Vinous (94+)

Good medium red. Subtle, pure, high-pitched aromas of black cherry, blackberry, violet and licorice. Chewy, intense and penetrating, with plenty of stem-driven energy behind the saline, soil-driven flavors of minerals, dark berries and graphite. There's no easy sweetness here, but this builds impressively in the glass and leaves the taste buds quivering on the very long, lightly peppery back end. These firm tannins will need a decade of patience. Like the Grands-Echezeaux, this wine was aged in 80% to 90% new oak.

Vinous (93+)

Good full, deep red. Complex aromas of black raspberry, cherry, coffee and game. Silky, spicy and fresh, with lovely lift and definition to the rather lush fruit. A lightly peppery quality perks up the wine without introducing greenness. Best on the very long, building finish, which features suave tannins and lingering sweetness. Seems every bit as long as the 2009 version. This was vinified with one-third whole clusters, and that percentage seems struck me as just right.

Vinous (93+)

Full yellow-gold. Deeply pitched, brooding nose hints at white peach, mirabelle and honey. Big, chewy, ripe and rich, with smoky soil tones currently dominating the wine's primary fruit. This is tactile and surprisingly round for young Corton-Charlemagne but will need patience to express itself. Its sheer density and length suggest it will reward extended cellaring.

Vinous (90-92)

Light red. Sexy, fragrant scents of Moroccan spices, dried strawberry, raspberry and minerals, plus a whiff of cherry skin. Very sexy, sweet red fruit flavors are perked up by blood orange and smoky minerals, with dusty tannins adding support. Impressively pure and focused wine with excellent finishing clarity and a whiplash of cinnamon. This reminded me of a high-end Pernand-Vergelesses.

Expertly crafted in the esteemed winemaking region of Rhone, France, the Fonsalette Cotes Du Rhone Syrah 2008 is a splendid exemplification of meticulous viniculture. Sourced from the celebrated Domaine du Remy, this exquisite Syrah exhibits a deep ruby hue indicative of its bold and intense flavour profile. Using traditional techniques, the grapes are hand-picked at peak freshness, ensuring premium quality and rich complexity. The subsequent fermentation in aged oak casks enhances the wine's inherent spiciness, enveloping the palate in tantalising notes of black fruit, pepper, and a hint of leather.

On the nose, the Fonsalette Cotes Du Rhone Syrah 2008 presents a captivating bouquet of lavender, tobacco, and dark cherries. Matured for a decade before release, this Syrah is a testament to the slow and patient winemaking process that has cemented the Rhone Valley's global reputation. A magnificent vintage, it enchants connoisseurs with its balanced acidity and firm tannin structure.

Wine Advocate (96)

The 2008 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques engages all of the senses with its cool, mineral-laced fruit and expressive bouquet. This shows marvelous tension and energy, not to mention fabulous overall balance. It could not be more different in style than the 2009 tasted alongside it. Both are fabulous, though. The 2008 is one of the more backward wines of the vintage and will require considerable patience. Anticipated maturity: 2023-2033.

Burghound (92)

This also displays moderate new wood influence that largely if not completely stays out of the way of the perfumed ripe violet, soy and hoisin suffused blue pinot fruit aromas that are in keeping with the spicy, rich, round and utterly delicious flavors that are quite supple on the mid-palate and culminate in a highly complex and lingering finish.

Burghound (92)

This also displays moderate new wood influence that largely if not completely stays out of the way of the perfumed ripe violet, soy and hoisin suffused blue pinot fruit aromas that are in keeping with the spicy, rich, round and utterly delicious flavors that are quite supple on the mid-palate and culminate in a highly complex and lingering finish.

Vinous (95)

The 2008 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses is sensual and inviting. Layers of endless, perfumed fruit grace the palate, followed by hints of white flowers, herbs, mint and rose petals. The wine continues to open up in the glass in an extraordinary display of class and elegance. A clean, inviting finish makes it impossible to resist a second taste. The energy, vibrancy and freshness are first-rate.

Vinous (94)

The 2008 Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras is a prototypical wine for the year. Cool, inward and tense, it shows superb precision in its dark fruit, spices, menthol and tar. The wine literally wraps around the palate with serious intensity and a beguiling personality that is impossible to resist. The finish is pointed and flat-out beautiful.

Wine Advocate (95+)

Released only in magnum, the 2008 Brut Millésime de Collection Vieilles Vignes is the same wine as Gimonnet's Special Club, bit it sees more than 10 years sur lattes before disgorgement. Unwinding in the glass with a deep and complex bouquet of pear, green apple, citrus zest, oyster shell, smoke and pastry cream, it's full-bodied, chalky and incisive, with terrific depth at the core, promising reserve and a long, resonant finish.

Falstaff (98)

The nose opens with a slightly floral but exquisitely fragrant nose of orange cake, evocative of golden crust, with air a hint of iron-oxide appears. The palate presents ripest apricot on a generous, rounded full-fruited but precise body. Supremely creamy mousse underlines soaringly brisk freshness.

Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (91+)

Full red-ruby. Brooding aromas of medicinal blackcurrant, plum, menthol, spices and cocoa powder. Lush and fine-grained but youthfully closed, offering moderate sweetness today but noteworthy breadth for the vintage. Finishes with a fine dusting of tannins and very good length.

Indulge in the exceptional Guffens Heynen Saint Veran Clos Poncetys 2008, a premium wine crafted by maestro Jean-Marie Guffens, known for his uncompromising dedication to quality. Set in the heart of France's prestigious Burgundy region, Saint Veran encapsulates the perfect terroir and climate for chardonnay, while Clos Poncetys is an exclusive vineyard yielding exquisite grapes.

