I thought the 2008 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Girard had essentially the same texture, weight, and overall quality as the 2008 Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition. I gave the former wine a one point higher score only because of its more uplifted/perfumed aromatics. Both are very good examples of the vintage with lots of damp earth, garrigue, spice box, pepper, and autumnal vegetative notes intermixed with black cherry and black currant fruit. Both wines are evolved and are best drunk over the next 4-5 years. Domaine Raymond Usseglio produced brilliant 2009s as well as very good 2008s. As long-time readers know, American importer Peter Weygandt chooses his own classic/traditional cuvee, named Cuvee Girard, for sale in America. I tend to have a slight preference for Weygandt's cuvee over the traditional offering sold elsewhere as it is bottled without fining or filtering, and I think the actual blend is slightly different. That said, it was almost impossible to see any difference in either the 2008 or 2009 offerings at this stage. Importer: Peter Weygandt, Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800