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Jancis Robinsons Scores 2007

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Sauternes & Barsac › Dry White › Pomerol › St Émilion › Margaux › St-Julien › Pauillac › St-Estephe › Moulis › Listrac › Haut-Médoc › Médoc › Pessac-Léognan & Graves

Bordeaux 2007 - Sweet Whites

Here are notes on the sweet white Bordeaux 2007 we tasted last week, which yielded by far the highest proportion of seriously high marks of all the hundreds of wines tasted. Do not ignore these wines! Especially if you are determined for whatever reason to buy some 2007s.

Not that 2007 is as great a Sauternes vintage as 2001. It is more brutal, less creamy and fine, but there is no gainsaying the massive sweetness of these wines, even if there is sometimes a hint of bitterness at this point in their development, and the sheer quantity of botrytised grapes harvested. Pierre Lurton of Ch d'Yquem professed himself almost embarrassed by the quantity of this ebullient wine produced. By 15 Sep they had already filled 150 barriques. "How many in total?" I asked him last November. "I don't dare tell you," he said, " it was virtually double a normal year, 700 casks". Not a bad haul. At Yquem Lurton plans to make a dry Ygrec blended from grapes picked particularly early and particularly late.

Both Yquem and Climens reported that some of the grapes that had split in early September and seemed to be prime candidates for nasty grey rot managed to heal themselves and then magically to develop noble rot. Picking began as early as 10 Sep at Yquem and 12 Sep at Climens but nothing was easy. Climens ended up picking on a total of 14 days but spread out over a period of almost seven weeks. The rains of late September (about which producers elsewhere are much more reticent) followed by the warmth of early October helped the promotion of noble rot. And cool night-time temperatures retained freshness and warded off fruit flies and grey rot.

Tasting the produce of different tries at Climens suggested that the shrivelled grapes picked in late September produced particularly fine wine, although they were supplemented finally but a small quantity of heavily botrytised grapes at the end of October. At Climens they were thrilled to end up with an average yield of 10hl/ha.

There are rumours that the prices of the sweet whites will be announced relatively early in the 2007 primeur campaign so as not to be swamped by the full weight of the red wine campaign, but who knows? There is no doubt there are some very good wines among the selection below and anyone who is a fan of sweet wine should certainly look out for offers.

One leading Médocain red wine producer was heard to comment on the sweet white 2007s, "have they managed to sell their 2006s yet?" Certainly it is to be hoped that Yquem gets its prices right this time after an embarrassing over-estimate of what the market would bear last time.

Ch d'Arche 2007 Sauternes 17 Drink 2016-28.
Coppery gold. Tingly, exciting nose. Mellow, well melded nose. Very sweet, almost sugary start. Definite barley sugar character with a burnt edge to it. A little burly style rather than pure but it's certainly very sweet on the mid palate – even if it finishes a little dry.

Ch Climens 2007 Barsac 18 Drink 2018-35.
As usual, no finished blend of this wine was available for tasting. Instead we tasted five different possible ingredients, and this year a first possible pre-assemblage blend - one of 39 pre-assemblages. It is truly sobering to think how much wine must be expectorated before Bérénice Lurton and her team are happy to bottle a final blend. The most thrilling was a sample picked on 17 Oct as part of the relatively big second trie, or passage through the vineyard. It had a heady aroma of hazelnuts and was amazingly substantial in terms of both body and richness, the keynote of the best 2007 Sauternes. A slightly dry finish (something evident on the Yquem 2007 too) but so fascinating in terms of its array of elements. The wines from the first trie were much lighter and simpler but had great clarity and freshness while the third trie's produce seemed lighter than the second too. But overall, this should be a very promising year for Climens.

Ch Clos Haut-Peyraguey 2007 Sauternes 19- Drink 2018-35.
Mid gold. Developed, cheesy nose. Very, very sweet. Amazingly so. Some miracle has been performed here. Very round and charming but very long too. This wine was difficult to spit! Punchy – big impact, quite neat. Certainly concentrated. Still quite chewy on the finish.

Ch Coutet 2007 Barsac 18.5 Drink 2018-35.
Mid honeyed gold. Strong botrytis. Massive richness – real tingle factor and excitement. Long and very thorough and intriguing. Lots of development still to come. Still chewy. Energetic. Long.

Ch Doisy-Daëne 2007 Sauternes 18.5 Drink 2015-35.
Pale greenish gold. Floral, mineral notes with a strongly mineral streak – promising! Very exciting. Classic stuff with strong botrytis character and great richness yet lots of well integrated acidity. Quite long and neat. A throat warmer.

Ch Doisy-Védrines 2007 Sauternes 16.5 Drink 2012-20.
Pale. Very simple nose but on the palate there is excellent acidity – rather a racy style of sweet wine. Aperitif? Lighter than most but the balance is fine within that idiom. Medium finish. A bit angular – certainly not luscious.

Ch de Fargues 2007 Sauternes 17.5 Drink 2013-21.
Honeyed gold. Low-key nose. Hazelnuts and very, very ripe on the palate. Only just enough acidity but great undertow. Golden syrup and already delightful to drink. Maybe not a very long term wine but it should certainly give pleasure.

Ch Haura 2007 Cérons 17 Drink 2010-14
Very pale. Sweet and fairly light but with very true botrytis character. A hint of honey, not the most intense but very honest. Great freshness. Should show well early. Slightly rustic finish.

Ch Lamothe 2007 Sauternes 16 Drink 2013-21.

Big and round if slightly formless. Lots of sweetness and then acid and astringency. Botrytis character a bit muted. A little green on the finish.

Ch Lamothe-Guignard 2007 Sauternes 17.5 Drink 2014-26.
Coppery gold. Massively sweet on the nose. Rather simple nose. Massive richness on the palate and, just, enough acidity. Big and bold. Needs to develop some more tertiary aromas to add character and interest to the vital statistics.

Ch Liot 2007 Sauternes 17 Drink 2010-15.
Pale. Round and honeyed. Actually more exciting than its ranking suggests with very tight, well-focused botrytis. Some marmalade character. Well done! This should be a very good buy. Very lively.

Ch de Malle 2007 Sauternes 17+ Drink 2014-25.
Real lift as well as great ripeness and high sugar level. Pretty, floral notes. Something tense about this. Great energy and reserves. Well balanced. But not the most concentrated and precise. Some top quality oak evident at this stage. Reverberates. Long.

