A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the 2008 Angelus is deep garnet in color, with a touch of brick. It bursts from the glass with ready-to-go notes of prunes, baked black cherries, and mulberries, followed by...

Ruby/violet-colored, with a deep, intense nose of ripe fruits, underbrush, flowers, tapenade, and white truffles, the 2008 Château Ausone hits the palate with a deep, concentrated, yet reserved, incredibly elegant style...

Starting to develop secondary nuances, with air you find flowers, tobacco, red fruits and cigar box notes. This is a classic style of Cheval Blanc, with concentration, energy and freshness that will require another decade...

Like the 2004, cool blue fruit with floral flourishes. But the 2008 has superior mid-palate concentration, revealing yet another underrated vintage that you should purchase, as it came before the 'sexier' 2009 vintage...

Barrel sample. Spicy initially this wine seems to have too much wood. But in the end the dense fruit tannins come through to dominate giving a bright final character. R.V.

A brilliant effort the 2008 La Mondotte is a candidate for "wine of the vintage." This blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc hit 14% natural alcohol. Yields were 24 hectoliters per hectare. The wine boasts an opaque...

Tasted blind at the Valandraud vertical at the property, the 2008 Valandraud is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc matured in new oak for 24 months. It put in a quite brilliant performance (here paired against...