, perfumes, cherries, spice box tones, cedar and bits of floral tones as well. Very balanced with very good depth already
taste: holding back on the palate as would be expected from such a young wine. Refined and classy medium feel though with medium acidity and good tannins backed up by tones of red berries, perfumes, cherries, spice box and bits of floral tones
overall: It's no surprise to me at all that brane did well in this vintage. They seem perfect for it and this was everything I'd expect from them. Refined and classy with some good backbone behind it, this certainly needs age to fully show what it has (91 pts.)
- 2008 Château Durfort-Vivens - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
nose: very red fruit based nose with plump tones of spices, berries, floral tones, dark red cherries, cedar tones and bits of green peppers
taste: medium/full bodied with very noticeable tannins and round tones of red fruits, berries, floral tones, cedar and a good bit of dark red cherries as well
overall: this is very young, as would be expected. This was a bit bigger than I would've expected, but it wasn't overdone or anything like that. Time will be best for it and it should turn into a very nice wine (89 pts.)
- 2008 Château Ferrière - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
nose: elegant and perfumed nose with tones of lilacs, violets, red fruits, leather, red currants and spice tones. Balanced but lacking some depth on the nose
taste: very chewy tannins are what's noticed first along with a elegant medium feel and tones of violets, red fruits, red currants, spice tones and a touch of cedar box on the back end
overall: the mid-palate is a bit hollow and the tannins are pretty coarse right now. This could be a very pretty and elegant wine with some time though (88 pts.)
- 2008 Château Lascombes - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
nose: upfront and very red fruit based nose with tones of red cherries, red licorice, berries and red fruits with a touch of tobacco just to let you know that its bordeaux
taste: medium/full bodied with good and firm tannins along with plump tones of red licorice, cedar, bits of tobacco, red cherries and a good amount of red fruits. Well balanced, but a bit uninspiring on the palate
overall: this is a very good wine, but certainly doesn't hold water to something like the 04 or 01. well balanced with a lot of red fruits on both the nose and palate. The tannins aren't too rough right now and is pretty user friendly on the whole (89 pts.)
- 2008 Château Malescot St. Exupéry - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
nose: forward and upfront nose of red licorice, berries, red cherries, red cherries and cedar tones. While upfront, there is good depth
taste: full bodied with firm tannins and rich tones of berries, red cherries, tobacco, cedar and a good amount of red currants. The palate is forward as well but not overdone
overall: this is definitely in the modern camp. I wouldn't fully call this extracted, but it certainly is bordering that level (91 pts.)
- 2008 Château Prieuré-Lichine - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
nose: extremely floral nose filled with perfumes, hi-toned berries, cherries, red florals, and red fruits. Extremely elegant nose with a very feminine take as well
taste: pretty medium body with chewy tannins and silky tones of red florals, hi-toned berries, red cherries, tobacco and cedar tones. Good depth and balance with a very silky side to it
overall: well balanced and a real lovely young margaux. While this will need some time, it doesn't need to be tucked away for decades. The tannins are good, but not overbearing and they compliment the more feminine style that it aims for (90 pts.)
- 2008 Château Rauzan-Ségla - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
nose: very engaging nose filled with perfumed tones and all sorts of florals, cedar, red currants, licorice, and a good amount of red cherries as well. Very well balanced and enveloping on the nose
taste: medium/full bodied with elegant tones of cedar, red currants, licorice, lots of floral tones and a good amount of red cherries. Chewy tannins provide a backbone on this as well
overall: This is a great young bordeaux. It can easily become better and should with time. While this had more of the red fruits that other more forward margauxs had, it wasn't upfront and didn't seem extracted at all. instead it was just a beautiful young margaux (93 pts.)
St. Julien - 2008 Château Beychevelle - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
nose: very classy and refined nose filled with cedar tones, black fruits, dark red fruits, black and red currants, and bits of spice box tones
taste: this comes off as quite english on the palate. Not in the thin way, but in the refined and elegant sense with medium body and good tannins backed up by tones of dark red cherries, cedar, dark red fruits, black currants and tones of spice box
overall: Granted, I'm normally a fan of beychevelle in general and this one holds up to the elegant side of beychevelle. This will certainly need time to fully show itself as the tannins were pretty coarse at this young stage (92 pts.)
- 2008 Château Branaire-Ducru - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
nose: very elegant and filling nose of red fruits, berries, red cherries, cedar and tobacco. Very tight and it was taking a bit to get much from it
taste: really lovely and silky medium/full feel with very chewy tannins that are a bit unforgiving right now. While hidden by tannins, there are very good tones of red fruits, red cherries, cedar and tobacco tones
overall: this needs a lot of time. It isn't showing much right now, but there is a lot to like underneath all of the tightness and tannins (90 pts.)
