2008 - Epicurea de Chateau Martinat Cotes de Bourg
"Like many of the wines for this report, I had this on three separate occasions, and while it was terrific, I have a slight reservation about sample variability. However, it looks like a sleeper of the vintage, offering low yields, a dense ruby/purple color, sweet tannins, lots of juicy blackberry and currant fruit along with hints of chocolate and spice. It should drink nicely for 5-years."
The Wine Advocate, 88-90 pts.
$16.25/750ML btl
$195.00/case of 12
"The finest Meyney since the fabulous efforts produced in the late seventies and early eighties, it is good to see this estate, which has a top-flight vineyard, get back in shape. The dense purple-colored 2008 offers up notes of crushed rocks, blue fruits, flowers, earth, and spice. Full-bodied with velvety tannins, good acids, and a layered mouthfeel, it should drink well for 15-20 years."
The Wine Advocate, 89-91 pts.
"Aromas of blackberry and chocolate follow through to a medium body, with pretty fruit and fine tannins. Well-crafted. Could turn out even better."
-Wine Spectator, 89-89 pts.
$24.75/750ML btl
$297.00/case of 12
"Like many of the Chantal and Gerard Perse wines, the 2008 Monbousquet is blacker than a moonless night. Like the other wines in the Perse portfolio, it is very backward, and was obviously just coming off malolactic fermentation on the three occasions I tasted it. Loaded with concentration, and perhaps even bigger than the 2005 or even the 2000, this blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon topped off at 14.5% natural alcohol. Sweet, pure notes of black cherries, roasted herbs, forest floor, and toasty oak are restrained, but intense. The wine’s purity, another hallmark of this vintage, gorgeous texture, and long finish with sweet tannins as well as more acids than normal, suggest it should drink beautifully young and evolve for up to a decade. This is an incredible offering from an unheralded terroir. By the way, the 1999 and 2000 are still adolescents in terms of their evolution."
The Wine Advocate, 92-94 pts.
"Shows lots of rich fruit and berries, with hints of new wood and ripe tannins. Very pretty."
-Wine Spectator, 89-92 pts.
$38.25/750ML btl
$459.00/case of 12
Limit 1 case per customer.
"An inky/purple color is accompanied by sweet, pure aromas of black fruits and spice. This full-bodied wine exhibits superb concentration, sweet tannin, and a multilayered, textured, full-bodied mouthfeel with no hard edges. The sweetness of the tannin, the extraordinary purity of fruit, and the intense aromatics suggest a year of great ripeness." Reviewed by Robert Parker.
The Wine Advocate, 95-97 pts.
"Shows blackberry and black licorice, with hints of mint. Full-bodied and fruity, with very fine tannins, good acidity and a nice intensity of mineral and spices."
Wine Spectator, 88-91 pts.
$67.00/750ML btl
$804.00/case of 12
2008 - Chateau Mouton Rothschild
Limit 6 Bottles per customer.
"Made from 54% of the production, the 2008 Mouton Rothchild’s final blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot has resulted in an atypically sweeter, more direct and opulent, fleshy Mouton. Keep in mind that this cuvee, because of the high Cabernet Sauvignon content as well as the terroir, is often backward, structured, and nearly foreboding in its youth. However, I do not think the 2008 will behave in that manner. There is plenty of tannin and exceptional density and ripeness, but the tannins are velvety, and I was amazed by how charmingly forward and fleshy this wine already is. A deep purple color, sweet aromas of creme de cassis, smoke, cedar, and an unmistakable floral component (another characteristic of the Cabernet Sauvignon in 2008) are found in this precocious, succulent Mouton that should firm up and put on more weight with aging. My score is somewhat conservative because it is hard to forget their prodigious 2006, but the 2008 will provide far more enjoyment and pleasure over the near-term than the 2006." Reviewed by Robert Parker.
The Wine Advocate, 94-96 pts.
"Shows violet and crushed berries, with lots of other floral and fruit character. Full-bodied, with supersilky tannins and a long finish. Very, very pretty."
Wine Spectator, 91-94 pts.
$240.00/750ML btl
"This is the highest score I have ever awarded Olivier, whose high quality 2008 offers up plenty of sweet red and black currants interwoven with notions of barbecue smoke and toasty oak. It is a deep, medium to full-bodied wine revealing sweet tannin, excellent concentration, and a layered mouthfeel. Enjoy it over the next 15+ years."
The Wine Advocate, 88-90 pts.
"Blackberry and blueberry aromas lead to a medium-to-full body, with velvety tannins and a medium finish. Fresh and minerally."
-Wine Spectator, 87-90 pts.
$23.25/750ML btl
$279.00/case of 12
2008 - Chateau Les Ormes de Pez
"The strongest effort from this estate in over two decades, the dense ruby/purple-tinged 2008 reveals plenty of structure and tannin as well as gorgeously rich, pure blackberry and cassis fruit intermixed with hints of minerals and underbrush. This full, dense St.-Estephe will benefit from several years of bottle age, and should evolve over the following 15 years."
The Wine Advocate, 89-91 pts.
"Crushed blueberry and blackberry aromas follow through to a full body, with silky tannins and a caressing finish. A nicely crafted wine for the vintage."
-Wine Spectator, 87-90 pts.
$23.00/750ML btl
$276.00/case of 12
Limit 6 Bottles per customer.
"The 2008 Palmer, which tips the scales at 13.5% natural alcohol (among the highest achieved at this property), is a blend of 51% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8% Petit Verdot. It is a massively rich wine with an inky/purple color, sensational density of fruit, velvety tannins, a glorious bouquet of black fruits, licorice, incense, and subtle barbecue smoke, a superb, full-bodied mouthfeel, and a fabulous texture and length. With several minutes of swirling, an enticing floral note emerges. The wine’s glycerin and sweetness suggest it will be approachable 3-4 years after bottling, yet keep for three decades or more. It appears to be among the finest Palmers made this decade, rivaling both the 2005 and 2000."
The Wine Advocate, 95-97 pts.
"Shows blackberry and black cherry, with hints of currant. Full-bodied, with firm tannins and a solid core. Long and fruity."
-Wine Spectator, 89-92 pts.
$139.00/750ML btl
$1,668.00/case of 12
"Is the 2008 Pavie superior to the 2005 and 2000? While that is impossible to know at this stage of its development, it will certainly be one of the three greatest Pavies made under the administration of Chantal and Gerard Perse...The inky/blue/purple color is followed by a wine with a concentrated, full-bodied texture, a layered mouthfeel, fresh acids, abundant tannin, and a 50-60-year evolution ahead of it...Sweet creme de cassis, black cherry, licorice, and smoky barbecue characteristics combine with a liqueur of minerality that resonates from this terroir that is considered to be among the top dozen or so vineyard sites in Bordeaux." Reviewed by Robert Parker.
The Wine Advocate, 96-98+ pts.
"This is very Porty, with lots of fruit and richness. Big and powerful. A blockbuster style."
Wine Spectator, 92-95 pts.
$155.00/750ML btl
$1,860.00/case of 12
"The 2008 is another huge, massive, full-bodied St.-Emilion that is even more concentrated than the 2005 or 2000. Sweet notes of blackberries, kirsch, licorice, and crushed rocks are accompanied by an awesomely concentrated, pure, unevolved wine that appears set for 30-40 years of cellaring." Reviewed by Robert Parker.
The Wine Advocate, 94-96 pts.
"This offers a palate full of fresh crushed berries, ripe tannins and a clean, fresh finish. Refined."
Wine Spectator, 89-92 pts.
$125.00/750ML btl
$1,500.00/case of 12