3 | Wine | Pessac-leognan / Graves, 2008

"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."

"Another sleeper of the vintage. ...the relatively evolved, elegant, complex 2008 Haut-Bergey offers up notes of smoked tobacco, cassis, cherries, licorice, Asian plum sauce and spice box. With abundant fruit, an opulent texture and an elegant style, this pretty, medium-bodied, richly fruity wine should drink well for 12-14 years." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"One of the stars of the vintage, this elegant, smoky wine has hints of barbecue pit intermixed with sweet black currants and cherries. Dark purple and medium to full-bodied, its impressive finesse and wonderful purity make for a surprisingly forward style of Smith-Haut-Lafitte to drink over the next 15 or so years." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"A sleeper of the vintage and better than its 2010 sibling. ...the plum/garnet-hued 2008 possesses a smoky barbecue, charcoal/burning ember character intermixed with ripe, sweet cherry and black currant fruit. Medium-bodied and beautifully concentrated with silky tannins as well as a long finish, it can be enjoyed over the next 10-15 years." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"This glorious offering possesses sweet tobacco leaf, black currant, mocha, white chocolate, scorched earth and burning ember-like characteristics. Full-bodied, stunningly rich and exceptionally well-endowed, this blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc demands 2-3 years of additional bottle age. It should age gracefully for 35-40 years."

"This is dense and still quite tight, with lots of lemon verbena, chamomile, quinine, green plum and mineral notes supported by superracy yet well-embedded acidity. The finish has rapier cut, with the quinine note reverberating."

"A nice juicy spine runs through the mix of raisin, mulled plum and black currant fruit. Flashes of anise and tobacco add range on the finish."

"One of the most successful wines of the vintage. ...this blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot achieved 13.5% natural alcohol. It exhibits a deep ruby/purple color along with sweet notes of creosote, graphite, lead pencil shavings, black currants, plums and licorice. Medium to full-bodied and silky with good underlying acidity, it is a juicy, savory, quintessentially elegant wine that will benefit from several years of cellaring and last for 15+ years." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"Nicely polished for the vintage. ...showing a plush feel to the fig paste, currant preserve and blackberry notes, which are pushed through the finish by a slightly firm tarry edge that keeps this honest."