1 | Wine | France, 86 or higher, 2008

"Sweet red and black currant fruit, spice box and herb aromas jump from the glass of this dark plum/garnet-hued 2008. As in most vintages, this is an equal part blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Soft and complex, it should be consumed over the next 5-6 years." -Robert Parker

"This dark ruby/purple-tinged sleeper of the vintage offers a sweet bouquet of black currants, underbrush, licorice and berry fruit. Medium to full-bodied with excellent depth, good acidity and an endearing roundness, it can be enjoyed now and over the next 8-10 years."-Robert Parker

"This has a slightly sweet core of plum, cherry and raspberry, with hints of lilac, tar and warm stone. There's a somewhat sinewy feel on the finish, as a sanguine edge emerges."

"A nuanced bouquet, with scents of clear honey, lime flower, vanilla and orange blossom that is beautifully defined. The palate is very harmonious on the entry, with a fine thread of acidity, tense and full of energy like the 2010 tasted alongside, with notes of white peach, citrus lemon, clear honey and a hint of quince. Long and persistent on the finish, this is a very fine Yquem that might be over-looked between the 2007 and 2009, but is a superb Sauternes in its own right."

"Much like the 2010, this blend of 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cabernet Franc, with a little Malbec thrown in, exhibits a dark plum color and notes of raspberries, roasted herbs, incense, wet rocks and herbs. It is a medium-bodied, very evolved, elegant wine to drink over the next 8-9 years." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"An unqualified sleeper of the vintage. ...this dark ruby/purple-tinged 2008 exhibits beautiful black raspberry and black cherry fruit backed up by sweet tannin as well as decent acidity. Soft, seductive, perfumed and seamlessly assembled, it should drink well for 4-5 years." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"Sweet red and black currant fruit, spice box and herb aromas jump from the glass of this dark plum/garnet-hued 2008. As in most vintages, this is an equal part blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Soft and complex, it should be consumed over the next 5-6 years." -Robert Parker

"Another sleeper of the vintage. ...this very stylish St.-Julien has a dark ruby/purple color, light tannins, but beautiful berry fruit intermixed with some underbrush, mocha, and floral notes. Fruity and already charming, this wine should drink nicely for 8-10 years." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"A deep purple color is accompanied by massive notes of blackberries, incense, fruitcake, camphor and toasty oak intermixed with a crushed chalk-like minerality (a hallmark of this vineyard). The wine has softened considerably in bottle, and while it seems more structured than the 2010, it reveals a degree of accessibility." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"Bursts from the glass in an exuberant bouquet of buddleia and apple blossom; quince and intimations of wet stone. This transcends the poise and clarity exhibited by several immediately preceding Clos du Papillon bottlings and suggests that – chronologically speaking – we have moved up into a new echelon of expressiveness. The bitter, piquant notes of toasted nut, quinine, white pepper, and fruit pit here are extremely subtle and integrated into a matrix of lusciously juicy pear, white peach, and quince. A salvia-inducing salinity and scallop-like sweetness ally themselves to the stony mineral elements in this wine’s long finishing colloquy with flowers and fruits, and there is a levity and refreshment – a sheer drinkability – that I have not noticed in previous Baumard Savennieres – particularly pre-2007. Yet there is still ample sense of glycerin-richness and subtle oiliness. The combination of roughly a half percent less alcohol and more expressive acidity renders this drier-tasting than its 2006 and 2007 counterparts. Florent Baumard admits that a lesser percentage of his 2008s went through malo-lactic transformation than in most vintages, though I did not have chance to check precise analytical data on that. This sensational value is a delight to drink now. Whether it will “suffer” on that account a reduced “life span” must remain to be seen, although if anything my intuition is that this will be lovely for a decade, but that you would be foolish to deprive yourself of its short-term pleasure."