The 2007 vintage in Bordeaux was one that favoured the white wines over the red. Of course, there are few white wines produced in the region, at the classed growth level at least, and it is only to Graves and of course its sweeter counterparts Sauternes and Barsac that we can turn to find these wines. Unfortunately the annual Institute of Masters of Wine Bordeaux tasting has always focused on the red wines, not the white, and so the very successful dry white wines of Pessac-Léognan - wines that you could argue were the most successful dry wines of the vintage - were not on show today.

Happily, there is a sweetener though. And it really is a sweetener, as although the IMW tasting has never before featured Sauternes, this year for the first time it did, and so a handful of fabulous sweet wines joined the line up, in most cases kicking dust into the faces of their redder companions. I will provide more details on the first ever appearance of Sauternes at the annual IMW tasting in my future update on 2007 Sauternes and Barsac. For now, though, it is time to take a look at the red wines, starting with Pessac-Léognan.

The Story so Far

At the primeur tastings in April 2008 one proprietor of a Pessac-Léognan château confessed to me quite candidly that 2007 was a petit millésime. But even at those very first tastings it was clear that this dismissive statement applied to the reds, and not to the whites. The cool weather had engendered freshness and bright character in the white wines, but these climatic conditions favoured the red wines much less. As a consequence, my early impressions were that these wines were petit vins, wines that are lighter and will drink early. I did not develop the impression, on tasting these wines, that they would be good buys during the en primeur season, and on reflection that statement was correct, although it was hardly a tough call; the vintage continued the current trend of high release prices for the latest Bordeaux vintage, and the prices were way out of kilter with the quality I tasted.

Bordeaux 2007

Retasting at the UGC in 2009 confirmed my initial thoughts about the whites, although some of the red wines showed fairly well, taking into account the vintage. They were obviously lighter wines, without the substance or texture of a warmer and more desirable vintage, wines that lacked flesh through the middle. One or two held more promise, but the majority were simple, and some were leaning towards leanness and greenness. Many, however, would have made attractive propositions for the restaurant trade, as it was clear even then that these were unchallenging wines, light and without obdurate tannic backbones. They would be ready to drink sooner rather than later, and would thus be a good addition to any wine list. Unfortunately, the prices still got in the way.

Pessac-Léognan 2007: The Wines Today

Now at four years of age, it is time to return to the vintage once again. Do they still have that same light touch, or have they blossomed magnificently? The recent tasting of the vintage, hosted by the Institute of Masters of Wine in London, was the perfect opportunity to make such a judgement.

Looking at specific wines, it might come as no surprise that both Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion showed well, within the context of the vintage of course, and on the day I preferred the precision of La Mission. Having said that, the rounded substance of Haut-Brion suggests that there is a wine waiting to blossom here, and the long-term potential may be considerable. Thereafter the most convincing wines were Domaine de Chevalier and Haut-Bailly, showing that good terroir and skilled winemaking will shine through even in the weakest of vintages.

It has to be said, however, that many other wines were of decent quality but no more than that. Clearly sweeping generalisations are often flawed, but I have already indicated above the handful of wines that rose above the very low bar set by this vintage. Having said that, these are not terrible wines. They are light, fresh and crisply fruited, and if taken in the context of the terrible growing season, which was marred by rain, oidium and mildew, they should be considered a success. Taking the wines in isolation, however, they are largely no more than pleasant, providing few moments of excitement. As I have indicated above I believe they would make wonderful restaurant wines, in that they will reach maturity relatively early in many cases, and will thus be ready for the table far sooner than other grander vintages which are more demanding of cellaring. Likewise, sold at a good price, they could be drunk while we all wait for the 2009 and 2010 vintages to come around....if you could afford any of those wines, that is.

The insurmountable obstacle, though, remains price; pleasant, simple and unexciting wines such as these need to offer something else instead - namely value - and the wines described below were priced too high from the outset, and for the most part they remain so to this day. (10/1/12)

Pessac-Léognan 2007: Tasting Notes

Tasted at the Institute of Masters of Wine tasting in November 2011. Click to locate stockists.