Ch Rabaud-Promis 2007 Sauternes 18.5 Drink 2017-30.
Limpid greenish light gold. Very lively intriguing nose. Pear syrup. A hint of pear drops but a pretty appealing combination of extreme richness with lively acidity. Lots of fine botrytis. Real dazzling life to it. Long. But not heavy or big.

Ch Raymond-Lafon 2007 Sauternes 17.5 Drink 2014-24.
Pale straw. Quite big and rich and massive. Pear juice and very intense. Very well done! Obviously lots of botrytis and almost but not quite over the top. Very clean and precise. Yes! Long.

Ch de Rayne Vigneau 2007 Sauternes 17 Drink 2017-30.
Pale greenish gold. Rich and sweet with some green notes. Quite aggressive. Very youthful. Citrus and racy. Could come right in the end – very youthful now. Lots of refreshing acidity.

Ch Rieussec 2007 Sauternes 19 Drink 2018-35.
Sweet, vaguely sticky nose. Certainly impressive for the sugar level! And there's an attractive savoury undertow that stops it being sickly. Lots there. Reverberates. Long. Very long. It has that thing that a good Condrieu has: a subtext.

Ch Sigalas-Rabaud 2007 Sauternes 17 Drink 2017-30.
Coppery gold. Looks heavy and thick. Sweet, vanilla oak nose. Sweet yet cheesy. Massively sweet in fact but the oak stands out a little bit too much. Astringent finish. However you have to congratulate the producer for managing to achieve these sugar levels. . .

Ch Suduiraut 2007 Sauternes 17.5 Drink 2017-27.
Green gold. Muted, almost dry nose. Very sweet start though a little on the hot barley sugar side rather than wonderfully fine and nuanced. A bit sugary. Astringent finish but massive sugar levels even if not fine. Chewy end. Gone for bust! Not quite as fine at this stage as I have come to expect of this property.

Ch La Tour Blanche 2007 Sauternes 16.5 Drink 2016-28.
Mid honeyed gold. Rather loose on the nose. Big and sweet and yet there is a little streak of green acidity too. But a bit aggressive on the palate. And pretty soft and loose.

Ch d'Yquem 2007 Sauternes 19 Drink 2020-40.
Deep golden with an orange tinge. Very tangy. And thick. At the same time. Massive weight! Extraordinary fullness. An edge of something a bit corrective - almost bitter. Very big and hits you between eyeballs. Citrus pith. Needs to settle down and become more gentle. Big and round. Almost over the top. So rich!!!!! But definite bitterness on the finish. Winemaker Sandrine Garbay, who has been there an incredible 14 years, thinks the 2001 has more finesse. I agree.

Bordeaux 2007 - Dry Whites
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Below are tasting notes on the dry white Bordeaux which, for once, were clearly more exciting than the reds. Ok, there are some opportunist wines following in the wake of Mouton's Aile d'Argent such as Cos d'Estournel Blanc which are ambitious but hardly good value. As last year we have amalgamated all relevant ACs: Pessac-Léognan, Graves and Bordeaux, as even the greatest dry white made in the Médoc, Pavillon Blanc de Ch Margaux, has to use.

The lack of sun in 2007 in Bordeaux which resulted in underripe reds has at least left the dry whites good and nervy even if in some cases they are not quite as richly exciting as the 2006s. A good effort, one could say.

All of the Pessac-Léognan dry whites with the exception of the Haut-Brion and Laville-Haut-Brion were tasted blind.

Aile d'Argent 2007 Bordeaux Blanc 17 Drink 2010-15.
Mouton's white wine. Light straw. Very intense and just this side of oily – big impact! Sweet side of Sauvignon Blanc with some lime and real density. Quite creamy – even a hint of coconut cream. Exotic! Racy but with some real weight too.

Dom de Chevalier 2007 Pessac-Léognan Blanc 16++ Drink 2012-17.
Water white! Catty, straight Sauvignon Blanc aromas. Lightweight but easy and flinty. Nothing to complain about but nothing to really get your teeth into either. Very dry austere finish. Maybe this just needs a lot of time! Clean and dry . . . This wine could be said to be the dry white Figeac in that it so often needs far more time to show well than the primeur circus allows.

Cos d'Estournel 2006 Bordeaux Blanc 16.5 Drink 2009-13.
NB vintage – the 2007 not blended yet. From 2.5ha of vineyards in the north near Goulée, probably the northernmost white grapes in the Bordeaux region. 246 cases only. Very old vines grafted on to old Cabernet Sauvignon rootstocks. Very young and green and quite austere. 80% Sauvignon Blanc. Very mineral. Tangy. Juicy.

Ch Haut-Bergey 2007 Pessac-Léognan Blanc 16.5 Drink 2009-13.
Light, green fruits - very juicy. Nice easy mouthful with good length. Sweet citrus and smoky bacon notes. Some depth and fruit concentration to balance the acidity. Powerful, zesty and just in balance.

Ch Haut-Bertinerie 2007 Premières Côtes de Blaye Blanc 15.5+ Drink 2009-12.
Still a little cloudy from vinification. Sweet citrus overlaid with oaky spice. Juicy, very fresh and pretty intense. Extremely youthful, zesty, as yet quite simple. (JH)

Ch Haut-Brion 2007 Pessac-Léognan Blanc 18 Drink 2012-22.
55% Sauvignon Blanc, 45% Semillon. Rich and sulfidey on the nose – more obvious weight than the Laville. Very glorious and broad with lots of lanolin. Still pretty chewy but there is a big difference between the slimline Laville and the much richer Haut-Brion Blanc this year. Really interesting serious wine for the long term. Very long. Lemon oil. Spicy and only just dry. The acidity seems much lower than in the Laville. Big and bold,.

Ch Larrivet-Haut-Brion 2007 Pessac-Léognan Blanc 17- Drink 2009-13.
Very modest nose. But very rich and opulent on the palate. Then sufficient floral flavours and acidity. Quite rich texture. Lemon oil. Good but not great. Not quite as much concentration as some other whites. Serious, ambitious wine - quite exotic. Made me think of Alexandria in Ramadan for some reason. Long. A wine to reflect on, perhaps. A bit stinkier than most other top whites.

Ch Laville Haut-Brion 2007 Pessac-Léognan Blanc 17.5 Drink 2012-18.
82% Sémillon, 18% Sauvignon Blanc but it tastes much more like a Sauvignon than a Sémillon. Very ripe and ample on the nose. Menthol and a hint of blackcurrant leaf. Very dry finish. Lots of astringency and powerful Sauvignon-like characteristics. Super fresh and vibrant with a only light undertow of lemony weight. Racy rather than fat. Sharp and refreshing. Much more complex and spicy than a regular oaked Sauvignon/Sémillon blend, for example, but not the richest vintage for Laville – a slightly slimline bitter lemon of a wine. Very tight but light too.

