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"A vintage like no other" - Bordeaux 2008

Published:  08 April, 2009

The Berry Bros & Rudd buying team is classing the Bordeaux 2008 vintage to be "like no other."

After six days of tasting 400 wines Berrys' buying team are remaining upbeat about the vintage with Berrys' sales director Simon Staples calling it a "mixed bag."


"It's not a Right Bank or a Left Bank year, nor a Cabernet or Merlot vintage," he says.


"It all has come down to which châteaux had the nerve and skill to let their grapes sit on the vine longer and absorb all that wonderful Indian summer sun.


"Combined with huge attention to detail and their rigorous selection at all stages,"


Staples believes not taking these measures into account is why so many of the top châteaux produced poor second wines.


If the price is right Berrys' intends to offer 42 wines from the vintage, although they don't plan to buy any for stock for the future, or at least until the Sterling recovers against the Euro.


Staples said " 2008 is a vintage like no other.


"Some of the wines tasted have the cool precision of 2002, but with the puppy fat of 2004, and mineral excitement of 2006.


"At the cheaper end of the market, where the money wasn't spent in the vineyard, or there was reluctance to make that selection, the wines are really mean and will make selection of Petits Châteaux even harder than usual in a few years' time.


"However, for certain Grand Châteaux there are some beauties and I shall definitely be adding a few to my cellar this year."


Out of the 385 wines tasted, Berrys' team of six experts has narrowed the shopping list down to 42 wines, which will be offered subject to prices.


The shortlist fall into three categories - Top 10 Value; Top 10 Buys and The Best (but unlikely to be a bargain).


Our Top 10 Favourites (which should offer good value)


Ch. du Tertre (Margaux)
Ch. d'Angludet (Margaux)
Ch. d'Armailhac (Pauillac)
Ch. Haut-Bages Libéral (Pauillac)
Echo de Lynch Bages (Pauillac)
Ch. Batailley (Pauillac)
Ch. Lafleur-Gazin (Pomerol)
Ch. Moulin-St Georges (St Emilion)
Domaine de Chevalier Rouge (Pessac)
Ch. Doisy-Védrines (Sauternes)

Our Top 10 Buys ISP (If Sanity Prevails!)

Ch. Giscours (Margaux)
Ch. Haut-Bailly (Péssac)
Ch. Clerc Milon (Pauillac)
Ch. Lynch Bages (Pauillac)
Ch. Grand-Puy-Lacoste (Pauillac)
Ch. Lagrange (St Julien)
Ch. Beychevelle (St Julien)
Ch. la Conseillante (Pomerol)
Ch. Pavie Macquin (St Emilion)
Domaine de Chevalier Blanc (Péssac)

The Best (but unlikely to be a bargain)

Ch. Latour (Pauillac)
Ch. Ausone (St Emilion)
Ch. Palmer (Margaux)
Ch. Mouton-Rothschild (Pauillac)
Ch. Léoville-Las Cases (St Julien)
Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou (St Julien)
Ch. Cos d'Estournel (St-Estèphe)
Ch. Pichon-Longueville-Baron (Pauillac)
Ch. Haut-Brion (Péssac)
Ch. la Mission Haut-Brion (Péssac)


For the inside track on Bordeaux 2008 visit Berrys' Wine Blog on http://bbrblog.com for daily news, information, images and videos.


For the very latest news and release prices, follow Berrys' on Twitter http://twitter.com/BigSithewineguy.

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