- 2008 Château Gruaud Larose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
nose: real robust and powerful dark red fruit core on the nose with tones of licorice, black fruits, dark red cherries, cedar and smoke tones
taste: full bodied with rich tannins that are very rough right now with dark tones of dark red fruits, licorice, black fruits, dark red cherries, cedar and pencil lead tones
overall: not showing the gruaud funk, but still showing the powerful side of gruaud. Very young, as would be expected, and one that is certainly for the long haul (92 pts.)
- 2008 Château Lagrange (St. Julien) - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
nose: classic and refined nose from lagrange filled with balanced tones of cedar, red currants, red fruits, chalk tones, spice box and red cherries
taste: medium/full bodied with silky tannins and elegant tones of cedar, tobacco, red currants, red fruits, spice box and a good amount of red cherries. Well balanced and the tannins are rather sneaky
overall: This is a classic lagrange. Very elegant and classy that makes it ever so enjoyable. Well balanced on both the nose and palate with good depth right now even though the tannins are letting themselves be known (91 pts.)
- 2008 Château Langoa Barton - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
nose: pretty and perfumed nose of dark red fruits, anise, spice box tones, red cherries and cedar tones
taste: tough tannins with a real lovely medium feel and tones of dark red fruits, anise, spice box tones, and red cherries
overall: obviously very young but very lovely at the same time. Has a nice classy style to it and will only get better with time (90 pts.)
- 2008 Château Léoville Barton - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
nose: tight, but robust nose filled with tones of black currants, dark red cherries, cedar, tobacco, and loads of dark red fruits. well layered right now with very good depth, though the nose is very tight
taste: full bodied and in typical Leoville Barton style, very backwards on the palate as well. Gripping tannins that shred the palate with robust tones of black currants, dark red cherries, tobacco and dark red fruits poking through
overall: This will need a long time to come around. Not really a shocker as that is the style that Leoville Barton works with. This is a big bad boy that certainly shows a lot of promise right now, but a very patient hand will be needed (93 pts.)
- 2008 Château Léoville Poyferré - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
nose: pretty and balanced nose of red currants, red fruits, berry tones, spice box, cedar tones and bits of perfumes
taste: lovely medium feel with good and gripping tannins and elegant tones of red currants, red fruits, berries, and cedar tones as well
overall: This is a lovely young LP. As the theme goes, this is in need of time. Shows off the classic LP elegance and style well and should be very nice in time (92 pts.)
- 2008 Château Saint-Pierre - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
nose: balanced and refined nose filled with tones of cedar, cassis, dark red cherries, leather, dark red fruits and tones of pepper and spice box
taste: elegant medium feel with medium acidity and firm tannins backed up by balanced tones of cedar, cassis, dark red cherries, leather and some bits of spice box
overall: This is a real classy bordeaux. Well balanced and pungent even now, this was a bit tight on the nose and the tannins were on the more firm side. This has a lot of promise for the future (91 pts.)
- 2008 Château Talbot - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
nose: robust and filling nose of dark red cherries, leather, cedar, dark red fruits and spice box tones
taste: medium/full bodied with medium acidity and chewy tannins. Excellent dark fruit base with tones of dark red cherries, tobacco, leather, cedar and dark red fruit tones
overall: I like the more dark profile on both the nose and palate. Young and searching, this is a real quality bordeaux that will benefit from time (90 pts.)
Pauillac - 2008 Château Batailley - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
nose: extremely tight nose with some tones of dark red cherries, leather, black currants, cedar and pencil lead tones
taste: full bodied with classic pauillac tones of leather, black currants, cedar and pencil lead. Gripping tannins overwhelm the palate a bit and they are on the rough side as well
overall: extremely young. More on the rustic side of things, this really does need some serious time to show anything (89 pts.)
- 2008 Château Clerc Milon - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
nose: lifting and yet robust nose of red cherries, cassis, fruitcake tones, red currants, dark red fruits and bits of perfume tones
taste:full bodied with good and chewy tannins along with tones of cedar, red cherries, cassis, red currant and dark red fruits
overall: more on the red fruit spectrum, this was pretty open for business when tasted. Young though, but showing a lot of poise and class (91 pts.)
- 2008 Château d'Armailhac - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
nose: very good and balanced nose of pencil lead, cedar, dark red cherries, red licorice, dark red fruits and spice box tones
taste: full bodied with big and chewy tannins along with tones of pencil lead, cedar, dark red cherries and spice box tones. Balanced, but the tannins are a bit much right now
overall: this is young, but also pretty typical for d'armailhac. this could use a few years to come together and fully balance out (88 pts.)
- 2008 Château Grand-Puy Ducasse - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
nose: straight forward and balanced nose of cedar, dark red fruits, black currants, and pencil lead
taste: medium bodied with balanced tones of dark red cherries, cedar, dark red fruits, black currants and bits of pencil lead. Chewy tannins, but they aren't overpowering
overall: this is a straight forward and very solid bordeaux. Well balanced on both the nose and palate that needs a bit of time to fully settle in (89 pts.)