Ch Malartic-Lagraviáre 2007 Pessac-Léognan Blanc 17.5 Drink 2009-15.
Intriguing if light suggestion of honeysuckle on the nose. Quite rich and sweet. Pretty flashy with only just enough acidity but pure flavours and pretty brilliant really. Lots of layers here. Rich finish. Long. Opulent, maybe won't last all that long because of the richness? No, it seems to have enough. No oiliness – though it is a massive monster…! A very ambitious wine indeed. Very long. But with good life and excitement and vitality too. Quite a superstar!

Clos Marsalette 2007 Pessac-Léognan Blanc 17 Drink 2010-16.
Full and lively and complete.

Ch Pape Clément 2007 Pessac-Léognan Blanc 17 Drink 2010-16.
Broad, spicy, quite complex aromas. Lots of ambition on the nose. Big and bold but very gorgeous. For drinking with food – a heavyweight – but with excellent freshness and acidity too. Similar in style to Smith Haut Lafitte but a little oilier.

Pavillon Blanc du Ch Margaux 2007 Margaux 18 Drink 2010-17.
Very pale straw. Luscious, sweet nose. Sleek, greenish notes but lovely depth too. Fine and delicate but also rich on the palate. 15.5% but not at all evident. Very cool yet rich. Total acidity (**?sulphuric) 4g/l, pH 3.35. Not at all heavy or oily. Good whole. Racy, powdery and so clean and racy! Great stuff!!! Strict selection.

Ch Reynon 2007 Premières Côtes de Bordeaux Blanc 16.5 Drink 2009-10.
Ripe Sauvignon aromas of very fresh gooseberry and green fig. Dry, tangy and good concentration without being as pungent as I expected from the nose. Modern fruit-driven style combined with Bordeaux minerality. Crisp and fine. (JH)

Ch Smith Haut Lafitte 2007 Pessac-Léognan Blanc 17 Drink 2010-14.
Sweet, rich, heady nose. Big and broad and heavy and almost sweet. Good citrus (lime) acidity too. Interesting and not just run of the mill… Massive richness – ambitious!

Blanc de Valandraud No 1 2007 Bordeaux Blanc 17 Drink 2009-14.
A Jean-Luc Thunevin wine. Rich and full and round. Pretty impressive! Lots of richness. Lemon and cloves and length. But the price of this wine is usually way over the apparent value.

Bordeaux 2007 - Pomerol
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I have chosen to lead our week of 2007 red wine tasting notes with Pomerol because of all the appellations it produced such a heartening number of really good wines. Most of them depended heavily on maximising the Cabernet Franc input, as much as 43% in Ch Lafleur. Such second wines as there are in Pomerol tended to be made exclusively from Merlot in 2007 and very attractive some of them were too – as easy-drinking wines. I have given quite a high score to the best, but do please note suggested drinking dates as a measure of how 'serious' the wines below are, or are not.

Pomerols were notably more successful overall than the St Émilions grown slightly further inland, possibly because they ripened earlier and show much more succulent fruit.

Ch Beau Soleil 2007 Pomerol 17 Drink 2012-18.
Round and sweet and floral and succulent. Very nice. Well judged. Picked relatively late? Though has great freshness. And length.

Blason de L'Évangile 2007 Pomerol 16.5- Drink 2009-11.
This is the very jolly second wine of Ch l'Évangile made of 100% Merlot because all the Cabernet Franc went into the grand vin. Very deep crimson. Rather soapy, but not unattractively soapy, nose. Mouthfilling, very charming; you could drink this today! This is 70% of the crop. Very nice, fruity wine for very early drinking. Not skinny at all. Really spreads across the palate. Definite acidity but not jaggedly so. Very attractive, relatively simple wine. Please note the drinking dates as an indication of the modest aspirations of this wine.

Ch Bourgenuf Vayron 2007 Pomerol 16 Drink 2011-18.
Some succulence on the palate. Fresh if slightly simple fruit. There is vitality here even if the nose seems more developed than many. Fresh fruit – relatively simple and even slightly rustic. Bumptious and jolly – not sophisticated but should provide quite a bit of pleasure.

Ch Certan de May 2007 Pomerol 16 Drink 2011-18.
Extremely deep purple. Obviously ripe fruit (black fruit flavours) but with attractive fragrance too. Mouthfilling, very supple on the palate – relatively low in acidity. This is pretty flashy. I'd drink it fairly young because of the low acid, though the tannins will have to settle down first.

Ch Certan Marzelle 2007 Pomerol 16.5 Drink 2011-17.
Ruby/crimson. Very aromatic and with extremely gentle tannins – even quite soft. A burgundian Pomerol? No fighting the vintage character – although there is no shortage of the very fine tannins on the finish.

Ch Clinet 2007 Pomerol 15.5 Drink 2011-16.
Sweet and super-ripe aromas. Quite dramatic! A style, as usual, that has been pushed to ripeness at all costs. Rather inky finish. Certainly attention-grabbing but I'd like just a little bit more freshness.

Clos du Clocher 2007 Pomerol 16 Drink 2011-17.
Meaty nose with coffee notes. Very substantial and spreads across palate. Good freshness. Nice medium balance of fruit. Just a bit of a green streak… But so much better than the norm. A bit inky on the finish.

Ch La Conseillante 2007 Pomerol 16.5 Drink 2010-16.
85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc. Quite dark crimson. Very fruity, polished nose. Extremely supple with tannins you really have to concentrate to discern. Sweet, voluptuous start and then a streak of greenness on the palate (notable both times I tasted it). Light and flirtatious with only just enough substance for the grandeur of this property's grand vin.

Ch La Croix 2007 Pomerol 16 Drink 2012-18.
Meaty and concentrated. Good vigour. Dry tannins on the finish slightly dominate the (good, juicy) fruit.

Clos L'Église 2007 Pomerol 16 Drink 2011-17.
Sweet and round and gentle with real fruit life there. Hint of coffee. Lively.

Ch L'Église-Clinet 2007 Pomerol 17 Drink 2013-19.
Very dark crimson but it glows. Smouldering nose. Very smooth. Denis Durantou says he ensured the fermentation temperatures were notably low in 2007 to concentrate on the fruit and gentle extraction of tannins. Very sleek. Much cooler than most vintages. Less rich and dramatic – a little bit of tarmacadam. Dry finish. Just a bit too restrained?

