I would like to hear more thoughts on the '08 vintage for red Burgs.
Tonight I opened an '08 Chevillon LSG and loved the dried herbs, precision and vibrant acidity. These traits seem to be consistent across the vintage. While the closest vintage comparison in my experience is '96, I think that some '08s are more concentrated (which really helps balance the acidity) and I am drawn to the precise terroir expression and savory dried herb accents. Meanwhile, I have tasted some wines that will be too tight for too long IMO.
Given the extended cellar time needed with similarly structured vintages, I am trying to be careful about what I am buy but I am very interested in the more concentrated examples and those that use stems (which often lowers acidity).
Overall these wines interest me more than the '09s but that might include some reaction to the pricing of the '09s. What do you think?
My experience is somewhat limited here but there are three qualities Ive come to associate with 08s: delightful violet flavors and aromatics, thrilling acidity and freshness. When I was in burgundy a year ago some of the wines seemed a bit green but Ive tried a few of those wines a year later and they are a joy (dujac for example).
Despite my love for the vintage Ive bought curiously little. Perhaps because the avialability clashed with 06 red burg closeouts, 09 Beaujolais and 09 German Rieslings. If the vintage sees some nice price reductions, Im all over it.
BTW has anyone tried a wide range of Jadot 08s? The prices are enticing. How is the oak level relative to the fruit?
Have not had any '08s yet, Berry, but the terms Jadot and excessive oak just do not go together IMO.
Much more interested in the 2009s as they appear to be wines that can provide instant enjoyment.
Not interested in a long lived type of vintage
TTT
Kevin, my thoughts are much the same as yours. I think 96’s were less approachable than 08’s on release, not having what you call the concentration, which I see as more obvious fruit expression. BTW I had a 96 Roumier Cos de la Bussiere recently and the concentration displayed now was nothing like the lean acidic beast it was on release, a remarkable turnaround. I don’t think we will see this so much in the 08’s as I think they are not as lean as 96 were. In comparison to the 09’s, I have not tasted enough but I plan to buy no more 09 than 08, 09 sounds like an easy vintage, not the cut and drive of 08. BTW one of the importers I deal with is in burgundy and he mentioned that the 08’s are getting respect, I think 09 is an easy sell but the real interest among the jaded burgphiles, is the 08’s. Cheers Mike
Seriously after having tasted several 08 both on village and premier cru level my love for the vintage remains limited.
The acidity level is a concern as well as the ripeness of fruit is not as high as hoped by early reports.
Comparison with 1996 are not justified IMO - the latter wines were almost black and blue on arrival here in Germany, deep and tannic, hardly accessable, while several 2008 are drinking well now if in a certain acidic style.
When I first tried the '08’s in January last year, I was horrified. I thought they were terribly acidic and downright unpleasant. I was in 100% pass mode. The wines I’ve tried since have transformed dramatically, and I’ve been picking some up. While still notably acidic, they no longer seem out of balance. I agree they have good fruit density, even if I didn’t pick it up a year ago. I do wonder how hard they’ll shut down in a year or two. And for how long.
I enjoyed the 2009 tastings this January far more, but I’m not convinced that it will be considered the better vintage in fifteen years. Best to buy a bit of both. 2009 for pure pleasure, and 2008 for terroir. I suspect that most typical wine drinkers will be happier with 2009. Maybe.
Berry, 3000 posts!! BTW I am not the greatest Jadot fan, seem to be a little worked IMHO. Cheers Mike
Both 2007 and 2009 are superior for me because they are WYSIWYG, in vastly different styles. If you all want to roll the dice with $100 bottles be my guest, I’m not jaded enough yet I suppose. 
2008 Chambolle Musigny G.Roumier is absolutely drinkable.
good acidity,fruits,velvety, and delicate sweetness(first vintage for me with that sweetness ).
I’ve been on an 08 tear! Really fond of the vintage. The concentration has helped present a generally balanced wine over countless appellations. The cool weather also has helped show terroir subtleties as well. The main divide from what I have tasted has been based upon sorting and vineyard work in 2008. Also, some areas were hit harder with vineyard damage while others seem to have benefitted greatly from the longer, colder season. Although they seemed tight on release, they have been nothing but pleasurable and inspiring since. While the tannins and structure are present, there is a generosity to the vintage which has made higher classed appellations approachable early on as well.
