The people of Champagne report a precious detail of the glorious 2008 vintage. They say that in those unrepeatable months, even the rainwater was very good: 'Unique et magnifique!'. Even on this side of the Alps, the vintage was not exactly underwhelming for the Metodo Classico; monumental versions of Giulio Ferrari '08 and Franciacorta Riserva '08 from Il Mosnel are there to certify it to this day. We collected a series of thrilling tastings of 2008 Champagne, the vintage giving us a mountain of freshness and deep emotions. The tastings were made with uncovered bottles, in different time periods.
The best Champagnes of 2008, historically, the perfect vintage
Champagne Brut Vintage 2008 Krug
100/100
The dynamic is that of falling in love. We are happy and do not understand why; we are completely at the mercy of events; all we see is a damned magnetic attraction. The glass slaps us with that ripe touch so recognisable: brioche, toast, spices, coffee, citrus. Even iodine. The mouth is resounding, the pleasure total and devastating. It offers an immersive, salty and very fresh world of infinite flavour. To lose one's head and wallet.
Champagne Extra Brut Vieille Vigne du Levant 2008 Larmandier-Bernier
99.5/100
Cramant, Cramant. The Chardonnay plot looks East, the vineyard is old, the disgorging by hand. There is something mystical in the aromas, they are broad and vertical at the same time, green tea, ginger and cumin. On the palate it is a splinter of salt and white fruits, pure in its mentholated lunge, juicy and with a simply regenerating freshness. Wow. Subsequent cuvées discounted all this condensed poetry.
Champagne Brut Fleur de Passion 2008 Diebolt-Vallois
99/100
The other side of Cramant, still an old vineyard but with a more glacial and pure look, the dress is for an important evening. The grip on the lees is textbook, the aromas of toasted bread and white flowers so beautiful they do not seem real. The mouth is razor-sharp, it has structure and changes pace, savoury dribbling like a champion. The jolt on the palate creates a sense of vertigo. You only recover on the finish, with a touch of citrus to put your feet back on planet Earth.
Champagne Extra Brut Les Hauts Meunier 2008 Emmanuel Brochet
99/100
As many as 916 bottles produced. Those lucky enough to have had the pleasure of meeting it claim to have encountered the best pure Meunier ever produced. The vineyard dates back to 1962 on Mont Benoit (Montagne de Reims), the malolactic lock. We were struck by the amount of flavour and savouriness in a texture that was anything but heavy and dense, the elegant bergamot dressing perfectly fused with spices and toastiness. A flood of counterpoints and details in the sign of a drinkability that excites.
Champagne N.P.U. 2008 Bruno Paillard
98.5/100
In the past we have struggled to tune in to this cuvée, often dense and textural on release. The 2004, after a few years in bottle, put us off, this 2008 has enlightened us. The toasted aspect is very fine and enveloping, of hazelnut, mountain butter, hay, ginger. The mouth is full, complete, dynamic, with great articulation and depth. The tactile part is enchanting. The pairing with a mussel stew from Lake Paola is illegal.
Champagne Cristal 2008 Louis Roederer
97.5/100
White, pure, precise. The sensation of harmony and balance is impeccable, the notes of chalk and lemon are fine and airy. The mouth digs deep with electrifying movement, the acidity is perfectly integrated, the perlage chiselled, the finish long and refined. A crisp, museum-like beauty, difficult to fully grasp now. A couple of years in the bottle and it will also be enthralling.
Champagne Les Chétillons 2008 Pierre Péters
96.5/100
Mesnil never fully indulges in the opening, you have to take the first step. The beginning is contracted and somewhat mute, then it concedes itself in a crisp stretch of white flowers and citrus fruits, with a more evolved note to give completeness. The mouth is creamy, mineral and refined. It has a rare sense of proportion.
Champagne Brut Nature Les Chenes 2008 Georges Laval
96/100
Compact, austere, energetic. To be sought in the glass, even by letting it warm up a few degrees. And here it comes out of the den in its puffs of lime, aniseed, chalk. The taste is decisive, impactful, with a beautiful grip, with a spicy garnish to enrich the mature and rhythmic sip. With the spaghetti ai ricci the combination remained on paper, too much tension.
Champagne Brut Nature Extrait 2008 Vouette et Sorbée
96/100
One vintage, one barrel. Bertrand Gautherot's cuvée does not go unnoticed. It seems to bring together two phases, the mouth is decidedly ripe, with an oxidative touch, scents of forgotten apples in the fruit basket, coffee and liquorice. The mouth reverses everything, very tense, moved by a formidable energy. The drinking proceeds in spurts, what a character! The second bottle tasted, alas, really tired.
Champagne Coeur de Terroir 2008 Pascal Doquet
95/100
We close at Vertus. Pascal Doquet signs a complex (white flowers, citrus fruits and brioche) and refined Champagne where tension and richness are perfectly balanced. The finish is light, clean and dancing. The savoury accent accompanies it gently from start to finish.
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