The schizophenolic vintage
7 April 2008
We arrived in Bordeaux last week for the annual Union des Grands Crus tastings full of trepidation that a re-run of 1997 was in the making. History seemed destined to repeat itself following the glamour of 2005 and 2006.
American buyers were conspicuous by their absence. Lunch queues were short. Skirts weren`t. The air was chilly, dress was uncommonly casual.
But 2007 is not the plain young sister - far from it. Yes, there are some dull wines. Some illustrious names have properly screwed it up. Or at least as properly as one can expect with what`s at stake nowadays. But others have excelled, and a few have even made great wines.
We`d heard that it`s a right bank vintage. So why is Margaux so impressive? Ah, because it favoured Merlot? But at Lynch-Bages Jean-Charles Cazes said it was the Cabernet that stood out. And while Pomerol blew our minds, why`s St-Emilion so patchy? Cheval Blanc is brilliant, but that`s mainly Cabernet Franc. It`s a very good vintage for dry whites, but they`re not all exciting. Yquem declare another historic year ending in 7, but few other Sauternes properties can do likewise.
Well, the vine doesn`t like life easy, and 2007 was a tough test. A mild winter then hot and dry April prompted early flowering. From there things went downhill: cool and wet weather dominated, causing big problems for grape growers. Summer didn`t arrive till September - the best one in 60 years - but then continued into October. This was crucial for ripening the Cabernets.
The result is a range of quality of a magnitude impressive even for Bordeaux. There`s plenty of phenolic matter: the red grapes had something like 130 days to ripen (30 more than usual), which some said was the longest growing season on record. The best wines are properly ripe and concentrated, well structured, impressively delineated and beautifully balanced, with relatively low alcohol, gorgeous, cool climate purity, perfume and freshness, and deserve to sell well en primeur. They are not necessarily the most expensive, nor the most expected; while meticulous vineyard work was essential, luck also played its part. And it`s not particular areas or appellations that succeeded but particular properties.
And then there`s the conflicting personality - astringency, stalkiness, over-extraction - and a dilemma for the trade. There are many empty cellars in Bordeaux, providing little incentive to cut prices - despite the strengthening Euro. Merchants and negociants are under pressure to maintain allocations with the big names. But with 2007 some of them are, ahem, sub-prime, and it remains to be seen who will shoulder the burden. One thing`s for sure: there`s plenty of stock for the French supermarkets and Majestic. /AR
We shall shortly be displaying the wines we are offering on our website. Please let us know if there are particular ones you are looking to buy. This will inform us of your interest prior to general release; it does not place you under any obligation to buy but nor does it guarantee that we can supply the wine. Prices will be posted on the website as they are released and we will highlight our favourites in a series of emails.
© Uncorked® 2008
Zoe, Peter, Jim, Colin, Andrew
Uncorked Ltd
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