Bordeaux En Primeur 2008

Tasted wines in many AOC's over the course of a week. All wines tasted Non-Blind except where noted for St. Emilion Grand Cru Classe B. Indicated score should be taken plus or minus 2 points for range on all 2008 barrel samples.

Tasted 2008 Barrel samples at the chateau, 4 reds and 2 whites.

• 2008 Château Haut-Brion

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  (3/27/2009)

  2008 barrel sample @ chateau. Dark ruby, darker than LMHB, bright disc. Round, big and well balanced. Aromas confirmed by densely concentrated dark fruit that glides across the palate. Finish stretches out. Playing very well! 41% Merlot, 50% CS; 9% CF. Just 35% of harvest; small allotment of 7,000 cs (vs 14k in 2004). Malo in tank. 93-96pts. And a week later continues to stand as one of best First Growths in 2008.

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• 2008 Château Haut-Brion Blanc

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  (3/27/2009)

  Barrel Sample at Chateau. Pure, seamless blend with great acidity, no hard edges. Long finish. Flowing and elegant. Wonderful. 2.7HA, 40HL/ha. 500cs, Oak fermented, 41% of harvest. Blend is 45% Sauv Blanc and 55% Semillon. 93-95pts

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• 2008 Château La Mission Haut-Brion

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  (3/27/2009)

  Dark ruby, a shade lighter than H-B. Integrated, concentrated. Ripe fruit and quality apparent on the nose. Flavored deeply. Big mouthfeel. Blue and black berries, nice ripeness. Long, pleasant and agreeable tannins that are silky. Very good balance. Severe selection pays dividends to us! 49 HL/ha; 40% of harvest and 5,300cs. 43% Merlot, 51% CS, 6% CF. 92-94 pts.

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• 2008 Château Laville Haut-Brion Blanc

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  (3/27/2009)

  2008 barrel sample at chateau. Tropical nose, whiff of cut grass. Such quality in the glass. Thick and intense. A lemon cream scone. One of my favorite wines of 2008 En Primeur. 80% Semillon. This is not the final blend. 500cs, 44% harvest. 94-98 points.

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Tasted 2008 Barrel samples of Lafite, Latour, Margaux, Palmer, Montrose, plus associated wines. All wines tasted at Chateau.

• 2008 Château Latour Grand Vin

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (3/27/2009)

  2008 barrel sample @ Chateau. Deeply colored, pooling blue; red rim. Glass streaks and eddying swirls. This is already intense! Big, full bodied with enormous grip & a scaffolding of solid structure. Tannic and drying, austere. Nice long length. Not as balanced as H-B, and not as kid-friendly either. 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% M; 0.75% CF, and 0.25% Petit Verdot. 40% of the harvest, another severely selected wine. A brawny and stubborn wine for En Primeur, not that there's anything wrong with that! Check back in 2020, this one will need the most time of the Firsts to assimilate and uncover the great fruit from the Enclos plots. 92-94 pts.

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• 2008 Château Latour Les Forts de Latour

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (3/27/2009)

  2008 barrel sample at chateau. Clean attack, fresh fruit, bright and pronounced acidity, a little unbalanced on the finish at this point but should resolve itself. Tannic. 66.5% CS; 31.5% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot. 47% of harvest. A step behind Pavillon Rouge for top 2nd wine of the Firsts. 88-90 points.

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• 2008 Château Latour Pauillac de Latour

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (3/27/2009)

  2008 barrel sample @ Chateau Latour. Nice Merlot! Good fruit yielded a little dark and thick, casual and almost luscious wine - in comparison to the strict, formal big brothers at the chateau. This is an on-trade wine, released from Latour after 5 years in bottle through 2 negociants, typically between 30-50Euro. 45% CS, 55% M. What the Grand Vin disdained in approachable Merlot accrued to the benefit of this Pauillac. Bodes well for the vines producing these grapes when they mature for use in the #1 down the road. 88-91 points, depending on your tastes. Probably says more about me than the wine that I enjoyed it more than the Forts!

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• 2008 Château Lafite Rothschild

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (3/31/2009)

  2008 Barrel sample @ Chateau. "All is in control". A pure core of beautifully ripe blueberries, black berries and cassis, picked up on the nose and reinforced in the mid-palate after a soft, round and delicious tip-in. Graphite and leather notes accompany the ripe fruit as great nuances at the finish, which stretches to 50+ seconds. Tannins are smooth, elegant, and well controlled, and still persistent at this stage. Sweet fruit echoes to the end, and remains beautifully balanced. It is not "rich" but it is intensely concentrated and embraces you. Let it sit in the glass 20+ minutes and things really develop - gaining aromatic intensity of cassis, while the body gains weight and power. Concentrated and becoming full-bodied. Beautiful wine at En Primeur. 93-96 points.
  
  83% CS, 13% M, 4% CF. Beautiful tasting room was overrun with all the top Decanter people, laptops deployed. They were in and out fast.

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• 2008 Château Lafite Rothschild Carruades de Lafite

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (3/31/2009)

  2008 barrel sample @ chateau. Dark blue depth of color. Agreeable nose. Nice bright acidity on attack, a little spikey. Mid-palate is a trifle green but in the end fattens up. Finishes better, good sweet length. Nice 2nd, but does not yet challenge Pavillon Rouge at this stage. 88-90

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• 2008 Château Palmer

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  (3/31/2009)

  Barrel sample @ chateau. Aromatic complexity of smoke, leather and ripe fruit holds your interest. Fresh on the palate, and a good overall balance of depth, structure, fruit, and elegance. Well handled, nicely ripe and finishes well. Nice wine at Palmer. 91-94pts

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Tasted 2008 barrel samples at events grouped by AOC - Margaux, Pauillac, St. Julien and Ste. Estephe.

