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A dense wine, powerful while also elegant. It shows all the best character of a grand Margaux, with fine tannins as well as dense structure. It will age well.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEA generous, well-rounded Margaux, expansive through the mid-palate but finishing a little short. Again, this shows that 2008 is a good - but not great - vintage, and really one where the full pleasure of drinking is to be taken now and over the next decade. The tannins are beautifully soft, and the cassis and tobacco flavours are still vibrant, floating upwards without being spiky. Drinking Window 2018 - 2030.Decanter | 91 DECTasted at the Château Giscours vertical, the 2008 Château Giscours is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot picked between September 30 and October 1. The bouquet is very well defined with ebullient red berry fruit mixed with orange peel and cedar aromas. There is something that distantly echoes a Côte de Beaune! Perhaps the purity on offer here? The palate is very well balanced with a keen line of acidity, very fine tannins and ample freshness. I loved this Giscours from barrel and it is now living up to my expectations. The terroir shines through on this wine - true Margaux. This is an excellent wine from winemaker Alexandre Van Beek. Tasted June 2015.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 91 RP-NMThe 2008 Giscours is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Compared to the 1998 and 1988, this has much more fruit and vitality on the nose: blackberry, bilberry, cedar and just a faint tang of marmalade. I like the delineation and vibrancy here. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, good fruit concentration and fine backbone. There is a little grit embedded in the texture, slightly chalky perhaps, but I like the energy conveyed by this Giscours and it feels minerally and long towards the finish. Very fine. (Tasted at the château and at BI Wine & Spirit’s annual vertical tasting).Vinous Media | 91 VM

The 2008 Pavie-Macquin is fabulous. An exceptionally beautiful wine, the 2008 is positively stellar. In the glass, the 2008 is aromatically deep, silky and vibrant. The year was marked by an extremely long growing season with an early start and a late harvest that kept getting pushed back because of unusually cool nights. The Cabernets came in only at the end of October.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGConsultants Nicolas Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt have produced a beautiful St.-Emilion that tastes like the quintessence of crushed rocks intermixed with blueberry, blackberry, black raspberry, licorice, camphor and truffle notes. This full-bodied effort should drink well in 4-5 years, and last for two decades or more. It achieved 14.5% natural alcohol.Robert Parker | 94+ RPAn impressive wine, beautifully structured, never too powerful, very elegant. If it feels a little austere at this stage, that is because the structure is dominating the fruit. Give it 5–6 years and the full splendor will be revealed.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WESliced plums and almost peaches on the nose. Love it. Mineral and truffles too. Full bodied, and powerful with a long, long finish. Sneaks up on you. Give it three to four years before trying.James Suckling | 92 JSThis has a sleek edge, with damson plum, Campari and blood orange flavors nestled amid light cedar, juniper and incense notes. Has good length and lacks the vintage’s often crisp edge. The fruit here has mellowed already, but this still has good brightness and definition for the vintage, and enough grip to hold a bit longer. This is the first vintage with pigeage in the cement vat portion of the vinification.—Non-blind Pavie Macquin vertical (December 2014). Drink now through 2022. 4,583 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSThe 2008 Château Pavie Macquin has a decidedly mineral style in its ripe black fruits, scorched earth, graphite, and leafy herb aromas and flavors. It’s concentrated, with bright, high acidity, building tannin, and a firm, austere style. Will it ever come around? I think so, but hang tight on this one.Jeb Dunnuck | 91+ JD

One of the superstars of the vintage, the 2008 Trotanoy is a wine that transcends the vintage. Typically, this is not one of the more lush, sexy wines of Pomerol, but rather a muscular, masculine effort, and that’s the case in 2008. A deep purple color is followed by copious amounts of red and black fruit, earth, cedar and forest floor notes. The wine reveals a full-bodied texture, phenomenal concentration for a 2008, plenty of sweet tannin and a terrific finish. While it was surprisingly approachable, it will benefit from several years of cellaring and last 20-25 years. Bravo!Robert Parker | 96 RP(Château Trotanoy) The 2008 Trotanoy is certainly one of the riper examples of the vintage that I have come across, as it reached a full fourteen percent in alcohol in this year, but the long, slow growing season has allowed the sugars to mount slowly and the precision of the terroir in this wine has remained truly remarkable. In several respects, I prefer the cooler and refined profile of the 2008 Trotanoy to the bigger and more powerful iterations of this great estate in 2009 and 2010. The bouquet on the wine is deep, very pure and impressively discreet, as it offers up scents of red plums, black cherries, Cuban cigars, coffee, beautiful minerality, herb tones and a fine base of spicy oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full, pure and chiseled, with a fine core, superb focus, ripe, moderate tannins, good acids and outstanding length and grip on the nascently complex and very intensely flavored finish. A beautiful and utterly classic vintage of Trotanoy that reminds me a bit of the 1975 in terms of precision and purity. It will be very interesting to see how this ranks in comparison to the more powerful wines of 2009 and 2010 at this estate when time has had its say, thirty or forty years down the road. (Drink between 2020-2075).John Gilman | 95+ JGThis is very muscular for the vintage, with blueberries, minerals, flowers and stones. Full bodied and powerful with beautiful rich tannins and a long, long finish. So much going on. Let it go for five or six years.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2008 Trotanoy is a ferociously backward Pomerol that did not engage at Farr’s horizontal. Another bottle served over lunch that had undergone a long decanting was far more representative. It has a gorgeous bouquet with raspberry and menthol, a little dark chocolate and cedar. The palate is medium-bodied with ample freshness and vigor although it clearly demands a long aeration to really click into fifth gear. This is a multi-dimensional Trotanoy that probably needs another couple of years in bottle. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 10-Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 94+ VMAn impressive wine, showing its power and concentration in a structure integrated with chocolate, bitter coffee and spice. Black plum notes add a juicy character to this powerful wine.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThis is a more powerful expression of Pomerol, with black tea and tar notes framing the core of blackberry and plum fruit. Loam, roasted tobacco leaf and braised cèpe notes fill in on the finish. This should be fun to age. Best from 2013 through 2020. 1,875 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

