Chateau Brane-Cantenac 2008: Quite an interesting nose here, sweet and sherbetty, with crunchy, violet-tinged, aromatic fruit. Stony, rich, juicy palate, with similar fruit characteristics as found on the nose. This has a lean but still attractive style, with nicely refreshing acidity. 15-16+/20

Chateau Dauzac 2008: Rather dark fruit character here, with sweet black cherry, in a dense, confit style. An appealing start on the palate, rich and creamy cigar-tinged blackberry fruit, with quite fine tannins, but softer acidity. Overall this is pretty, but rather flash and lacking in structure and substance. 14.5-15.5+/20

Chateau Desmirail 2008: Dark and brawny fruit on the nose here, with a confit raspberry edge. Cleaner on the palate though, rather showy, although there is a leaner, middleweight midpalate. Appropriate tannins and certainly fresh, this has a nice style, but it lacks precision. 15-16+/20

Chateau Durfort-Vivens 2008: Rather brighter fruit on the nose than some, with a pure and dense cherry fruit....with just a hint of animal. Purity returns on the palate, with a plum skin and cherry stone character, and a minerally, polished, elegant midpalate. Persistent, ripe, attractive, with a little length. One of the better wines for sure. 16.5-17.5+/20

Chateau Ferrière 2008: Not very expressive on the nose, although what it does show has a good black cherry and cream character. The palate has fine substance, with a slightly leaner midpalate, stony fruit and light tannic structure. Firm acids. This lacks a little weight, and yet has a slightly chewy element to it. It needs to put on some fat in barrel, and could be good if it does so. 15.5-16.5+/20

Chateau Giscours 2008: Dark, slightly withdrawn fruit here. The palate is crisp, fresh and stony, with a slightly chewy extraction of tannins. Moderate texture, good acid, giving this a fresh and defined style. There is a long, juicy finish and certainly some vigour. This could be good given appropriate time. 15.5-16.5+/20

Chateau d'Issan 2008: This is 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, accounts for 64% of the harvest, and will see 50% new oak. Picking began on October 1st, although most of the fruit for the grand vin was brought in between October 14th and 18th. Overall yield was just 28 hl/ha (for comparison, in 2007 it was 49 hl/ha). This has a much darker character than Blason, with aromas of roasted meats, nutty oak and smoky complexity. The palate is attractive and quite serious, with nice density, rich and ripe fruit, and good spice. Nice backbone, good length too. A good showing. 16.5-17.5+/20

Blason d'Issan 2008: The second wine of Issan. This is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, represents 36% of the harvest, and will see 35% new oak. The volume is up this year as 10 hectares of Issan vineyards with the Haut-Médoc appellation have been reclassified in October 2007 as AC Margaux, and the fruit has been included here. The nose is crisp, with black fruits, perfumed liquorice and a little sweetness. Lean and stony on the palate, although there is a sweet character to the fruit. Stylish in the middle, but harder on the finish. Fresh, well judged, with some substance and appealing notes of vanilla and raspberry. A good second wine. 15-16+/20

Chateau Kirwan 2008: A nose of sweet cherry liqueur here, aromatic and pure. A fresh and creamy extract on the palate, firm, with chewy tannins and moderate acidity. It seems well delineated with freshness but perhaps not the vigour. At least it has good fruit. If this comes together in bottle it may be worthwhile. It does seem to have moved away from the heavily extracted style of the 2007, which is good. 15.5-16.5+/20

Chateau Lascombes 2008: Dense, rather feral fruit, with some confit cherry character. The palate starts off sweet and then quickly seems to dry out, becoming dominated by extract and tannin. There is huge tannic structure here, with a soft layer of muted fruit on top. Rather brawny in style, heavily extracted, lacking in the texture or substance to match I feel. I'm dubious about this one. 15-16+?/20

Chateau Malescot St-Exupéry 2008: Dense and withdrawn, with a slightly crunchy edge to the black fruits. Cool and creamy on entry, with roasted cherry character. There is a juiciness here, but also slightly chewy tannins and a sweet, confected edge. Nevertheless, this has good texture and a little length. There is a hint of promise here. 15-16+/20