Ch L'Évangile 2007 Pomerol 17.5+ Drink 2012-18.
14% Cabernet Franc. Complex, intriguing nose. Deep flavours. Really very unusually, heady aroma. Then good attack – mouthfilling with great ripe fruit on the front palate and then good balance of acid and tannin. Round, not for the very long term, but lots of stuffing – more so than most wines. Quite long. Silky texture. Really pretty snazzy.

Dom Fayat-Thunevin 2007 Pomerol 16 Drink 2011-16.
(This used to be called Vieux Ch Bourgneuf and, confusingly, there is a Lalande-de-Pomerol under the same name as the vineyards straddle the appellations.) More meaty than the Lalande of the same name but there's aromatic dark fruit too. Juicy though drier than the Lalande. Zesty and brightly fruited. (JH)

Ch Feytit-Clinet 2007 Pomerol 16.5 Drink 2012-18.
Slightly evolved rim. Toasty, interesting nose. Big and bold and pretty confident. Long and yet not out of balance.

Ch Le Gay 2007 Pomerol 17+ Drink 2011-18.
A Catherine Peré-Vergé/Rolland wine. Mid crimson with a pale rim. Some complexity on the nose – and some real warmth. Lively with a fruity core. Real life to this and the fruit almost completely disguises some pretty dry, sandy tannins. Picked 30 Sep and 1 Oct. One of last on the plateau, we are told.

Ch La Grave á Pomerol 2007 Pomerol 16 Drink 2012-20.
Ex Trigant de Boisset. Lots of mineral effects. Quite sophisticated and verging on lean but the fruit does carry its tannins sufficiently. Fresh rather than sumptuous.

Ch Hosanna 2007 Pomerol 17 Drink 2012-22.
Unusually rich nose for a 2007. Almost New World ripeness on the nose – and very deep colour. Mouthfilling fruit. Almost verging on dried fruit/curranty – most unusual for 2007. The fruit really seems to have ripened well here. Some may want just a tad more acidity…! But it's certainly impressive.

Ch Lafleur 2007 Pomerol 17.5+ Drink 2012-19.
Mid but not especially deep crimson. Low-key nose – on the nose not a great difference between Pensées and Lafleur although Lafleur opened up in the glass, which promises well for what it might do in bottle. Very firm and more serious than Pensées on the palate. 43% Cabernet Franc! and very marked by it. Very fresh and brisk. Very crunchy – exploded in the mouth. Very clean and energetic. Tannins a little dry on the finish.

Ch Lafleur-Gazin 2007 Pomerol 15 Drink 2013-18.
Mid crimson. Perfumed, slightly oak perfumed in fact. The fruit is a little attenuated for the oak charge. Slight sandpaper sensation on the finish. Some quite pronounced green on the finish too.

Ch Latour á Pomerol 2007 Pomerol 17 Drink 2011-22.
Bright crimson. Well melded, slightly autumnal notes on the nose. Lively, juicy fruit with the acidity well mastered. One of the most complete wines. Real life and no excess of acidity nor of those very fine tannins. Fully ripe, rather beguiling fruit. Bit of a ballerina but a very attractive one.

Manoir de Gay 2007 Pomerol 16 Drink 2010-15.
Young vines of Ch Le Gay go into this. Fresh and very simple but flattering and pretty. Not much artifice. Though slightly metallic on the finish.

Ch Moulinet 2007 Pomerol 16.5 Drink 2013-18.
Owned by the ex owner of Ch Fonplégade, this property has been upgraded by Denis Durantou. Ample, broad and with real concentration of ripe fruit. Fresh yet supple. Not expensive – good value! Ex Moueix since 2002. Round and velvety. Dry finish. Neat.

Ch Nénin 2007 Pomerol 16.5- Drink 2012-18.
Very mellow start and then dry on finish. Sweet and rich and inky. There's life in this Delon (Las Cases) wine, which is really rather luscious.

Pensées de Lafleur 2007 Pomerol 16.5 Drink 2011-16.
Something quite sumptuous on the nose. Round and rich and very polished. Great meat and lift – very clean and bright. A little more angular than usual - framework shows! Very lively but not especially rich.

La Petite Église 2007 Pomerol 16.5 Drink 2012-17.
Second wine of Église-Clinet. Dark crimson. Really toasty and lively and with lots of fruit on the nose. Really exciting. Real line right through the palate. Most impressive. No holes. No excess of acid or tannin. A little austere and short on the finish lets it down but otherwise it's pretty impressive for this vintage. A twin of the Blason de l'Évangile.

Ch Petit Village 2007 Pomerol 16.5 Drink 2012-18.
Already a certain brownish tinge. Light but refreshing nose. Sweet and rich and flattering. Lots there and quite distinctive in terms of how much ripe fruit there is. Bravo! Not painful – tannins and acidity seem in balance. A little burly – not the freshest fruit – but not overdone either. A nice drink.

Ch Pétrus 2007 Pomerol 17.5 Drink 2018-30.
Mid purplish crimson. Notably more 'warmth' on the nose than most Moueix wines – even a bit of breadth and complexity. A hint of putty – could this be the clay?! Truly mouthfilling and a decisive step up from everything else in the Moueix stable this year. Real life and interest. A thoroughly complete wine that shows the superiority of the vineyard here – but at this stage it seems far from the most seductive vintage of Pétrus.

Le Pin 2007 Pomerol 17++ Drink 2012-17.
Dark crimson with a pale rim. Rich and even a little bit of leather and liquorice. Very different from most years! More obvious richness than the Moueix wines just tasted but much lighter and leaner than most years. Sweet start, a hint of bloodiness, quite fresh but even Le Pin has a dry, rather sudden finish in 2007. The leanest Le Pin I have ever tasted. The Thienponts thought it wasn't tasting as well as it had done the day before. Alain Vauthier showed another sample of it at Ch Ausone a couple of days later that looked much more powerful, velvety and rich.

Ch La Pointe 2007 Pomerol 17 Drink 2011-18.
Round, meaty nose. Succulent fruit. Surely Pomerol [tasted blind in a mix of Pomerol and St-Émilion]? Fully ripe and relaxed and a nice easy drink for the early to mid term. Lovely balance and juice.

