Neal Martin wrote a fun little article on his blind tasting “re-visit” of the 2008 bordeaux vintage. His reviews are mixed. Here are his bullet points on the vintage, which can be found at www.erobertparker.com
I will summarize my impressions of the vintage in bullet points: -
1.The Bordeaux 2008 is a very good vintage, but not in the same league as 2009 or 2010.
2.The wines demonstrated firm, occasionally hard tannins, which should be expected. However, I had not expected the sharp, sometimes shrill acidity that left my teeth tingling in complaint by the end of the day. There were few signs of greenness since at this level, the estates can afford to green harvest and de-select to the fullest extent. Two decades ago it might have been very different, perhaps more like the 1978s.
3.This was an extremely taxing tasting compared to previous Southwold tastings, even more so than 2007. In particular, the full day on Thursday was demanding both physically and mentally. I had to make sure that those wines at the end of the day received as fair appraisal as those at the beginning.
4.I would not propose that it is Left or Right Bank vintage: you can find satisfaction and disappointment on either.
5.This is a mercurial vintage, one that is very difficult to pin down. Wines change in bottle; they can change from day to day. Whilst 2007, 2009 and 2010 are fairly predictable, the 2008 appear to have a more troubled infancy that will continue for several years until they settle down. At the moment, they are hard, obdurate wines that are not particularly pleasurable taste. They need to coalesce and mellow.
6.My scores were fairly consistent vis-à-vis previous appraisals, but less than I would like. Is that me or the wines? As usual, there are some bottles that performed unexpectedly and I can only hold my hands up and say: “This is how it showed on the day”. I have two important contexts to help me. First, the fact that I can judge it directly against its peers in blind conditions and secondly, gauging the views of others around the room. A professional taster should always ask themselves: “Did I get that wrong?” and re-taste the wine to double-check.
7.I try to transport the wines out of their setting i.e. the 104th Cabernet of the day, to a single bottle that will be allowed to age.
8.So whilst some might be discouraged by the evolution of this vintage, I am going to keep the faith. It is certainly not a vintage for everyone like the 2009. Those seeking fruit-laden, sumptuous wines will find little to enjoy. Those that enjoyed the 1978, 1988, 1996 and 2001 vintages will find pleasure here, especially if they bought en primeur. Perhaps 2008 will go down as the last primeur that touched base with reality? Then again, we do have 2011 on the horizon.