Red Wines

Domaine de Chevalier 2007: Quite an exotic sense to the nose here, enticing, certainly some oak-related elements influencing this impression, it being a little toasty and charcoaly. But underneath the oak there are promising fruit elements, red fruits with earthy, undergrowthy, savoury edges too. It is quite soft on entry, gently polished, remaining really quite accessible into the midpalate. There is a spicy structure coming in too though, although it remains soft and slightly shapeless. There is a lot of acidity as we might expect, and this turns up a notch on the finish, which is bright and crunchy. Overall, a promising wine in the context of the vintage. 16/20

Château de Fieuzal 2007: Slightly charcoaly and sooty on the nose, the fruit behind moving somewhere between red and black. There is a slightly sweet suggestion to it, like squashed forest fruits, but it still remains subtle behind the oak. It is smoky too. It has rather a solid and dry palate at the start, There is flesh on the palate but there is also a dusty feel to it, with plenty of grip and not so much softening cover. The finish is peppery and suggests a leaner style of fruit than the nose did. The spice in the finish really dominates. 15/20

Château Haut-Bailly 2007: This is the first wine in this commune that seems to show a fruit layer that can stand up to the oak at this stage. It is dark and withdrawn rather than open or expressive, but it is certainly there, and the oak has a more subtle, golden feel, and comes in after the fruit. It is still not an open or giving wine at this stage though. The palate has a more gentle start despite that, showing some red fruit character with some attractive perfume. The wine remains very supple and restrained into the midpalate, and although the tannins come into play they only really show through on the finish. There is some refinement here, especially comparing to its Pessac peers. Good. 16/20

Château Haut-Brion 2007: This feels quite withdrawn, especially so in comparison to La Mission Haut-Brion which is starting to show a more attractive, perfumed bouquet. This is a superficial reticence though, and underneath this the perceived style is one of meaty concentration. As it opens up in the glass it reveals a crisper, stylish, red-fruit perfume, and there are suggestion of white flower petals here too. And then there are little notes of vanilla pod, and fruit, with a fine gentle polish to it. Attractive, lightly fleshed out, direct and balanced, not quite showing the definition and direction displayed by La Mission at this point though. Even so the structure seems well integrated and the wine certainly has potential. 16.5/20

Château Malartic-Lagravière 2007: This has rather a chewy style of fruit on the nose, overlaid by a smoky and bright style of oak. It is slightly charred, but not over the top, and the meatier fruit character copes well with it. With the aromatic profile in mind, the palate is unsurprisingly quite stolid compared to the rest of the appellation, with a slightly plumper feel to it, backed up by plenty of peppery tannin in the finish. Returning to the nose, the perfume seems a little tighter and better defined which I like. An attractive wine. 15/20

Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2007: There is a really appealing perfume here, one that speaks of bright, slightly crunchy, crystalline fruits overlaid not by oak, or other distracting aromas, but by a floral delicacy which has great aromatic appeal for me. This is the first wine in the commune where there seems to be true definition of aroma. It has wonderful purity and lift, but with elegance rather than power. The palate still has a slightly soft feel at first, but there is a real and true frame here, even if it is light-bodied. There is balance here, a nice and slightly crunchy tannic backbone, with bright acidity, and a soft layer of fruit. It seems very appropriate for the vintage, and yet a high quality effort nevertheless. An honest wine. 16.5/20

Château Pape-Clément 2007: No surprises here, the aromatics remain dominated by honeyed, golden oak, the fruit quite difficult to perceive beneath this domineering character. The oak seems to be dominating in many of the wines at this tasting, so this finding isn't a shock when it comes to Pape Clément. There is a roundness that suggests fruit, but little else. The palate is soft at first, quickly yielding to a charred, slightly chewy, puckering tannic core, along with supple oak character. There is plenty of grip in the finish, with a solid fruit character which is more reassuring than the aromatics. 16/20

Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte 2007: Dark and grainy oak here, bringing lightly charred and buttery sensations to the aromatics, but there is dark fruit behind, with a sweet and lightly perfumed red forest fruit character. The palate is rather soft and plump, the feel in the mouth welcoming, broad and fairly well filled out for the vintage. There is certainly some substance here, softly enveloping the tannins and acidity beneath. It is attractive, but in a very plush (within the context of the vintage) and toasty style. Good grip in the finish too. This at least has promise. 15/20