Chateau Margaux 2008: This year the grand vin accounts for 36% of the harvest, slightly more than in 2007, and is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 1.5% Cabernet Franc and 1.5% Petit Verdot. A richer character then Pavillon Rouge (tasted first) on the nose. Broader, more generous, with a little perfume and gravel. Gentle but nicely defined on entry, but then it shows more austerity, with a firm grip building in the middle. The texture is rather subtle, overall elegant, but underneath a rather firm character. There is violet and redcurrant perfume, with a pure and lifted style. Good length, but in this vintage the quality lags behind Lafite, Latour and Haut-Brion. Certainly a good wine though. 17.5-18.5+/20

Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux 2008: The second wine of Margaux, accounting for 47% of the crop, this is 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. This is less Merlot than usual. The nose has attractive, smoky, gravelly, gently perfumed fruit. Pure and cool in character, with a firm midpalate structure. There is a slightly biting character to the tannins, giving an austere and dry structure. It gently builds in style on the palate, and will need time to show its best. 16-17+/20

Pavillon Blanc du Chateau Margaux 2008: As usual I have included the white wine of Margaux, which has the Bordeaux Blanc appellation, here for simplicity's sake. The alcohol is 14% this year, down from last year's 15.5%. A fabulous nose, both creamy and flinty. Fresh and defined on the palate, rich, quite broad and textured, structured too. A lovely polished style, tangible weight, with a moderately rich midpalate. There is great potential here. 17-18+/20

Chateau Marquis de Terme 2008: An unusual nose here, meaty, farmyardy, a little herby, but there is also a little cherry fruit. Sweetly textured, then confit, this is a softly composed wine with moderate, ripe tannins and a firm punch of acid. Sweet and a bit jammy though. 14.5-15.5+/20

Chateau Palmer 2008: The harvest here began on October 1st and finished on the 17th, and the yield for the estate was 30 hl/ha. As with 2007 Merlot dominates at 51%, with 41% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petit Verdot. This is dark, but fresh and crunchy, bright and perfumed. The palate is dense, pure and vigorous, with a fine grippy substance and moderate weight. A lovely, elegant wine but with substance, balance and backbone. 17.5-18.5+/20

Alter Ego de Palmer 2008: Harvest and yield information for this, the second wine of Palmer, is as for the grand vin. A blend of 52% Merlot and 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine took 50% of the crop. On the nose a bright and stony perfume, with crisp violets. Freshness follows on the palate, stony but with substance, a touch juicy, but underneath it is structured and firmly balanced. A very appealing wine which puts many classed growths of the appellation to shame. 17-18+/20

Chateau Prieuré-Lichine 2008: Not very expressive on the nose, slightly high-toned though, with some black cherry notes. Polished style, but slightly lean, and then quite a bit of midpalate tannin. Ripe, grainy, with good acidity. Softly composed, this - like many wines here - is missing vigour and definition. 14.5-15.5+/20

Chateau Rauzan-Gassies 2008: Hints of blackberry and cream here, in a chalky, mineral style. Cool on entry, lighter and leaner in the midpalate when compared to Ségla, but more juicy in terms of fruit. Nice tannins at the core, ripe, with good acidity. It lacks great substance and definition, but the wines here do seem to be improving. 15-16+/20

Chateau Rauzan-Ségla 2008: Rather muted, furry fruit on the nose, with a very firm substance and piles of substance and tannin on the palate. Good firm acidity, plenty of dark fruit, a decent body in the middle and freshness towards the finish. A decent length. A good effort. 16.5-17.5+/20

Chateau du Tertre 2008: Slightly brawny fruit character here, with cherry stone fruit. Rather earthy too, farmyardy, hot and pruney. On the palate the tannins are nicely composed, and there is a nice texture and, despite the fruit profile, attractively fresh acidity. The structure of this wine is good, but will the aromatics come into line? If they do this could be good, if not.....? 15.5-16.5+?/20

Goulée 2008: This wine, created first in 2003, is produced by the team at Cos d'Estournel. I tasted that vintage at a dinner last year although did not write the wine up for Winedoctor as the tasting conditions weren't really favourable. The harvest here began on October 2nd, with an approximate yield of 20 hl/ha. This is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot, matching the ratio in the vineyard. Like Pagodes de Cos, tasted alongside, this has a very toasty nose, with a concentrate ripeness of fruit. Dense, rich, creamy, very approachable, with a good ripe substance. Nicely integrated, and it has freshness and vigour too. Good wine. 16-17+/20