Tasted 2008 barrel samples of St Emilion, Pomerol, Lalande de Pomerol, and Fronsac wines at a single event.

2008 Barrel samples of 10 Priemere GCC B wines -- all tasted blind, then ranked in three groups, then revealed. No numeric scores.

• 2008 Château Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse)

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  (4/3/2009)

  2008 Barrel sample tasted blind at a 10 wine presentation of Premiers Grands Crus Classés de Saint-Emilion at Chateau Trottevieille.
  Color: thick, ripply dark blue, streaky on the glass.
  Nose: pretty, dark cherry, blackberry, plum, noble leather.
  Palate: Velvety wine, supple & elegant. Back end is a little hot on dry tannic finish. Long, with big grip and power. Serious wine, long. Red fruits at end with cedary tannins, fine-grained. Good wine.
  One of the top 5 at the tasting.

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• 2008 Château TrotteVieille

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  (4/3/2009)

  2008 Barrel sample tasted blind at a 10 wine presentation of Premiers Grands Crus Classés de Saint-Emilion at Chateau Trottevieille.
  Color: Darker blue, not luscious.
  Nose: Not particularly fragrant.
  Palate: Not particularly evocative. No problems. Simple and fine, although not a moving experience in this line-up.
  Did not crack Top 5 today.

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• 2008 Château Magdelaine

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  (4/3/2009)

  2008 Barrel sample tasted blind at a 10 wine presentation of Premiers Grands Crus Classés de Saint-Emilion at Chateau Trottevieille.
  Color: Red-blue, transluscent, not as deep as most in the line-up.
  Nose: Red fruit, slight extraction of green skin elements.
  Palate: Merlot weight on the palate, plum. Not too long, acidity is there. Not too tannic. Fair to good.
  Did not crack top 5 today.

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• 2008 Château Figeac

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  (4/3/2009)

  2008 Barrel sample tasted blind at a 10 wine presentation of Premiers Grands Crus Classés de Saint-Emilion at Chateau Trottevieille.
  Color: Medium dark intensity. Looks heavier in the glass, swirling ripples.
  Nose: Pretty nose, sweet black fruits, ripe. Floral notes, too.
  Palate: Soft attack, round. Solidly constructed. Generous fruit basket, and a good back end. Fairly long. Nice wine. Best of first four.
  Result - one of top two in the blind taste today.

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• 2008 Château La Gaffelière

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  (4/3/2009)

  2008 Barrel sample tasted blind at a 10 wine presentation of Premiers Grands Crus Classés de Saint-Emilion at Chateau Trottevieille.
  Color: Glass-staining red, more color than (Magdelaine) and (Trottevieille).
  Nose: Not particularly forthcoming. No note given.
  Palate: More concentrated and intense. Blue fruits, ripe and good structure. A little dumpy on the end. Chocolate. Good length. Sits more heavily on the palate. Powerful, but not hugely tannic.
  Did not crack Top 5 today.

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• 2008 Château Belair-Monange

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  (4/3/2009)

  2008 Barrel sample tasted blind at a 10 wine presentation of Premiers Grands Crus Classés de Saint-Emilion at Chateau Trottevieille.
  Color: Red, some streaks. Translucent.
  Nose: Hint of vegetal & hot stone.
  Palate: Tannic & drying. Not as much fruit to follow. Will it emerge from wood structure.
  Result: someone had to be 10th. Did not show well compared in a difficult line-up.

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• 2008 Clos Fourtet

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  (4/3/2009)

  2008 Barrel sample tasted blind at a 10 wine presentation of Premiers Grands Crus Classés de Saint-Emilion at Chateau Trottevieille.
  Color: Nearly as thick and deep as (Beausejour). Not black.
  Nose: Ripe cheery blossom pie.
  Palate: Ripe fruits, dark. Tannic, much more thannic than (Beausejour). Will need time but has the stuffing to go. If it balances well, will be very good.
  Result: One of top 5 in the tasting.

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• 2008 Château Pavie

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  (4/3/2009)

  2008 Barrel sample tasted blind at a 10 wine presentation of Premiers Grands Crus Classés de Saint-Emilion at Chateau Trottevieille.
  Color: Very dark, blue streaks. Impenetrable
  Nose: Complex, concentrated, beautiful. Big. Blackberry compote.
  Palate: A very nice wine. Very high "new world" levels of extraction in style, but on ripe delicious fruit. Luscious, velvety and big-boned. Ripe, voluptuous. Tannic. Long Finish. Intense wine!
  Result: One of my top 2 in the blind tasting (with Figeac)

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2008 Barrel samples served at chateaux -- Angelus, Pavie, and a broad range of wines by Jean-Luc Thunevin served at La Dominique

• 2008 Château Angélus

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  (4/3/2009)

  2008 barrel sample at chateau. Dark blue and dense. Beautiful aromas of tobacco, spice, and chocolate on a core of dark fruit. This is a big, round wine, balanced tannic and powerful. Medium-long finish 40 seconds. After 20 minutes in the glass it didn't move from initial take, with a strong emphasis on cacao continuing. 58% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Franc. 91-94 points.

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• 2008 Château Bellevue Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  (4/3/2009)

  2008 Barrel sample at Chateau Angelus. Sweet Merlot nose. Comes across as more tannic than Angelus. A bit woody and drying, and an astringent finish. Very good fruit quality. 88-91. 98% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc.

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• 2008 Château La Pointe

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  (4/3/2009)

  2008 barrel sample at Chateau Angelus. Nice Pomerol. Not as fragrant as Bourgneuf-Vayron but attractive, confirmed on palate. One of many on the Right Bank that evoke a positive reaction - ripe and well balanced, medium-bodied and signaling a relatively early drinking window. 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc.

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