Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2008 Vintage Tasting

The Los Angeles stop for this traveling road show gave tasters the opportunity to sample more than 100 wines from 95 different châteaux. The venue was a large airport hangar, which provided room to freely move around but was very noisy from the addition of aircraft engine noise to that of the crowd itself. I had no delusions of being able to taste all of the wines, instead electing to focus on those of most interest. I wish that I could have tasted more, but I did the best that I could possibly do in the 2-3 hour time frame that I was there. Overall, the vintage has some attractive wines, but not the broad appeal of 2005 or 2000. Although categorized by commune, my tasting notes below are also listed in the order in which I proceeded.

• 2008 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Pale yellow. Very intense nose of roses, citrus peel, peaches and wet stones. Medium-bodied on the palate, with good acidity and minerality. The flavors mirror the nose and the long finish is beautifully crisp. Drink now-12/15.

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• 2008 Château Smith Haut Lafitte 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Opaque purple. Moderately intense nose, with black cherry, graphite, mineral and mint aromas. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, big astringent tannins and flavors in line with the nose. The middle palate is full but the back end shows a touch of greenness. Medium, somewhat coarse finish. While not unpleasant, this wine falls short of the mark with its touch of green flavor and its green tannins. Drink 1/15-12/25.

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• 2008 Château Malartic-Lagravière 87 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Deep-to-opaque ruby robe with red rim. Clean nose, showing moderately intense aromas of black currants, tobacco, smoke and licorice. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, big coarse tannins and flavors in line with the nose. The middle palate is solid. Medium, somewhat coarse finish. This one is a bit on the rustic side, in need of some time to settle the tannins. Drink 1/15-12/25.

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• 2008 Château Angélus 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Deep ruby robe with red rim. Clean, perfumed nose showing black currant, lavender and chocolate aromas. Medium-to-full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity and medium supple tannins. The mouth texture is silky and the flavors mirror the nose. Long, smooth finish. Quite elegant. This wine is one of the few 2008 bottlings that is already drinkable. Drink now-12/25.

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• 2008 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  A blend of 70% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep ruby, with moderately intense aromas of Bing cherries, pomegranate and licorice. Medium-to-full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity and medium, slightly coarse tannins. The flavors show both red and black fruit notes, and the middle palate is solid. Medium, somewhat astringent finish. This wine needs some bottle time to sort itself out. It may warrant a higher score in the future. Drink 1/16-12/25.

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• 2008 Château Figeac 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Deep ruby robe with red rim. Clean, moderately intense nose showing aromas of cherries, licorice and vanilla. Full-bodied on the palate, with low-to-medium acidity and generous, fairly sweet tannins. The flavors are primarily red fruit and mineral-driven, with the oak being a bit heavy-handed. The middle palate thins just a bit but a medium-length, smooth finish is resurrected. Some time in bottle will likely help to fill in the blanks. This wine may merit a higher score in the future. Drink 1/16-12/30.

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• 2008 Château Clinet 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Deep ruby robe with red rim. Clean, very intense nose showing aromas of spice, cherry, coffee, sage and cardamom. Medium-to-full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, medium sweet tannins and flavors similar to the nose. The middle palate is rock-solid and the finish is long, albeit with a whiff of heat. Very nice! Drink 1/16-12/30.

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• 2008 Château La Conseillante 83 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Deep ruby. Restrained nose, putting forth subtle aromas of raspberries and mint. Medium-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, medium sweet tannins and red fruit on the palate. The middle palate thins and the finish is short. I cannot be sure that the bottle from which my taste was poured was not "off". Based upon the nose, it is quite possible that the bottle was popped immediately prior to my pour and it simply needed more breathing time. The middle palate is, however, more problematic in my mind. Several other tasters (including a Master Sommelier) independently voiced similar impressions. Drink now-12/17.

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• 2008 Château Brane-Cantenac 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Deep ruby. Quite intense nose of black and red currants, menthol, licorice and balsamic. Medium-bodied on the palate, with low-to-medium acidity, medium sweet tannins and flavors mirroring the nose. The middle palate is solid and the smooth finish is medium-to-long. Elegant Margaux. Drink now-12/25.

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• 2008 Château Lascombes 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Opaque purple/ruby robe with ruby rim. Clean, moderately intense nose of blackberries, smoke and roasted herbs. Full-bodied on the palate, with low-to-medium acidity, big sweet tannins, well-integrated oak and flavors similar to the nose. The middle palate drops off a bit on the back end but the resurrected finish is medium-length and quite smooth. This is a nicely structured wine which will likely improve (including solidification of the middle palate) with some bottle time. I suspect that a higher score will be in order after a few years in the cellar. Drink 1/16-12/30.

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• 2008 Château Branaire-Ducru 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Deep-to-opaque purple/ruby robe with violet rim. Beautiful, intense nose of lavender, black plum, fig and hazelnut. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity. The tannins are generous but a bit coarse at this point. The flavors are luscious and are black fruit-dominated. A solid middle palate leads to a long, albeit mildly astringent finish. This infant needs some time, but has great potential. Drink 1/16-12/30.

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• 2008 Château Gruaud Larose 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Opaque ruby robe with red rim. Clean, moderately intense nose, with black currant, plum, graphite and chocolate aromas. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity. The ample tannins are fairly well-integrated. The flavors profile is, like the nose, quite beautiful, adding an element of fig. The middle palate is solid and the finish is long and quite smooth. This is a very nice Gruaud and definitely one of the top wines of the vintage. It has the structure to improve with additional time in the bottle, and may warrant a higher score in the future. Drink 1/16-12/30.

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• 2008 Château Léoville Barton 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Opaque purple with violet rim. Clean, moderately intense nose, with cassis, plum, violet and coffee aromas. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity and big sweet tannins. The flavors mirror the nose and the middle palate is full. Long, fairly smooth finish. This wine shows the extraction and structure of a great St. Julien, and should age well. A triumph for the vintage. Drink 1/18-12/30.

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• 2008 Château Léoville Poyferré 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Opaque black/purple (ink-like) robe with purple rim. Very intense nose, with black currant, licorice, coriander and graphite aromas. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity and well-integrated oak. The tannins are generous but quite silky, and the flavors are black fruit, mineral and spice-dominated. The middle is solid and the finish is very long, albeit just a bit tart at this point. To my palate, this is classic-quality Bordeaux which has the structure to age well. My favorite of the wines which I tasted at UGC. Drink 1/18-12/35.

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• 2008 Château Lynch-Bages 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Deep-to-opaque purple/ruby. The nose is moderately intense, with aromas of cassis, earth, spice and cocoa. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity and ample sweet tannins. The flavors are similar to the nose. The middle palate is solid and the smooth finish is medium-long. Drink 1/15-12/30.

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• 2008 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Opaque purple/ruby. Explosive aromas of plums, cocoa, raspberries and cedar are quite attention-getting, backed up by beautiful black and red fruit flavors on the palate. Medium acidity and well-integrated oak. The tannins are ample and a bit rustic at this point. The solid middle palate leads to a long, albeit mildly astringent finish. Very well-structure and flavor-packed, this is a wine which will definitely benefit from cellaring. It may ultimately merit a higher score. Drink 1/18-12/35.

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• 2008 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Deep ruby robe with red rim. Clean, moderately intense nose of black raspberries, graphite, tobacco and roasted herbs. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity and big sweet tannins. The flavors are in line with the nose and the middle palate is full. Medium, smooth finish. A bit disappointing in comparison to its neighbor. Drink 1/16-12/30.

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