Bordeaux En Primeur

En Primeur Wine Merchant of the Year 2006 and 2007 2008 is a fascinating vintage for the wines of Bordeaux. Clearly superior to 2007, it is nevertheless being released at cheaper prices as the producers have finally realised that the market is not as strong as it was 12 months ago.

A few Chateaux have made wines of exceptional quality this year but it is hard to generalise. There are no particular appellations that are stronger than others but only those top properties who have made the greatest efforts in their vineyards and wineries have enjoyed great success. This, in our view, is absolutely not a vintage in which to wander off the beaten track, nor is it a year in which to buy second wines of any but the very top Chateaux.

The long-awaited Wine Advocate scores on Bordeaux 2008 are out and they are huge! Robert Parker clearly loves this vintage and writes that it has "all the qualities that make an excellent and in some cases, a great vintage so special: exceptionally dark opaque colors, gorgeously ripe fruit, stunning purity almost across the board, great freshness, slightly higher acids than normal, and remarkable density as well as concentration." He goes on to say that "the quality of the 2008 vintage turned out to be excellent, with a number of superb wines that are close to, if not equal to the prodigious 2005 or 2000 vintages (two years with many of the best wines I have ever tasted from top to bottom)?"

2008 is a very good vintage for the Cabernet Sauvignon grape as it enjoyed an exceptionally long "hang time" with many properties not completing their harvests until nearly the end of October. Although July and August were not especially hot, it was fairly dry and the Indian Summer allowed slow and gentle ripening. The resultant wines rarely show any green characteristics nor, at the other extreme, any "sur-maturité". If we are to compare 2008 to other vintages the first thing that we can say is that it is the opposite of the 2003. The 2008 wines are classically Bordeaux with good structure, balance and acidity to compliment the fruit. The greatest successes can be found at the leading Chateaux but not necessarily at the First Growths. There are several wines - Cos d'Estournel, Pichon Lalande, Leoville Barton, Lynch Bages for example - that offer great quality at, we think, fair prices. There are also several wines where the quality is exceptional yet prices are around £20 per bottle. These include Domaine de Chevalier, Duhart Milon and Langoa Barton. Please see our recommendations page for the Farr Vintners picks of the vintage.

Above all in 2008 the golden rule for our customers is to buy wines where the quality stands out (check our rating as well as those of Jancis Robinson, Robert Parker, Neal Martin, James Suckling and Derek Smedley MW) and where there is value for money. There is no point in buying 2008 if you can find a better, physically available vintage in the market at the same price or less. Wines such as Lynch Bages are "no brainers" because you simply cannot find any vintage at all at less than 20% more than the price of the 2008. The wine is very good too!

We have added, for our customers' information, a report on the vintage by the respected Bordeaux "negociant" Bill Blatch. Bill is a long-standing friend of Farr Vintners and someone whose palate, knowledge and honestly is well trusted by us. We also have news on the 2008 vintage from Lynch Bages. This Chateau is usually the most popular of all our en primeur offerings and the Cazes family can normally be trusted to release their wine at the right price – ie less than that of physically available vintages. Congratulations are due to them for the re-naming of their second label which will no longer be known as “Haut Bages Averous” but from 2008 onwards will be called “Echo de Lynch Bages”.

We show estimated prices which will be replaced with definite prices as wines are released. Customers can "pre-order" wines before they are released (we will only invoice you if the price is within our estimate) or simply "wish-list" them so that you receive an e-mail from us on the day of release.

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