Still vibrantly colored, the 100% Merlot 2008 La Violette boasts a fabulous bouquet of blackcurrants, cherries, spring flowers, forest floor, and licorice. Ultra-fine, medium to full-bodied, balanced and beautifully textured, almost Burgundian, this beauty is already impossible to resist but will keep for another decade.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDFashioned from yields of 18 hectoliters per hectare with 13.5% natural alcohol, the opaque ruby-hued 2008 exhibits tell-tale floral notes intertwined with raspberries, sweet black cherries, licorice and cassis. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully concentrated and strikingly pure as well as multilayered, the 2008, despite its precociousness, will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for 20-25 years. It is one of the top successes of the vintage.Robert Parker | 95 RPBright ruby. Superripe aromas of blackberry and licorice. Fat, lush and sweet, with excellent depth of texture. Wonderfully layered, large-scaled, utterly seamless wine, yet I found myself wishing for some more floral high notes. Will give great early pleasure.Vinous Media | 90 VMThis is ripe and filled in, with plum sauce, warm currant paste and cherry preserve flavors all wrapped together and carried by the plush, velvety finish. There's a modern kiss of toast on the back end. Nicely done. Drink now through 2015. 291 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS
