How Bordeaux 2008 wines taste now: 70 top names rated

Okay, I am closing my eyes, I am feeling the wonderful lift and floating fruit effect, and I have to say this is a lovely...

A little subdued, as with the Lafite right now, but this is built to last and is layered and structured. Liquorice, cassis and blueberry notes...

<p>Commemorating the advent of Lafite's Shandong project, the 2008 vintage carries the symbolic Chinese character ‘八’ (eight) on the bottle. A pronounced nose of menthol...

I loved this vintage of Haut Brion en primeur and am so happy that it has more than lived up to expectations now that it...

This stood out immediately among the five first growth wines for its floral hit right off the first nose. The epitome of elegance, as I...

Starting to really come into its own, this is packed full of savoury blackberry, redcurrant and blueberry fruit with layers of liquorice, black chocolate, grilled...

Tight and firm, yet with incredibly embracing tannins that are still in their early phase of evolution, even though it is 100% Merlot. It's a...

This has the generosity of a Pomerol, displaying airbrushed tannins against juicy, rich blueberry and raspberry Merlot notes, all enveloped in smoky grilled oak. This...

Fragrant, expressive Cabernet aroma. Full, round harmonious palate with chunky expression. Has a nice lift of spice, integrated tannins and lots of extract.

Dark minerals, graphite, oak and ripe black fruit on the nose. Lovely expression of fruit and new oak well blended in with a structured, poised...

Very restrained nose of blueberry, plum and cherry. Well made with good middle sweetness and chewy tannins. It’s a serious wine with lots of fruit...

Creamy oak, spice, ripe black fruit and mineral aromas. Very seamless with a nice texture and very fine-grained tannins. Classical claret. All elements will blend...

A smokier expression than most, this is hugely enjoyable and still intense in colour on its 10th birthday. Expect layers of juicy, succulent black cherry...

Fresh, floral aspects with black summer fruits, well-integrated oak and roasted nuts. Complete, compelling glass of wine with plenty of fruit supported by firm, grainy...

Surprisingly shy on the nose, even at ten years of age - this can bed itself down for a few more years before really starting...

This displays real elegance without sacrificing power and impact. Flavours of damson, liquorice, charcoal and tobacco are layered, sexy and polished. I'm not going too...

You start to feel the dial turning up the power as this travels through the palate. Even at 10 years old, the tannins go in...

Tightly structured even at 10 years old, this is fully oaked with turbocharged brambly fruit underneath. Every time you question the dominance of the grilled...

Elegant and fresh, with beautiful crushed raspberry fruits - proof that 2008 is a vintage where terroir wins out. This all happens on the retro-olfaction:...

Firm, rich tannins quietly declare their confidence - this is not yet at its real drinking window as the structure will require another five years...

This wears its cedary oak just a little too heavily, although of course these are still early days in the life of a second growth....

A cool summer and a beautiful autumn resulted in the grapes being left on the vines for a long time to fully ripen, with picking...

Haut-Bailly has upped the intensity a little in recent years, and although that has rightly won it plaudits, this makes me feel a little nostalgic...

These are not wines that jump out immediately, and the Cabernet Franc has so far dominated in all the St-Émilions in the line up where...

Like the 2004, cool blue fruit with floral flourishes. But the 2008 has superior mid-palate concentration, revealing yet another underrated vintage that you should purchase,...

Pavie is all about digging in for the long haul, and at 10 years old it starts to make sense. Those tannins are still chewy...

A cool and uneven summer led to a slow growing season, and those who picked too soon had angular tannins. This Pomerol property didn't begin...

A classic 'left bank Pomerol'! It's Cabernet Franc heavy, from gravel soils, and it does really well in this year - the classic, austere style...

You're getting the aged, mature aromas; cola, toffee, caramel, vanilla and blackcurrant. Slightly subdued on the palate. still knitted down but so well structured, this...

This is always one of the more polished expressions of Bordeaux, and at this stage they still had their foot a little more on the...

More concentrated and tannic than many of the other Pauillacs in this vintage, with powerful cassis fruits, notes of liquorice and still-chewy tannins, with cigar...

Clinet is always an enjoyable wine to taste, and at 10 years old it is starting to approach its perfect moment, particularly in this relatively...

Well fleshed out and generous autumnal fruits, blackberry and raspberry puree and white pepper edging, from an extremely high percentage of Cabernet Franc. It has...

Although it's not quite at the heights of Canon today, this is still clearly a gorgeous, silken-textured, focussed, well-structured wine. The limestone is apparent, but...

There's a chewy quality to the texture of this wine, showing grilled oak and espresso notes which are just a touch dominant, but there's a...

Supple and enjoyable, this is excellent to drink now because it has the seductive tannins and star-anise exoticism of Pomerol, but not the power that...