Chateau Potensac 2008: This is certainly superior to Chapelle, which was tasted first. There are more profound aromatics, with dark cherry and plum notes. More fleshy in the start, with good substance, and a nicely balanced tannin core. Good character, body, acid and integration. A nice effort for Potensac. 16-17+/20

Chapelle de Potensac 2008: The second wine of Potensac. Cherry fruit with a dark character on the nose. Nicely textured, quite a firm backbone of tannin, with nice aromatic fruit like that on the nose. Approachable although in a very firm style. Decent for what it is. 14.5-15.5+/20

Chateau Preuillac 2008: There is open, expressive, rather firm and brawny fruit on the nose here. This is followed by a moderate texture on entry, with firm midpalate structure, and very firm acidity too. Grippy, with a forthright finish, this is a good effort from this estate. 15.5-16.5+/20

Chateau Beaumont 2008: An interesting nose, fresh and perfumed, although the fruit is dominated by notes of rhubarb. It is more appealing than it sounds! Supple and perhaps slightly oily on the palate, this is nicely textured, with sensible extract and backbone of tannins. Good extract and firm grip. Overall rather straightforward, but at least it is fresh. 15.5-16.5+/20

Chateau Belgrave 2008: Dark and slightly plump fruit here, fresh although a little high-toned, sweet and herby. Evident oak too. Very rounded style to the palate, some polished substance, a touch of sweetness, but a little diffuse in the middle. Good substance here though, and some nice extract and tannin. 15-16+/20

Chateau Bernadotte 2008: This is 56% Cabernet Sauvignon and 44% Merlot, with an overall yield of 42 hl/ha. has warm and smoky fruit on the nose, and a lovely textural quality on entry. Firm in the midpalate, with slightly confected cherry fruit showing. The palate shows sweetness and texture, but underneath there is a slightly sooty grip to the tannins which perhaps contribute towards the slightly hard finish. Nice wine though. 15.5-16.5+/20

Chateau Camensac 2008: Not so expressive on the nose, with just a little chalky red fruit poking through. A good weight, with very bright red fruit on the palate, a little high-toned and confected, herby too, although there is an attractive suppleness to it. Lean to moderate texture, but with a little sweetness I find appealing, and a nice finish. 15.5-16.5+/20

Chateau Cantemerle 2008: Sweet black cherry and plum on the nose here, a very dark style of fruit, but with freshness. Nice harmony on the palate, good substance but well judged, with a tannic core and good acidity. There is a slightly bitter character to the fruit, which is very firm with good substance. A good Cantemerle here I think. 16-17+/20

Chateau Chasse-Spleen 2008: A nice, very classic, rather cedary nose here, with some polished but dusty (an oxymoron, I suppose) fruit on the palate. Attractive, supple, with moderate weight and good fresh acidity, this has a nice concentration of tannin and overall is nicely judged and harmonious. Very good potential. 16-17+/20

Chateau Citran 2008: Not very expressive, with just some dense and nutty fruit. A nice weight on the palate, substantial in terms of body, with firm fruit backed up by firm tannins. There is even a touch of cream here. But overall, a bit forceful, and rather strongly extracted. 15-16+/20

Chateau La Lagune 2008: Dense fruit, somewhat hard and withdrawn on the nose, with just a suggestion of leafiness. The same character comes through on the palate for me, where the fruit is dense, slightly meaty, slightly feral, with a rich, extracted, brawny style. Very tannic, with a big grip and very firm acidity. It seems somewhat over-worked to me. 15-16+?/20

Chateau Poujeaux 2008: Lovely bright fruit here, with a crystalline black summer berry character. The palate has good freshness, with a crisp style, and crunchy black fruits. There is even a little suppleness to it. Firm, tannic backbone too, with good acidity. A nice style here. 16-17+/20

Chateau Sociando-Mallet 2008: Bright fruit here, fresh and with a little crunch too, with lots of pure Cabernet character. Good substance. Crisp, stylish, with lots of spicy extract. Substantial, moderately textured, with a fine acid core. There is a lot of good potential here. 16.5-17.5+/20

Chateau La Tour Carnet 2008: Very bright and confected fruit here, with aromas of cherries and pear drops, with a sweet but dark character. Dense, delineated and rich, with high toned notes on the palate. A very ripe and substantial wine, with lots of extracted, grippy tannin and acid. 15.5-16.5+/20