Pale, bright yellow. Shows less aromatic lift and primary fruit on the nose than the 2009, offering musky scents of marzipan, nuts, oatmeal, clove and smoke. Richer and creamier than the 2009, in a distinctly fatter style, displaying a hint of caramel but not the primary fruit character of the '09. Finishes with a slightly dry, phenolic edge. This wine does not have the balance of the superb '09. Ramey told me he picked during a ten-day heat wave and that, with labor short, it was a logistical nightmare. He acidified the '08 by an average of 1.7 grams per liter.