The best of the 08 reds like Denis Bachelet’s Charmes or Veronique’s Musigny have plenty of fruit. I didn’t get to taste the 96s young , but , based on my tasting now, I find the potential for more fruit here than the luscious 96s. The acidity is electric in the 08s. It doesn’t overwhelm you since the fruit is there in spades. There is lovely “transparency”. I adore this vintage and have bought extensively. The 09’s are going to be very expensive. (Lowest price right now on Ponsot Clos de la Roche is $625 for a 750!) Also much riper. One caveat to my remarks, I didn’t buy much at all in 08 at the village level except in white and selectively. FWIW.
Drank a bottle of the 08 Rousseau Chambertin clos de beze, almost perfect wine, hedonistic nose, excellent cocentration and integrated tannins.
Tried a lot of 2008s at the Grand Tasting at the Paulee in NYC. Unfortunately, Jadot showed 2006s rather than 2008s (esp. since I have a whole bunch of their 2008s, having taken advantage of this great pricing). My overall impression is that producer is going to be key in the vintage and that the wines are not uniform. When they are good, I really like the wines a whole bunch. Beautiful fruit, great structure, likely wines that will show their terroir. But there are wines that (at least right now) show a lot of structure but seem a bit hollow when it comes to the fruit. I cannot say that this will always be the case. There are Burgundy vintages where the wines add fruit after a couple of years. Examples are 1980 and 2000. 2007 may be doing the same - we likely will know in a year or so.
But, the good 2008s are going to be excellent - I really liked the reds from Mugneret-Gibourg, Faiveley, Liger-Belair, Rousseau, Fourrier, Pierre Morey, Roumier, Lafarge, and Clos des Lambrays. There were other excellent wines, but these were favorites and one group of wines that really impressed me to almost a surprising extent were the wines from Faiveley.
Berry:
Have tried Jadot 2008-Gevrey-Estournelles St. Jacques,Clos St. Jacques,Chapelle-
Chambertin, and Clos de Beze. All very good with the ESJ the most open and the
CSJ the most closed.
Glad to hear about the Clos des Lambrays, Howard. I have one bottle coming. I also bought some 08 from Chevillon and Digioia-Royer and in the white wines, some 08 Chablis.
This is really my kind of vintage and I’m loving them so far. Favorites to date have been Bize ‘Fournaux’, Chevillon ‘Perrieres’ and Fourrier ‘Cherbaudes’. The ‘Perrieres’ in particular just slowly and steadily put out newer and pretter petals of complexity over the course of the 2 hours it lasted. The ‘Cherbaudes’ was a small pour at the La Paulee Verticals but it stood out as one of my favorites of the day.
Grand crus and high end 1ers I’ve just boxed away, I’ll let you know what I think in 15 years.
A Mongeard Mugneret Bourgogne (generally a reliable inexpensive bottling) seemed a bit thin on its own but was a perfect match for some lamb chops.
The only Jadot I’ve tried (Ursules) was pretty shut down but that was shortly after they arrived in the US so I suspect travel shock. I should give one another try.
I’d say these wines have adequate acidity (sorry - that’s an in-joke that I suspect no one reading this thread will get).
Remember the '93’s on release? Not very enjoyable IMO, and look at them now…one of my favorite vintages. So if you are young enough and willing to cellar for 20 years, then go for it. Agree, buy the '09’s for quicker pleasure.
'08 is a vintage that hit a lot of markers I look for in excellent Burgundy:
Depth of fruit/ concentration: check
Good acidity: check (excellent)
Sense of place: check
We also seem to be entering an era in which more producers are dialing back the use of new oak which produces wines that really showcase their purity of fruit and source.
Producers in 08 that I’m a fan of based on tasting: Fourrier, Bachelet, J.F. Mugnier, Roumier, Grivot, Le Moine and Voillot…off the top of my head.
FWIW some village wines that I’ve tried are much better than I anticipated.
Anthony
The 93s are really drinking well now. The 08s are a pass for me though - not interested in a 20 year wine at age 52.