2008 Bordeaux: a Gilman "profound" Bordeaux vintage - Your Recommendations?

I wonder how many of you caught this quote from Gilman on the 2010 L’Evangile thread:

Still, the great vintage for the end of that decade on the Gironde remains 2008, which towers over both 2009 and 2010 and it [> sic> ] really and truly a profound Bordeaux vintage.

I’ve been thinking about this comment for a couple days. I gotta say, I really liked this vintage, more classic and restrained than 2005, 2009 and 2010, but not sure it hit the “profound” level for me. That said, I also did not buy much of that vintage, it really being the “recession” vintage. I recall First Growths coming out at $200 per, just wow!

So, ten years out, what have you tried that is worth checking out for a back-fill?

La Fleur de Gay

You could check Parker’s reviews: he really liked the vintage, too. Pomerol seems to be a region of strength. Pontet Canet, too, if you can wait on it.

I won a case of '08 Sociando at an auction earlier this year, I’ll let you know once I pick it up and try one.

I also noticed it and was thinking about it. I have only tried 2 from 2008 and 1 from 2009, and my my preference is for the less ripe 2008. Calling it profound is what caught my attention, as I wondered if the fruit can last as long as the tannins.

If you are looking to back-fill, a recent 2008 Haut-Bailly was quite good.

Yes, I was intrigued by the “profound” remark. It was the last great EP vintage and I did buy quite a lot, but I haven’t tried them yet, apart from SM which I wasn’t impressed by. I shall put one or two on the list and report back. As for RMP, there was a bit of a polemic about Pomerol: his in-barrel notes inspired many to take the plunge, but the in-bottle notes were less enthusiastic, causing some grumbling.

I’m not sure what a great or profound Bordeaux vintage tastes like young, but I had several 08s at a release tasting (Lynch Bages, Montrose, Leoville Barton, Langoa Barton, Ormes de Pez, and Tronquoy Lalande) and I was not very impressed at all. Only the Leoville Barton stood out that night as an excellent wine in the making. But (seriously) what do I know? And I haven’t tried any 08s that I can recall since that night except an 08 Canon in 2014 which was still utterly primordial and inscrutable.

Only time I’ve tried an 08 was at the UGC tasting in early 2011. My notes suggest a variable vintage, with a number of wines being lighter in body, shorter finishes, sometimes a little tough and tannic. There were certainly some standouts, but in no way could I conclude from that tasting that it was a “classic” vintage across the board. At this point, I’d want to try wines before buying in any quantity.

As one whose first child was born in 2008, and who is very long bdx that year, this is great to hear.

The only bottles I have actually opened have been Right bank: Le Gay and Clos L’Eglise, both in the past 1-2 years, and both were terrific though young.

I have heard anecdotally that 2008 Montrose and Leoville Barton will be immortals, but untouchable for another decade.

Maybe we can get Sir John to pipe in! Good to see him posting again.

I have a couple of Montrose, including a magnum (and I NEVER buy magnums). Not wise decisions on my part

Your kids might enjoy that magnum of Montrose.

Kid doesn’t like reds. Drinks a little champagne but that’s about it.

We’ll see how it is coming along at 20.

Well, my heir is my 2 year old nephew. Maybe that’s why I don’t buy young St. Estephes anymore - he might take after his father and drink nothing but Bourbon

John seemingly struggles with the modern era of Bordeaux, much like myself. I’m slight paraphrasing here (and there was an entire thread on it) where John eviscerated 2010 Pavie and Cos. He rated one of the two wines something like 47-49, with the caveat that “you get 50 points just for being wine”.

Hopefully this will give perspective on why he makes the claims that he does.
FWIW, I had 2008 Lanessan and 2008 Malescot last week, and both were stunning wines.

John’s been saying that about 2008 pretty much from the get-go. My recollection is that most of the other critics thought it a very good vintage but not as good as 2005, 2009 or 2010. I wasn’t buying much of anything when the 2008 futures hit, so I can’t comment on the wines from personal experience.

Didn’t Parker later back off somewhat from his very positive initial notes/scores? I bought a few bottles at the time, since the recession seemed to influence pricing more than RP did. IIRC it was the first Bordeaux vintage since RP’s rise in which his en primeur TNs didn’t clearly move the market. What were Gilman’s thoughts at the time?
Peter

I may be reading the 2008 comments here and in the L’Evangile thread wrong, then. I don’t have recollection of any 2008 Bordeaux that I’ve had and so was beginning to think that, based on the comments, it’s like the 2002s, with its under-the-radar classic style.

You are welcome to adopt me.