Ch Prieuré de la Commanderie 2007 Pomerol 16 Drink 2011-16.
Rich dark spicy fruit, and juicy fruit in the middle but with a nice meaty note too. Thick, soft and juicy. (JH)

Ch Providence 2007 Pomerol 16.5 Drink 2013-20.
Quite deep crimson. Pretty rich and ripe on the nose in the context of the vintage. Very firm, even quite stern at this point, but there does seem to be sufficient fruit for the marked acidity and fine tannins. Needs quite a bit of time though – the fruit is still very simple.

Ch Rouget 2007 Pomerol 17 Drink 2012-18.
Sweet and mellifluous and lively with some freshness. Well done! Good balance. Long.

Ch Trotanoy 2007 Pomerol 16.5++ Drink 2014-24.
Mid crimson. Fresh, quite dramatic fruit. Served alongside the Certan de May it clearly enjoys more refreshing acidity but is very firm and very youthful. Still quite tight. Needs time to unwind but the finish is already rewarding. Pretty dry tannins – not luscious but should unfurl to a serious drink.

Vieux Château Certan 2007 Pomerol 17.5- Drink 2011-15.
Will be assembled next week. 72% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc. Cabernet Sauvignon was unripe although Alexandre Thienpont added a little Cabernet Sauvignon press wine! Particularly bright deep crimson – very healthy looking. Supple, slightly green nose – but with real satin to it - smooth and polished. Very fine, lively, complete and polished. Drink at 5-6 years, he says. Very fine and easy. Light with lots of finesse though absolutely not for ageing, Restaurant wine? Very pretty at 12.5% alcohol. Much bigger crop than 2006. 'Smiling Merlot.' Simple – to drink for the fruit.

Bordeaux 2007 - St-Émilion
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As usual in this large and very geologically varied area there is a bit of everything in here, not least some very drying oak tannins. The most successful wines were those with real juice in the middle. And one or two managed more than juice: Pavie offered concentration and drama while Cheval Blanc was just beautifully mellow and graceful. Ausone seemed a little muted this year.

Ch Angélus 2007 St-Émilion 16 Drink 2012-16.
Dark purplish crimson. Very big-boned but with a hint of green on the nose. This wine tastes like a cross between Troplong Mondot and its fleshiness and the norm of the rest – lots of late-picked aromas but also some astringency and pretty mouth-puckering overall. Like sucking a bit of tarmacadam. Pretty hard work! And a bit of a hole in the middle. Not the charm of Pavie.

Ch Ausone 2007 St-Émilion 17++ Drink 2013-20.
55% Cabernet Franc, 45% Merlot. Heady. Rich and heady. A bit angular, not exaggerated but in this damp vintage not as mellifluous as Cheval's gravel-based wine. Some green notes, a little awkward. Not Ausone's finest hour, I feel. A bit chewy and green. We have to take the development on trust really, although I know the wine provoked greater enthusiasm a couple of days before.

Clos Badon-Thunevin 2007 St-Émilion 16.5 Drink 2012-18.
Mid crimson. Transparent and lively. Well judged and dancing. Nice lift even if very slightly astringent on the finish. Quite long.

Ch Barde-Haut 2007 St-Émilion 17 Drink 2011-18.
Very dark crimson. Sweet, opulent very 'modern' nose. Raw meat, very soft tannins. Really doing everything to seduce the drinker – almost a mini Cheval Blanc! It's not classical but it does the business. Just a little tarry on the finish.

Ch Bellefont-Belcier 2007 St-Émilion 16.5 Drink 2012-18.

Very deep crimson, right out to the rim. Good freshness on the nose. Very subtle and well balanced. Dry finish but opulent and sufficiently ripe on the mid palate. Quite a brisk style but successful, even if there's a slightly metallic note on the finish??

Ch Bellevue Mondotte 2007 St-Émilion 17- Drink 2011-18.
Dark mulberry colour. Quite raw on the nose. Very rich and sweet at first and no dry elements. Well done! Thick and sweet and very modern but well judged. A real hedonist's wine. For those who like seriously luscious modern wines in which you can stand a spoon up.

Ch Canon 2007 St-Émilion 16+ Drink 2011-16.
Minerals and a strong Cabernet Franc nose. Attractive aromatics and a bit more beef on the palate than some of its peers. Quite complete and confident with a beginning, middle and end, even if the fruit tastes as though it was picked pretty late. Perhaps not quite enough refreshment factor - almost some heat on the finish! Very unusual for 2007.

Canon La Gaffelière 2007 St-Émilion 16 Drink 2012-17.
Dark blueish. Round, cloudlike impression on the nose. Sweet and round and easy, flattering – this sample doesn't have any dry tannins. Big, bold, ripe fruit on the nose and very gentle palate texture. Definitely ripe enough and already quite nicely balanced even if not for the very long term. Vibrant fruit. Quite long and no painful dry tannins. Riper than most. Quite soft.

La Chapelle d'Ausone 2007 St-Émilion 16- Drink 2012-17.
50% Cabernet Franc, 50% Merlot. Mid to dark crimson. Very heady and full. Round and not at all concentrated. A little green on the finish. Pretty angular. Nothing like as good as Petit Cheval. Angular. Maybe very slightly too much new oak?

Ch Chauvin 2007 St-Émilion 16.5 Drink 2012-18.
Some top-quality oak here, and some super-ripe fruit. Quite heady. Very attention-grabbing. Lots of supple velvety texture. Seems a bit hurried along to taste good at this stage but certainly impressive. Good balance and no obvious green. Though the tannins are certainly firm!

Ch Cheval Blanc 2007 St-Émilion 18- Drink 2013-21.
55% Cabernet Franc, 45% Merlot. Selection of the grand vin was limited by the amount of good Merlot available. They made only one third of the usual volume. Quite a long harvest. They usually pick early but had to wait to get full ripeness. More complex than Petit Cheval and lovely freshness and minerality but the difference between Petit Cheval and Cheval Blanc seems much less than in some more dramatically successful years. Cool and calm. Malted milk. Maybe not really really dramatic. Quality of the fruit of 2004 but with softer tannins. So mellow! From 1998, Cheval have made significant amounts of a third wine which they bottle and sell within LVMH companies. I'd like to taste it.

Ch Côte de Baleau 2007 St-Émilion 15.5 Drink 2012-17.
So ripe on the nose it's almost bretty. But it certainly delivers lots of ripe fruit even if swathed by very dry oak. Superior in terms of effort. Not utterly comfortable but a serious effort with regard to farming. Really very dry and uncompromising on the finish, however.

Ch La Couspade 2007 St-Émilion 16.5 Drink 2011-17.
Sweet, quite gentle nose. Mild and appealing with good balance and nice round tannins. Mouthfilling. Broad. Quite long. There's a refreshing coolness to this wine but it is not short of fruit.