Every vintage is a labour of love, meticulously monitored from the precise moment of harvesting until the final seal of the bottle. For this 2008 creation, Guffens deployed minimalist intervention, allowing the honest character of the fruit to shine andersonate. The enticing bouquet opens up to reveal vibrant citrus nuances, followed by a tantalising palate boasting of balanced acidity and mineral-driven complexity.

Guffens Heynen Saint Veran Clos Poncetys 2008 is an exquisite example of the winemaker's genius, suited for those possessing fine tastes, seeking nothing short of extraordinary in a glass.

Vinous (94)

Glass-staining ruby. Sexy, floral- and spice-accented aromas of candied cherry, black raspberry and cola, with a subtle suggestion of vanilla in the background. Offers an array of lively red and dark fruit and floral pastille flavors that gain flesh and weight with aeration. Closer in style to the Mouline than the Landonne this year. Closes spicy and extremely long, with suave tannins and lingering sweetness.

Vinous (92)

Bright yellow. Musky, primary aromas of lemon, crushed stone and minerals; the most classic of these 2008s to this point. Then citric, stony and firmly built, with lovely inner-mouth perfume and purity. This tastes like healthy grapes.

Wine Advocate (91)

Tasted at a vertical tasting at the château.The 2008 Haut Batailley is service back to normal after the rather lacklustre 2007. It has a well defined, blackberry, minerally nose that has a sense of brightness and vivacity—a vivid set of aromatics that entice you inwards. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp and focused with great tension and energy. I appreciate the purity embroidered into this wine from start to finish, the manner in which it gently fans out towards the long and precise finish. Excellent for the vintage, this is probably very good value in today's market. Tasted July 2016.

Wine Advocate (96)

This is profound! 2008 Haut-Brion: The extraordinary 2008 Haut-Brion is a candidate for -wine of the vintage.- Composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, it reveals more evolution and complexity in its large-scaled perfume. The dense purple color is followed by a sweet nose of creosote, asphalt, blueberries, black currants and jammy raspberries, sweet tannins, a savory, fleshy mouthfeel and a stunning finish. This incredibly pure, noble wine was produced from one of the estate's smallest crops (only 7,000 cases produced versus the usual 12,000 cases). It should drink well for three decades or more.

Wine Advocate (96)

This is profound! 2008 Haut-Brion: The extraordinary 2008 Haut-Brion is a candidate for -wine of the vintage.- Composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, it reveals more evolution and complexity in its large-scaled perfume. The dense purple color is followed by a sweet nose of creosote, asphalt, blueberries, black currants and jammy raspberries, sweet tannins, a savory, fleshy mouthfeel and a stunning finish. This incredibly pure, noble wine was produced from one of the estate's smallest crops (only 7,000 cases produced versus the usual 12,000 cases). It should drink well for three decades or more.

Wine Advocate (96)

This is profound! 2008 Haut-Brion: The extraordinary 2008 Haut-Brion is a candidate for -wine of the vintage.- Composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, it reveals more evolution and complexity in its large-scaled perfume. The dense purple color is followed by a sweet nose of creosote, asphalt, blueberries, black currants and jammy raspberries, sweet tannins, a savory, fleshy mouthfeel and a stunning finish. This incredibly pure, noble wine was produced from one of the estate's smallest crops (only 7,000 cases produced versus the usual 12,000 cases). It should drink well for three decades or more.

Wine Advocate (96)

This is profound! 2008 Haut-Brion: The extraordinary 2008 Haut-Brion is a candidate for -wine of the vintage.- Composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, it reveals more evolution and complexity in its large-scaled perfume. The dense purple color is followed by a sweet nose of creosote, asphalt, blueberries, black currants and jammy raspberries, sweet tannins, a savory, fleshy mouthfeel and a stunning finish. This incredibly pure, noble wine was produced from one of the estate's smallest crops (only 7,000 cases produced versus the usual 12,000 cases). It should drink well for three decades or more.

James Suckling (96)

What extraordinary class to this young white, with subtle yet intense aromas and flavors of minerals, slice pears and apples, walnuts and cream. Full and ultra-refined, with the texture of a great fine red and a fresh, fruity, delicate finish. It lasts for minutes on the palate.

Vinous (89-92)

Bright ruby-red. Very ripe aromas of black raspberry, meat and smoky oak. Silky and thick but not heavy, with firm acidity and solid minerality giving definition to the black cherry fruit. Finishes with firm but ripe tannins.

Vinous (92-95)

Deep red-ruby. Knockout nose combines black raspberry, licorice, smoky minerality and complex earth tones. Superripe, rich and full but suave, with ripe acidity framing the complex flavors of raspberry, game, leather and earth. This spreads out insidiously to saturate the entire palate. Finishes complex and extremely long. Wow!

Vinous (94)

Deep ruby. High-pitched aromas of red berry liqueur, cherry pit, lavender and allspice, with a zesty mineral nuance adding vivacity. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering vibrant black raspberry and floral pastille flavors that become richer and spicier with aeration. Silky tannins give shape to the strikingly persistent finish, which features sappy dark berry and fruitcake qualities.

Decanter (96)

An undramatic, cloud-filled season came right in a late harvest in October. A textbook cool vintage of great ageing potential. The perfect 50/50 balance of mineral-stamped Chardonnay and powerful, masculine Pinot makes this a champagne for patient drinkers, as it will take time to reach its peak. Vibrant acidity is joined by notes of white flowers and that magnificent mineral structure.