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Bordeaux 2008: Parker releases very high scores - 30/04/2009

Influential American critic Robert Parker has today released his reviews and scores for the Bordeaux 2008 vintage. His enthusiasm for the vintage is higher than expected and he has awarded exceptional points to a number of wines.

Writing in the Wine Advocate, Parker said "It did not take me long to realize that the 2008 vintage was dramatically better than I had expected. It had 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 (because it was a cool year), slightly higher acids than normal, and remarkable density as well as concentration."

He highlights Pomerol as a region that performed particularly well, calling it "the epicenter of many extraordinary wines...(which) eclipse/surpass the quality of the 2005s, 2001s, and 2000s."

Comparing 2008 to other vintages Parker wrote "there is a precision, nuanced, fresh character to these very intense wines that is somewhat reminiscent of the way the top wines presented themselves in 1996 and 1986, but the finest 2008s are more dense."

Exceptional performers according to Parker included:

  • Lafite (98-100pts)
  • Petrus (98-100pts)
  • Ausone (96-100pts)
  • Pontet Canet (96-98pts)
  • Latour (96-98pts)
  • Cheval Blanc (95-97pts)
  • Haut Bailly (95-97pts)
  • Haut Brion (95-97pts)
  • Palmer (95-97pts)
  • Montrose (95-97pts)

Browse all Bordeaux 2008 wines

Read Bibendum's Bordeaux 2008 vintage report