It started cold and rainy. There was mold while flowering dawdled, and anti-rot sprays were commonplace. Spring hail destroyed a few great vines in St. Émilion and Côtes de Castillion. Summer was bright with sun, but cool and slightly damp overall. Bordeaux needed something on which to hang its hat, and soon.

Finally, during harvest, the region had constant warm and dry weather. Vineyard managers that were hoping for some extra hang time were rewarded.

I found one of those wines. This wine was bought at retail and tasted blind, for exam practice.

A dark, opaque ruby core fled almost the entire way to a thin, clear meniscus. Fruits were dark. Boysenberry, currant and raspberry aromas, all just ripe, were on the forefront. Secondary whiffs of smoke, toast, bacon, vanilla and violets abounded. The wine was massive on the palate, featuring ribeye-demanding tannins and gravel galore. Savory aspects and a lush mouth feel gave the wine great depth.  What was on the fence on the nose just became an old world wine. My only rag on this bottle is a just-moderate amount of acidity. Granted though, it comes with the territory of the Cabernet family, and a long watery vintage.

My solution: Put that ribeye on the grill.

The wine was the 2008 Clos René Pomerol. I’ve found some great wines on the right bank in this frustrating vintage, St Émilion, Pomerol, and the satellites alike. This is one of the best.

In the hands of the Lasserre family for 6 generations, Clos René also employs Michel Rolland as a consulting enologist. The 72 acres of vines and resulting wines unsurprisingly feature Merlot and Cabernet Franc, but the estate’s inclusion of 10% Malbec is the highest percentage in Pomerol. They have a second wine out there, too, with Moulinet-Lasserre.

Pomerol is certainly the diamond in the rough of 2008, and at $30, Clos René is worth seeking out. I’ll likely purchase a few more and revisit them later in life!