<p>Aromas of cherry compote, cassis, oak and stony minerals. Long, dense, concentrated and chunky style. Not elegant, but rewarding for its good intensity and well-handled...

A more powerful take on the vintage, with masculine notes of liquorice and black cherry fruits. This is a very well controlled Pomerol, with bouncing...

Lovely rich flavours are on offer here right through the palate. It's beautifully stitched together, showing wonderful expression of cassis and bilberry with a kick...

This is an excellent St-Julien with a brisk attack and a rather lovely restrained, savoury edge to the tightly structured black fruits. It has great...

2008 was the first year under Moueix ownership, and it's not quite as polished as its neighbour Canon. But it has heart and structure, with...

A more serious outing than the Petit Mouton, as you might expect, and one that seems to bundle up Pauillac and transcend the vintage -...

This is absolutely ready to drink now, showing some lovely perfume that runs through the extremely well balanced palate. It's one of the few that...

Taking advantage of its extremely high levels of Cabernet Sauvignon, this showcases sweet blueberry and blackberry notes, softened by the family signature of sexy glamour....

This is going to need another few years to soften, and the vanillin expression of oak is overpowering at this stage, even after ten years...

The fruit here has a grilled and spicy kick to it, an elegant and almost brooding expression which is just starting to loosen up, but...

A generous, well-rounded Margaux, expansive through the mid-palate but finishing a little short. Again, this shows that 2008 is a good - but not great...

This is at the point where it's perfect to drink, although those brambly fruits are going to keep delivering for another decade at least. The...

This vintage is sometimes forgotten but is tasting open and ready right now; a sculpted, elegant style of La Conseillante. There is a higher acidity...

Excellent depth and flesh, showing real poise in the black fruits and well-worked tannins, with great Pauillac typicity. This wine has a sense of direction,...

The layers and power here are clear from the first attack, There is a heavier oak influence than some, but it's balanced by damson fruit...

Lifted, high-toned floral aromas of smoky oak, ripe black fruit and pink peppercorns. Excellent weight and concentration, firm tannins and a rich, smooth texture. Attractive...

This is a little subdued on the first attack, taking its time to come round in the glass. It's a second wine with a mind...

Some maturity is evident here, with plenty of beauty: undergrowth and brambles, soft liquorice, almonds, spice, and a slight suggestion of fruit that could have...

This is well filled out through the mid-palate, with some clear menthol notes on the finish. We are in signature Médoc territory here, with plenty...

A lovely warm, enveloping wine with clear structure, softly melting tannins and a real welcoming feel. I don't feel that the oak lets the fruit...

This has clear balance, with rich and flexible tannins and a lovely undercurrent of graphite and tobacco. The fruits are well defined and brambly, but...

This is a wine that is made to be elegant - the most accessible in the Mouton stable. They have achieved that with an attractive...

This is a wine that lets the Merlot take centre stage, along with a fine display of tight tannin. Full of life and with lots...

Firm blackberry and bilberry fruits are accompanied by smooth tannins in this lovely wine full of Pomerol typicity. No need to wait any longer to...

An enjoyable, classic St-Julien showing good balance, soft tannins and gentle autumnal fruits with a mint kick on the finish. It tastes a little older...

The flavours here are a little angular. Although everything is in place, things remain a touch austere even after a decade in bottle. Some attractive...

This is a perky, ready to drink St-Julien, delivering good value and richly-layered, fleshy black fruit. Well balanced and enjoyable, it has good acidity and...

Cinnamon and white pepper spice run through this wine, which is quite a different expression from some of its neighbours. This is really rather pretty,...

Firm and bristling, and still with tons of life in it. This has gone long on the oak, although there is no doubting the damson...

Soft and ready to drink, the autumnal fruits are opening up and the tannins softening. It just doesn't have the persistency that Batailley has displayed...

A fairly big expression for the appellation, although the punch is loaded up front and it doesn't really pace itself through the palate. However, as...

The oak here intrudes with a vanillin patisserie flavour that dominates the fruit, but it resolves itself through the mid-palate. This is a soft, juicy,...

An enjoyable St-Estèphe that's perky and ready to drink. The black fruits have clarity, with redcurrant and floral touches through the mid-palate, although the fruit...

Mulberry fruits and gentle autumn hedgerow aromas develop on the palate to become more about the branches than the fruit. This has a lovely texture...

The fruit expression struggles to deepen here, and is more obviously lacking having reached full maturity. There's an attractive kick of black pepper on the...

A gentle Merlot, extremely gentle, soft and easy to drink. It's a little bit short, but with full-throated, late summer charm.

2008 was a vintage produced before all the serious investments in Belgrave really began to show their results. The fruit here is not fully fleshed...