Ch Faugères 2007 St-Émilion 16.5 Drink 2011-17.
Very deep blackish crimson. Rich and meaty nose – classic St-Émilion. Sweet and rich and opulent and really quite heady. To produce this sort of sensation surely takes and asks for a lot of money…? Certainly stands out from the crowd! Not classical but well done. For modernists. Just a little green on the finish.

Ch Faugères, Cuvée Péby 2007 St-Émilion 15.5 Drink 2012-18.
Raw rather malic notes on the nose. This wine is trying awfully hard…. But it's jolly hard work on the finish. The only 2007 tasted that seemed if anything a little bit too hot on the finish. However did they manage that?!

Ch Figeac 2007 St-Émilion 16.5++ Drink 2012-19.
Very deep crimson. Toasty nose with a hint of oak. Very fresh fruit, pretty sleek texture and just a little too much sweet oak in evidence at this point. A hint of green on the finish. Pretty inky and fades fast. More transparent than most with a very nice gentle finish. Very 'relaxed'. Doubtless it will improve in bottle as Figeac always seems to do so miraculously.

Clos Fourtet 2007 St-Émilion 16.5 Drink 2011-16.
Blackish crimson. Complete, savoury nose. Real life. Very nice drink indeed. So gentle and ripe and spreads across the palate. Lots of acidity but very gentle texture as though made with real sensitivity. Should always be elegant. No green notes, tannins well handled (not drying or excessive) and reasonably fruity and refreshing.

Ch La Gaffelière 2007 St-Émilion 16 Drink 2012-16.
Deep crimson. Discreet but well balanced nose. Looks very youthful crimson though not especially concentrated. Very mild. Well balanced and not forced. Good fruit and the tannins are fresh without being green. Well done, though not overly ambitious.

Ch La Gomerie 2007 St-Émilion 17 Drink 2012-20.
Dark crimson. Creamy, sleek nose – very compact. Well done! Very vibrant with lovely texture and good sappy fruit but no excess of acidity or tannins. Good balance. Really confident.

Clos La Madeleine 2007 St-Émilion 17- Drink 2012-17.
This is the recently resurrected 2 ha on the Côtes between Belair and Magdeleine and now made, like an increasing number of properties, with help from Hubert de Boüard of Angélus. Good lift, if a suggestion of moss on the nose. Very fresh and well integrated – just the merest hint of overripeness but lots of energy too. Overall this one falls the right side of acceptable because it has so much mulberry fruit. Pretty flattering even if not at all typical for the vintage. Well done!

Ch Magdelaine 2007 St-Émilion 16.5 Drink 2012-19.
Fairly pale crimson and looks more developed than many. Fragrant and lifted – very elegant and suave. Dances. Very smooth, fine tannins. Ripe red fruits and a hint of tealeaf. The acceptable face of 'light' St-Émilion (cf Belair) with the fruit (just) ripe enough and nice balance. There's quite a bit of acidity but it's not excessive and there are no strong under-ripe notes. Not a heavyweight but very well balanced.

Magrez Fombrauge 2007 St-Émilion 16 Drink 2012-18.
Also very dark. More juicy than the regular bottling. (A good sign when the special bottlings start to taste better than the regular ones – it wasn't always so.) But very dry on the end.

La Mondotte 2007 St-Émilion 16.5 Drink 2013-20.
Sandy nose. Hard work. But very rich and round on the palate. A little green and chewy but maximum efforts have been made to fight against this impression! Not full of life and a little heavy but squeezing maximum fruit out of it all.

Ch Pavie 2007 St-Émilion 17+ Drink 2012-20.
I have already written about my enthusiasm for this wine when I tasted it blind. This was my note: Very deep crimson. High volatility. Masses and masses of purple. Very heady and rich – shows the 2007 signature of under-ripeness not at all. Absolutely pushed to the limit of ripeness with lovely balancing freshness and well handled tannins. A very successful juicy, refreshing wine that seems out of the 2007 mould. Presumably picked very late but with good work on the tannin management. Finishes a little suddenly but definitely superior. With some real core and concentration to it.
And here's what I wrote when tasting it sighted at the château: Very dark. Lively, sappy, gentle, not too dry. Lots of fruit but supple too. Not hot or sweet. Very zappy and sappy. Picked 8-13 Oct, ie later than most, but not exaggerated. Cool finish. Long, slow ripening (145 days). No excess of warmth. 65% new oak. 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Ch Pavie Decesse 2007 St-Émilion 16 Drink 2012-20.
90% Merlot; on the plateau above Ch Pavie. Very dark. A bit cheesy and overdone on the nose. Dark and jammy. It's a fruit cordial rather than a wine. Lots of sweetness. Tough minerals and chew on the end. But it's certainly serious. Tarry finish without enough juice in the middle – more reminiscent to me of the exaggerations of the Perse house style.

Ch Pavie Macquin 2007 St-Émilion 16.5 Drink 2012-16.
Exceptionally deep crimson. Minerals – charcoal? – on the nose. Very, unusually, sweet and rich and round and seductive. A great sweet spread of gentle fruit on the front palate. Not aggressive at all. Quite a feat in 2007! Lively. Real vitality here. Again it finishes a bit suddenly but there is lots of pleasure to be had here. Big and bloody and flattering on the front palate, then it tightens up quite considerably and shows a little bit of astringency and quite marked acidity. More vivacity than many even though in the context of all vintages it's a little bit dull.

Le Petit Cheval 2007 St-Émilion 17 Drink 2011-18.
70% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot. 'Our Cabernet Franc was very even compared with Merlot,' according to Kees van Leeuwen at Cheval. Lots of Cabernet aromas and even a little wild and furry. Big and supple and juicy. Spicy. SO different from the St-Émilion norm! pH 3.9 but no shortage of acidity. They picked Merlot in the last week of Sep and Cabernet Franc first week of Oct. (Late for them.) Lovely and charming and really superior. Very 'feminine'.

Ch Simard 2007 St-Émilion 16.5 Drink 2012-18.
A property owned by the uncle of Alain Vauthier (Ausone). Round and rich. Mullberries. Very flattering, Quite dry but not painful. Quite fresh and lively.

Ch Tertre Rôteboeuf 2007 St-Émilion 17 Drink 2012-20.
Very rich and round and sumptuous. Very different from most St-Émilions – much more luscious. Great freshness and some meatiness. Neat with no dryness. Lots of richness. Slightly sweet but not sickly. The 2006 tasted alongside looked even better: burgundian, full and easy but not harsh.

