The 2008 Cantemerle is an utterly classic and superb example of this utterly classic and vastly underrated vintage, delivering outstanding nascent complexity on both the nose and palate. The bouquet delivers an aromatic constellation of dark berries, cassis, cigar smoke, a fine base of Cantemerle’s dark, gravelly soil tones, espresso and a deft framing of cedar. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and shows off excellent mid-palate depth, with excellent focus and balance, ripe tannins and excellent length and grip on the properly reserved and very promising finish. It still needs at least another five years in the cellar to start to blossom and really will not be at its peak for another decade. The 2008 Cantemerle will evolve beautifully in the cellar and is clearly superior today to the more-heralded 2010 vintage here. 2019-2045+.

Muscular weight and density to the mid palate, this starts off with plenty of raspberry and blackberry fruits, along with cedar and leather. Drops fairly quickly through the mid palate. Suggest going for large format of this vintage if you can find it, there is still plenty of freshness here and plenty of enjoyment to be had. 40% new oak for ageing, fined but unfiltered on bottling, Eric Boissenot consultant, Philippe Dambrine director.

Cantemerle tends to produce somewhat understated and restrained but finesse-filled wines. The medium-bodied 2008 offers elegant notes of raspberries red currants crushed rocks and oak backed up by good concentration sweet tannin and no hard edges. Drink it over the next 10-12 years.