Every year we go to Bordeaux in early April for the en primeur tastings and every year I am reminded of the hundred years’ war… There is always that sense of anticipation before battle: our palates attempting to discover the truth behind what is always a beautifully executed French PR campaign.

According to the Bordelais a vintage is, at its worse, always good. We British can be accused of being more cynical but one thing’s for sure – only by going and tasting the wines ourselves will we find out. Another UK merchant has quite openly declared their intention not to go this year. We have always felt that our role is to be the link between the people who make the wine and the people who drink the wine, so we would be doing our customers a disservice if we were to take that stance.

Only time will tell if Bordeaux 2008 will indeed be decent vintage but for now we guarantee you this: during the whole of next week, for better or for worse, we will bring you the truth about Bordeaux 2008 from the hallowed cellars of the châteaux themselves.

We’ll be visiting all the big names, from Lafite and Mouton to Gruaud and Lynch, to provide you with a complete overview. Let the battle commence!

If you would like to be the FIRST to know the truth about the Bordeaux 2008 vintage then follow our daily blog reports from Our Man in Bordeaux. To keep up with every step of Simon Staples’ vinous adventure, you can follow him on . Sign up now, it only takes a few seconds and it’s free.