Allen Meadow 91
 
This is also notably ripe with a mélange of red currant and blue berry aromas that are also nuanced by anise and herb hints that serve to introduce very fresh and vibrant flavors that possess a textured mouth feel and ample finishing complexity.
 
Bertrand Chevillon called the 2008 vintage "one where you never knew anything. We didn't know if we were ever going to have a summer, we didn't know if we were ever going to have anything ripe enough to harvest, we didn't know if there was even going to be a crop at the end of it all. Thankfully, September was just about picture perfect with a steady north wind that pretty much saved us. We picked in the last week of September and while there was some sorting required, it was no worse than any number of recent vintages. Sugars were good at between 12 and 12.5% and there was very little chaptalization necessary. We did a normal vinification because in the end, the fruit was ripe so we saw no reason to deviate from what we usually do. For me, 2008 produced a blend of 2000 and 2001, with the richness and ripeness of the former and the elegance, terroir transparency and precision of the latter.