92-94 Barrel sample. A big, concentrated, powerful wine, yet also one restrained by elegant fresh fruits. There is plenty of style here, a complex mix of fruits, acidity and balanced tannins.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThe evolved, soft, silky 2008 Talbot is unquestionably a sleeper of the vintage, offering a dark plum/garnet color, loads of roasted herb, berry, black cherry, plum and Asian spice aromas intermixed with an attractive forest floor-like note. Already drinking well, this medium-bodied St.-Julien should continue to evolve for 10-15+ years.Robert Parker | 90 RPThe 2008 Talbot is just beginning to show the first signs of ageing on the rim. The bouquet is charming with perfumed blackcurrant, cedar and sage aromas, a splash of Indian ink developing with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin that lend this Talbot a smooth texture. There is lactic, an almost chocolaty element to this Talbot that possibly originates from the oak treatment that slightly compromises the terroir expression. It is built in a traditional style, not a deep or powerful Saint Julien but it delivers satisfying freshness with a dash of spice on the finish. You could drink this now although personally I would afford this another couple of years in bottle. (Tasted at BI Wine & Spirit’s annual 10-Year On tasting.)Vinous Media | 90 VM(Château Talbot, St-Julien, Red) Deep in colour, just hitting that 10-year mark. It could begin to be drunk now, but equally it could also stay teetering on the brink for a few more years before opening. It has layers of black fruit and good complexity, with a clear deepening of texture and structure compared to some of the earlier vintages. The 2008 vintage needed to be carefully handled from a technical point of view, something that they have achieved here. I would put Château Talbot alongside Château Branaire-Ducru as two examples of classical St-Julien wine, still old school enough to value well-integrated tannins and a sense of freshness. Not always the best choice to impress, but they are to be enjoyed with company over food. (Drink between 2018-2028)Decanter | 90 DEC

The 2008 Le Gay is a beauty. Still lively colored, with a complex bouquet of blackcurrants, savory cherries, earth, and dried herbs, this beauty hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, fine, elegant tannin, and a silky, layered, seamless texture. It has a beautiful finish and is an incredibly classy, elegant wine.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDOne of the top successes of the vintage, the 2008 Le Gay, a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc (13.5% alcohol) was produced from tiny yields of 25 hectoliters per hectare. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, it exhibits a dense purple color as well as a sweet nose of spring flowers intermixed with blueberries, blackberries, dark raspberries, crushed rocks and white chocolate. Full-bodied, super intense and extremely promising (although it is unusually backward for a 2008), it will benefit from 5-7 years of cellaring and may merit an even higher score in a decade or so. It should last for 30+ years, making it one of the longest-lived wines of the vintage.Robert Parker | 94+ RPRacy blackberry and graphite notes are framed by light toast and mineral in this vibrant, expressive red. The ripe tannins are well-integrated and give backbone to the plush texture. There’s beautiful balance, with depth and drive. Drink now through 2020. 1,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe 2008 Le Gay has an intense Merlot-driven bouquet that soars from the glass: kirsch, orange zest, rose petal and touches of truffle. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, crisp acidity, nicely structured with a structured, saline finish that just lacks the aftertaste that would have clinched the deal. Not bad, though I suspect that decanting, always necessary for this Pomerol cru, would have resulted in a higher score. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 10-Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 91+ VMFirm blackberry and bilberry fruits are accompanied by smooth tannins in this lovely wine full of Pomerol typicity. No need to wait any longer to start enjoying this - those luscious cappuccino notes allow for an easy entry into the rich fruit and tannic backbone. Drinking Window 2018 - 2036.Decanter | 90 DEC

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

Based on 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc raised all in new oak, the brilliant 2008 Bellevue Mondotte is one of the more powerful, opulent, pleasure-bent wines in the vintage. Offering up a rock star bouquet of blackcurrants, smoked herbs, licorice, and cedar, it has full-bodied richness, ample mid-palate depth, and building structure. It’s brilliant stuff at the early stages of its drink window and has another two decades of longevity. Bravo!Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDAn extraordinary effort in this vintage, this 2008 was made from lower yields than the 2010 (the 2008’s equaled 20 hectoliters per hectare) and is a blend of 90% Merlot and equal parts Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon that came in at 14% natural alcohol. Michel Rolland has been the consultant for all the Perse estates since their acquisition, and the 2008’s fruit was harvested very late, October 20. The result is a backward, dense purple-colored wine revealing a crushed rock-like liqueur along with highly extracted, massive flavors of black currants, sweet cherries, licorice and toast. This full-bodied effort requires 5-6 years of bottle age and should last for 25-30 years.Robert Parker | 95+ RP(90% merlot with 5% each cabernet franc and sauvignon): Saturated ruby. Musky aromas of dark fruits, coffee, mocha, chocolate and potpourri spices. Concentrated but classically dry, offering no easy sweetness today in spite of its great ripeness. Lush and deep but also quite penetrating. Perhaps most impressive today on the palate-staining back end, which features huge, broad tannins and a chewy impression of solidity.Vinous Media | 94 VMShows aniseed, licorice and exotic fruit on the nose. Full-bodied, with lots of concentration and a long, rich finish. Very reserved.Wine Spectator | 89-92 WS