Bordeaux 2007 Primeurs: Sauternes & Barsac
This is the Hollywood Vintage, one characterised by an improbable change of fortunes right at the last minute, the fruit rescued by an unexpectedly warm September and October. Nevertheless, although palatable, many of the red wines do mirror the distress of the vignerons; in many cases they have hollow midpalates, low concentration, and lack flesh. They are, nevertheless, sterling efforts in made in a very trying vintage.
No such caveats and qualifications need apply where the Sauternes are concerned. The vintage was initially very difficult, but the Indian summer turned out to be perfectly favourable for botrytis and great wines have resulted. August ended with a downpour, water which quenched the thirst of the vines during the drier days that were to come. Some estates harvested quickly, during the first two weeks of September, although those that did brought in fruit sweetened by passerillage rather than botrytis. Brisk winds and cool nights discouraged the development of this most desirable of moulds, and thus most estates held off, bringing in only a minority of the fruit. Suduiraut was fairly typical, in that the fruit was harvested by five tries, only two of which took place in September, the latter three in October. There was still 70% of the Suduiraut fruit out on the vine when October arrived, and this was the month when the botrytis came in force. More humid weather and warmer nights engendered the development of the noble rot, and many estates picked several tries with good if not hugely concentrated botrytis in October. This concentration only came in the middle of the month, when dry weather allowed the fruit to concentrate whilst remaining healthy. Some estates continued on with up to seven tries, bringing in high quality rôti fruit at the end.