Ch La Tour du Pin 2007 St-Émilion 16.5 Drink 2011-15.
2007 was the first year Cheval Blanc looked after every aspect of this wine. Very deep colour. Very round and supple without too dry a finish. Some tingle and life to this though not especially concentrated. Sweet and rich and velvety. Just a very slightly tough note on the finish, Very fine tannins. But not for the long term!

Ch Trianon 2007 St-Émilion 16+ Drink 2012-17.
Mellow, well integrated and lively – rather like a Graves in its fresh attack. Satiny texture with good freshness. Just very slightly angular with a hint of green but it's trying hard.

Ch Troplong-Mondot 2007 St-Émilion 16.5 Drink 2012-17.
Big and regular, ripe, black St-Émilion fruit on the nose. Full and chocolaty on the nose. Tastes MUCH later picked than most others, and therefore has quite a different register of aromas. And then a bit dull on the palate. Chewy and awkward on the finish. Like a bristly brush on the palate. Shame because there is a real core of ripe fruit here. The tannins are fine and concentrated. The finish may be a little sudden but at least there is some mulberry scent and better disguised greenness than in many other St-Émilions of this elevated rank.

Ch Trottevieille 2007 St-Émilion 16 Drink 2011-16.
Deep crimson. Big, bold and meaty on the nose with a certain sweetness and succulence that distinguishes it from its peers. Pretty fleshy for a 2007 St-Émilion but not objectively so. Skinny, slightly astringent on the finish. A green streak on the finish. Very cool and understated on the palate - quite different from the flattering nose. Good lunchtime claret.

Ch Valandraud 2007 St-Émilion 16.5 Drink 2014-20.
Jean-Luc Thunevin's flagship. Quite thick on the nose. Difficult for the aromas to escape. A definite attempt to produce a cool, sleek wine as opposed to a heavy rich one. Pretty tough tannins on the finish though – very drying and tarry. Big, round supple start and then super-chewy. Ambitious but not desperately exciting or lifted. No kosher cuvée of 2007 shown.

3 de Valandraud 2007 St-Émilion 16.5 Drink 2011-16.
Third wine of Valandraud (see Virginie below), Pale crimson. Very scented. Lots of punchy fruit. Sleek texture. Pretty appetising. 15 euros ex cellar. Pretty good! Good freshness. Well done for the money.

Virginie de Valandraud 2007 St-Émilion 16 Drink 2013-18.
A Jean-Luc Thunevin wine. Very dark. Opulent and very slightly tarry on the nose. Thick and sweet. The body builder version of 3 de Valandraud. Not as much to my taste – very jagged tannins and acid.

Bordeaux 2007 - all of the Médoc

If St-Émilion's most common failing was hollowness, here it tends to be underripeness, and sometimes a lack of freshness, even if those two aspects may seem contradictory. The best wines here are very cleverly made, but only in that they have made the most of the deficiencies of the vintage. My very rare top marks were 18- – hardly a ringing endorsement of the vintage.

It's difficult to generalise about the communes, listed below very roughly south to north. St-Estèphe was not especially inspiring, but then its two top properties, Montrose and Cos d'Estournel, are currently being dramatically re-sculpted and rebuilt. There were failures and some successes in virtually all appellations, although the lesser ones, whose wines command relatively low prices, clearly really struggled to tackle the problems in the vineyard. Not that rot was often apparent, but the level of ripeness was below optimum in so many cases.

Margaux
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Alter Ego de Palmer 2007 Margaux 17- Drink 2010-13.
Mid crimson. Light, lively super-brisk nose. Very round and easy and lovely already - pure airline stuff. Great texture. Great balance – just very slightly astringent on the finish but a gentle little thing. More freshness on the nose than the Ch Palmer itself. Very light but lively.

Ch d'Angludet 2007 Margaux 15 Drink 2011-15.
Dark crimson. Some curious oak (?) on the nose. Hint of buckwheat. Brawny. Very round and, for the vintage, thick. Acidity a little jagged on the finish. Not the liveliest, freshest 2007. A bit forced? Very drying end.

Ch d'Arsac, The Winemakers' Collection, Cuvée No 3, Andrea Franchetti 2007 Margaux 16.5 Drink 2009-13.
87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot. Several suggestions as to who the black and white photograph of Franchetti on the label most resembles: Austin Powers was one popular suggestion. See background here. Gentle and sweet. Acidity a bit obvious. But one of the gentler Médoc 2007s. Easy. Frank. Clean. With some energy. Drink soon! Very brave to go so light… Very different from the mainstream and, I'm told, achieved by dint of very strict pruning, but the bottle is far too heavy.

Ch Bellevue de Tayac 2007 Margaux 16 Drink 2012-18.
A Jean-Luc Thunevin wine. Very dark. Very sweet and round. Charming with good lift. Succulence. Though with a pretty dry, treacly finish. Long.

Ch Brane Cantenac 2007 Margaux 15.5 Drink 2011-15.
Still blueish purple. Not much nose although there is a little ripeness there. Very low key on the palate and a bit astringent and very drying on the finish.

Ch Cantenac-Brown 2007 Margaux 15 Drink 2011-15.
Concentrated, slightly false angular/painful notes on the nose. Cool finish. A little bit dull and pretty chewy tannins. Very drying finish. Far from graceful. Hollow.

Ch Dauzac 2007 Margaux 15.5 Drink 2011-16.
Particularly concentrated dark crimson. Very concentrated, slightly awkward and angular on the nose. Toasty spice and tea leaf aromas – some real attempt at building density, but this has also concentrated the green aspects although there is some juiciness here too.

Ch Desmirail 2007 Margaux 16.5 Drink 2010-16.
Leather and freshness and certainly some character on the nose. Lift and life. No great concentration and a slightly inky finish but not bad and not too forced into a false impression of great ripeness.

Ch Deyrem Valentin 2007 Margaux 16 Drink 2011-17.
Sweetish vanilla-edged cassis. A little dusty. Juicy and balanced. Not especially concentrated but harmonious and fresh. (JH)

Ch Giscours 2007 Margaux 17 Drink 2010-15.
Very dark crimson. Fresh, frank, Cabernet aromas. Pretty, lively, scented. A very nice whole. Not forced. Well-judged expression of the vintage. Transparent – not at all heavy. Quite different in style from the much denser Lascombes, for example.

Ch Kirwan 2007 Margaux 15.5 Drink 2011-15.
Mid intensity and reasonably mellow nose. Sweet, round, black cherry fruit that doesn't say Margaux to me – almost more right bank although there is some certainly appealing toasty spice. Some astringency now. Not too much individuality.

