Ten Years On: The 2007 Vintage
After my detailed exploration of the 2007 Bordeaux vintage at ten years, published last August, and the 2007 Loire vintage at ten years, published yesterday, I thought I should publish this rather ragtag selection of notes on other wines of the 2007 vintage from other regions.
The tasting notes presented here is a curious mix of wines and styles, with various stories behind each bottle. Starting in the Rhône Valley, I was impressed with the 2007 Hermitage Blanc Chante-Alouette, from Chapoutier, while the 2007 Hermitage La Sizeranne was a little more ordinary, but still filled with charm. I picked up both bottles during a visit to meet Michel Chapoutier, in Tain l’Hermitage, five or six years ago. The two wines from Zind-Humbrecht showed well; both the Heimbourg and Clos Jebsal vineyards abut the grand cru Brand, and all three sites are strongly linked to the Zind-Humbrecht domaine. The 2007 Heimbourg Riesling was good enough, but the 2007 Clos Jebsal Pinot Gris Vendange Tardive was deliciously seductive, complex and enticing, a very different view on the world of sweet wines to that which I am used to (which usually involves Chenin Blanc, on schist or limestone, as you might imagine).
Next up a little run of wines from Tuscany, all bottles I brought back from a trip to the region back in 2001, if my memory serves me correctly. This was clearly a strong vintage for the region, and while none disappointed there was, for me, no denying the supremacy of the 2007 Chianti Classico Riserva from Castello di Fonterutoli, although both the 2007 Classico Riserva Rància and 2007 Guidalberto gave it a run for the money. (20/12/17)
