Bordeaux 2008 Primeurs: The Top Ten
There were nine of us ensconced in the tasting room at Léoville-Las-Cases, almost our last appointment before heading off for lunch at Sociando-Mallet. As is usually the case, there were several wines on show, not just the Las-Cases grand vin and the associated Clos du Marquis, but wines from other Delon properties, namely the Médoc estate Potensac and the Pomerol, Nenin (each with their respective second wines). I worked my way through them in a steady fashion, finding them to be good enough, but none produced so much as a flutter of my heart rate. Good wines, yes. Exciting? No.
Nevertheless I duly slurped, tasted and spat, giving each wine due attention. Not even the arrival of Jancis Robinson and her entourage, which always seems to cause something of a stir, was enough to distract me. Heads turn when Jancis shows up, it seems. I guess that’s not surprising, considering she is one of the world’s leading authorities on things vinous. Her team disappeared as quickly as they had appeared, no doubt shown into a separate super-VIP tasting room, with crystal chandeliers and crystal glasses. I returned to the wine in my glass, and……wow!
