Based on 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc raised all in new oak, the brilliant 2008 Bellevue Mondotte is one of the more powerful, opulent, pleasure-bent wines in the vintage. Offering up a rock star bouquet of blackcurrants, smoked herbs, licorice, and cedar, it has full-bodied richness, ample mid-palate depth, and building structure. It’s brilliant stuff at the early stages of its drink window and has another two decades of longevity. Bravo!

An extraordinary effort in this vintage this 2008 was made from lower yields than the 2010 (the 2008's equaled 20 hectoliters per hectare) and is a blend of 90% Merlot and equal parts Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon that came in at 14% natural alcohol. Michel Rolland has been the consultant for all the Perse estates since their acquisition and the 2008's fruit was harvested very late October 20. The result is a backward dense purple-colored wine revealing a crushed rock-like liqueur along with highly extracted massive flavors of black currants sweet cherries licorice and toast. This full-bodied effort requires 5-6 years of bottle age and should last for 25-30 years. 95+

Fleshy and flashy, with layers of ripe, deep, dark fruits that stick with you. At 10 years of age, the wine is still young, concentrated and tannic, needing at least another 5-10 more years to soften and develop. But it is going to be worth the wait. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2008&wine=Chateau%20Bellevue%20Mondotte

Saturated ruby. Musky aromas of dark fruits, coffee, mocha, chocolate and potpourri spices. Concentrated but classically dry, offering no easy sweetness today in spite of its great ripeness. Lush and deep but also quite penetrating. Perhaps most impressive today on the palate-staining back end, which features huge, broad tannins and a chewy impression of solidity.