- 2008 Château Haut-Bages Libéral - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
nose: fresh and fragrant nose of fruitcake, sweet tones of cassis, red and black currants, red cherries, cedar tones, and bits of spice box
taste: well structured medium feel with coarse tannins and tones of sweet cassis, red and black currants, red cherries, cedar and spice box tones
overall: I'm normally a fan of HBL, and this is well along the lines of previous vintages from them. Enjoyable with a less aggressive side to it than most pauillacs (90 pts.)
- 2008 Château Lynch-Bages - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
nose: well balanced and classy nose of pencil lead, red cherries, cedar, currants, dark red fruits and cranberry tones
taste: full bodied and brutally young tannins that completely thrash the palate. Behind the oppressive tannins lie tones of red and black currants, pencil lead, red cherries, dark red fruits, and some slight hints of florals
overall: insanely young. The tannins were so brutal that it took a couple of pours to really get much from it. This does have a lot of promise behind it and is well worth waiting for, it just may take a while (92 pts.)
- 2008 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
nose: robust and complex nose of cedar, dark red cherries, red fruits, craberries, black currants and incense tones. Very deep and though it's tight right now, there is a lot showing already
taste: full bodied with big and chewy tannins and regal tones of cedar, dark red cherries, craberries, black currants, incense and some bits of tobacco leaf as well. Great depth on the palate and though the tannins are coarse right now, this is showing off a lot already
overall: this is definitely one for the future. This is a bruiser, but refined at teh same time. Almost like a gentleman boxer if you will. Loads of depth and class on both the nose and palate already, this can only get better with age (93 pts.)
- 2008 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
nose: gorgeous, deep, and completely captivating nose filled with feminine tones of red and black currants, red fruits, fresh picked berries, dark red cherries, cedar, and all sorts of floral tones
taste: absolutely lovely and layered medium/full feel that has a real satiny quality to it. Firm tannins back up the wine just to let you know that this is young with effusive tones of currants, red fruits, tobacco leaf, dark red cherries, cedar and a touch of florals
overall: this was just flat out awesome. Yet, with soooo much promise for the future this needs to be laid down to get the full effects. This was pure and unadulterated lalande with everything that I love from them (94 pts.)
Sauternes&Barsac - 2008 Château Climens - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
nose: deep and pure nose filled with tones of nectarines, apricot tones, pears, and a good amount of creamed peaches
taste: wonderfully layered medium/full feel with medium+ acidity and fresh tones of nectarines, apricots, pears, peaches and loads of red apples and white fruits
overall: this is a wonderful young sauternes. The depth of flavors on both the nose and palate really bring it to a new level. It is wound up a bit tight right now, but this could easily turn into something quite special (94 pts.)
- 2008 Château Coutet Barsac - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
nose: fragrant and upfront nose of sweet peaches, pears, white fruits, and bits of acacia flowers. well balanced but lacking a bit of depth
taste: medium bodied with medium+ acidity and very good tones of sweet peaches, pears, candied apples, white fruits and a touch of warm caramel
overall: this is lacking depth on both the nose and palate. If it can add that with age this could be something. Good complexity on both the nose and palate but with more of an upfront style currently (90 pts.)
- 2008 Château Doisy-Daëne - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
nose: very concentrated nose filled with tones of white fruits, peaches, bits of apricots and a touch of honey. Good depth, but seems would a bit tight
taste: fuller bodied with medium+ acidity and tones of creamed pears, peaches, white fruits and apricot tones. The tones are hiding a bit on the palate and not fully in harmony
overall: this is very young. It wasn't really seeming to want to come out and play. Good depth with real good concentration of tones on both the nose and palate (91 pts.)
- 2008 Château Guiraud - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
nose: very tightly wound nose, not giving up too much. What it does provide are tones of pears, apricots, peaches and bits of green apples
taste: brutally young on the palate with medium/high acidity and a great medium/full feel. Succulent tones of pears, peaches, and green apples
overall: this insanely young. tight on both the nose and palate, this needs a lot of time as right now it can turn coal into a diamond. Great structure for the long haul (92 pts.)
- 2008 Château La Tour Blanche Sauternes - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
nose: aromatic and open nose with tones of nectarines, peaches, sweet tones of apricots, and bits of honey
taste: medium bodied with medium+ acidity with fresh tones of peaches, pears, honey tones and a good amount of nectarines
overall: this is pretty darn good right now. well balanced and aromatic on the nose with good tones on the palate. This could use a little bit of time for more depth, but one wouldn't be faulted for enjoying now (91 pts.)
- 2008 Château Suduiraut - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
nose: glorious and deep nose filled with peach galore, nectarines, honey tones, caramel and candied tones of green apples
taste: fuller bodied with medium+ acidity and deep tones of peaches, nectarines, honey tones, white fruits and caramel apples
overall: brutally young. This does need a lot of time to show off what it really has. Very well balanced with great depth on both the nose and palate (94 pts.)
I do wish I had been able to get to more wines, but there's only so much one can get to. I love the style of the 08s overall and considering that many of them look like values compared to 09 and 10. The wines are fresh and balanced with a real elegant style to them that should allow them to age gracefully |
