Signs are that this 2008 campaign is really getting going now. This morning, Léoville Barton came out, €27 a bottle from the negociants, 22% down on 2007. Les Forts de Latour has also come out, the day after the Grand Vin went down so well.
This is a signpost to our major coverage of, and 556 tasting notes on, 2008 bordeaux. All of these wines were tasted in Bordeaux at the end of March and beginning of April by Julia and/or me. Tasting notes written by the admirable Julia Harding MW are suffixed (JH).
As usual we tasted as many wines as possible blind, more than once where possible. But, alas, an increasing number of châteaux seem to be withdrawing from the splendidly useful blind tastings organised by the Union des Grands Crus and other official organisations for the various appellations. The first growths have always been unwilling to have their wines tasted blind and now more and more seconds and the like seem to want us to make special appointments to taste their wines in supposedly ideal conditions. Even La Lagune refused to show its wines in the UGC tastings this year, although winemaker Caroline Frey, who (most unusually for a proprietor) actually took part in one of our UGC blind tastings herself, admitted that there was nothing wrong with the condition of samples we were shown.
TASTING NOTES
Bordeaux 2008 TNs – right bank
Bordeaux 2008 TNs – the whites
MAIN ARTICLES (most recent first)
145 Bordeaux 2008s 10 years on (Tasting Articles) 21 March 2018
Bordeaux 2008 10 years on (Tasting Articles) 20 Feb 2018
Ch Greysac 2008 Médoc (Wines of the Week) 4 Mar 2016
Roc 2008 Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux (Wines of the Week) 31 Jan 2014
Bordeaux – 2011 and 2008 compared (Tasting Articles) 29 Aug 2012
Crus Classés 2011-2008 compared (Tasting Articles) 10 May 2012
Bordeaux 2008 – last affordable vintage revisited (Free for All) 11 Feb 2012
Southwold 2008s – left bank (Tasting Articles) 9 Feb 2012
Southwold 2008s – right bank (Tasting Articles) 8 Feb 2012
Bordeaux again – 2010, 2009 and 2008 compared (Tasting Articles) 12 May 2011
St-Émilion 2007s and 2008s (Tasting Articles) 10 Feb 2011
Bordeaux 2008 in bottle (Tasting Articles) 11 Nov 2010
Cru bourgeois reborn – 2008s (Tasting Articles) 5 Oct 2010
'2008 like 2005' – Magrez (Free for All) 28 April 2009
A bouquet for Bordeaux (Don't Quote me) 27 April 2009
2008 – Bordeaux's big surprise (Free for All) 18 April 2009
Bordeaux 2008 – the bargains? (Inside Information) 17 April 2009
The Jancis and Staples show (video) 17 April 2009
The inside story (Inside Information) 14 April 2009
Setting the right price (Free for All) 11 April 2009
Blatch report on the wines (Free for All) 30 Jan 2009
Blatch report on the vines (Free for All) 29 Jan 2009
