Chateau d’Agassac
Cru Bourgeois 2008

This is the archetype of modern Médoc, structured and powerful, yet balanced, fruity and endowed with ripe and supple tannins. Made for laying down, it can be enjoyed relatively young, by those who love their wines with ripe fruits and powerful tannins, or with extended age, for those who enjoy the meaty, earthy and umami flavours of mature Bordeaux. It is one of the best rated and most awarded wines of Haut-Médoc.

50/50 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The 2008 has a medium garnet core. The nose has inviting aromas of black cherry, cooked fruit, menthol, leather and tobacco.. Medium bodied with fine fruit sweetness, well-integrated tannins, elegant and persistent. The finish has a pleasant touch of chocolate. This has all the hallmarks of a great Agassac: sophistication, grace and a quiet strength. This vintage is drinking at its peak right now, but there is still plenty of life left! (The chateau bottles a small quantity of each vintage in screw cap and releases after many years. For restaurants, this provides the ability to open easily and be assured it is perfect! Despite being sealed this way, the wine does evolve and improve in bottle. This one is at its absolute best and will hold for the next 5 to 10 years.)

“A rare Bordeaux under screw cap, this 2008 Haut-Médoc is remarkably lively and perfumed, a sheer pleasure to sniff. It has evolved to be sure, and captures the cool 2008 vintage accurately in a timeless snap; black and red fruit mingle with floral tones and damp earth/hummus, shifting to dried plums on the finish. It’s lighter-bodied example to be sure at 13% alcohol, again in line with vintage expectations. I’d say it’s pretty much à point now, though under screwcap it won’t move too quickly.” Score 92, John Szabo, December 2024