Robert Parker recently released his latest Wine Advocate including his report on the 2008 vintage in Bordeaux. He sees many wines from 2008 rivaling their 2005s."... 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)"
Reviews
Robert Parker 92 Points
One of the stars of the vintage, this elegant, smoky wine has hints of barbecue pit intermixed with sweet black currants and cherries. Dark purple and medium to full-bodied, its impressive finesse and wonderful purity make for a surprisingly forward style of Smith-Haut-Lafitte to drink over the next 15 or so years.
Stephen International Wine Cellar 91+ Points
Good medium ruby. Black cherry, dark berries and licorice on the nose. Sweet but firm, with excellent concentration and medicinal reserve to the dark berry flavors. An elegant, ripe, smooth wine with a lovely mounting finish featuring suave tannins. No rough edges or austerity here--in fact this is downright creamy in the mid-palate--but this has plenty of structure for a graceful evolution in bottle.
Neal Martin 94 Points
Tasted at the UGC 2008 tasting in London. This has a gorgeous, ripe, seductive bouquet with blackberry, raspberry, black plum and a touch of vanilla. There is still some oak to be subsumed here, but it will be worth the wait. The palate is very polished with smooth supple tannins, very focused and harmonious, the structure just showing its firmness towards the finish. This is a multi-layered Pessac of the top order. Drink 2013-2030. Tasted October 2010.
