Bordeaux vintners have been pleasantly surprised by the quality of the region's 2008 vintage at every stage of its production.

Arriving in New York for tastings of the 2008 vintage prior to it going out to retailers, Bordeaux chateau owners confessed that the final wine was better than had been expected, Bloomberg reports.

"It was a cold vintage, and at the end of August we thought it was all over for the reds," Olivier Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier told the publication.

"Luckily September and October were so nice we could wait for real ripeness before picking. I have never harvested so late."

The news provider goes on to say that with the initial outlook for the vintage being so poor, many bottles of 2008 Bordeaux are still very reasonably priced.

Wine Spectator recently declared that many bottles of 2008 Bordeaux are excellent quality, but they are overshadowed by the 2005 and 2009 vintages.