Ch Labégorce 2007 Margaux 16 Drink 2010-14.
Very light and sweet and ordinary on the nose. Transparent, unforced but a bit simple. A little soft but a pleasant enough early drink.

Ch Lascombes 2007 Margaux 17+ Drink 2012-16.
Blackish crimson. Dense, minerally, rather distinctively intense aromas. Very thick and sweet and dense. All stops pulled out here and the tannin quality is nice. Not too flabby. Well done. More powerful than most but still with a good texture. Lots of work and thought seems to have gone into this. Real progress.

Ch Malescot-St-Exupéry 2007 Margaux 15.5+ Drink 2012-16.
Rather dull, greyish crimson with light oak on the nose. Quite refreshing with a certain malted milk easy impact. Then pretty green on the finish. Sandpaper tannins. Some decent length. Good life to it.

Ch Margaux 2007 Margaux 18- Drink 2012-20.
Pretty purplish crimson. More obviously dry and ambitious than the Pavillon Rouge. Some real lift and intention here. Delicate and super charming – really aerien and wonderful dry minerally finish. Great lift and delicacy without being at all thin. All the ingredients came from the core of Ch Margaux terroir. Pontallier: 'You couldn't get any stricter. Pure pebbly soils facing the Gironde.' Very pure indeed yet long. Real class and finesse. Very very delicate. Wonderfully typical of Margaux. 'Mmm not Wow', says Pontallier. He doesn't expect 2007 to close like 05 will and 2001 already has done. Nice dry finish. The low key nature of 2007 seems to suit Ch Margaux.

Marojallia 2007 Margaux 16- Drink 2011-16.
Muriel Thunevin's major left bank adventure. Fresh herbal notes but pretty restrained on the nose. Very dry powdery tannins but fresh black fruit underneath. Dryish finish. (JH)

Ch Marquis de Terme 2007 Margaux 16 Drink 2011-15.
Quite rich, dense and chocolaty aromas – unusual in 2007! Toasty, a little uncomfortably drying on the finish but some true fruity and terroir aromas.

Ch Palmer 2007 Margaux 17 Drink 2012-17.
Very deep crimson. Rather more drama and concentration on the nose than Alter Ego has. Reasonably sumptuous. Very sweet, really very obviously low acidity. Not desperately appetising. Pretty round and soft. Very polished. 12.5%. Very unusual mixture of old-fashioned structure (low alcohol) with modern texture and much less acidity than in the old days. Quite distinctive! At Palmer the second wine seemed particularly successful – having the freshness that was not so evident on the grand vin. Compare with the Pavillon Rouge below.

Pavillon Rouge du Ch Margaux 2007 Margaux 16.5 Drink 2012-16.
57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot (because the Petit Verdot didn't reach the optimum level of ripeness and so didn't make it into the grand vin). Very aromatic. Mid purplish crimson with a weak rim. Looks a lot weaker than Alter Ego. Very fresh revitalising nose, pretty weak on the palate. But fine. For the first time I could taste something like stewed apples! Very soft gentle texture but without much density. Fragrant, dry finish, Pretty long. Quite a different expression from the more voluptuous Alter Ego, Very light and dry. Certainly a very valid expression of Margaux.

Ch Prieuré-Lichine 2007 Margaux 15.5 Drink 2010-14.
Light, simple aromas. Juicy, straightforward fruit – very slightly raw on the finish. Certainly not complex! And a bit drying on the finish. Tastes like young vine fruit…? Lightweight.

Ch Rauzan Gassies 2007 Margaux 16 Drink 2011-16.
Minerals and concentration on the nose. Mild and low key – quite graceful though slightly green and astringent on the finish.

Ch Rauzan-Ségla 2007 Margaux 16.5 Drink 2010-15.
Very lightweight nose, with some very snazzy tannin management and a bit of real vigour on the palate. Some fruity core here, though a fairly watery finish. But at least the texture is well done even if there's not so much flavour nor quite enough freshness.

Ch Siran 2007 Margaux 16.5- Drink 2011-15.
Lively Cabernet aromas. Round and juicy on the nose – at last! Pure fruit flavours and a gentle texture. Fresh and very much in the spirit of the vintage. Some green notes on the finish but purer than most.

Ch du Tertre 2007 Margaux 17 Drink 2010-16.
Dark slightly brownish crimson with a weak rim. Luscious fully ripe Cabernet Franc aromas to me [JH: it does have an unusually high 18% this year]. Very round and plush and easy. Soft and gentle with good refreshment factor. Very appetising. Nicely balanced. And Margaux gentleness.

St-Julien
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Ch Beychevelle 2007 St-Julien 16.5 Drink 2012-17.
Serious, savoury nose. Real lift. A refreshing drink! Some light tannins are pretty chewy but not green. Not a big wine but a well balanced one.

Ch Branaire-Ducru 2007 St-Julien 15 Drink 2011-16.
Dark purplish. Light nose with nothing out of place. Pretty astringent on the finish. Green finish, even. A reasonably easy drink but not one you would want to pay first growth prices for.

La Croix de Beaucaillou 2007 St-Julien 16.5 Drink 2012-18.
95% Cabernet Sauvignon. Separate vineyards now provide this rather than a selection. In the heart of St-Julien near Léoville. Quite full and soupy. Flattering but lacks a bit of freshness. Full but slightly dull. Then lightly drying tannins. Falls off.

Ch Ducru-Beaucaillou 2007 St-Julien 17- Drink 2012-20.
Pretty dark, opulent crimson. Scented. Rather compact. Inky and savoury and there's a recognisable relationship with the grand vin in other vintages. Good! Appetising – I think that's the first time I have written that about the 07s. Quite interesting rather than super sweet. Fleshy. Good dust! Long and well balanced.

Ch Gloria 2007 St-Julien 16.5 Drink 2012-20.
Cedary sappy cassis and cassis leaf on the nose. Gentle, smooth and fresh. Easy and harmonious with a spicy kick at the end. Firm but rounded tannins. (JH)

Ch Gruaud Larose 2007 St-Julien 16 Drink 2012-16.
Dark crimson. Serious nose (Julia found the meatiness almost brett-y) and quite gentle black fruits on the palate. Pretty dry finish after rather a sweet start. A fruity core.

Ch Langoa Barton 2007 St-Julien 16 Drink 2011-15.
Very dark crimson. Sweet blackberries on the nose – much riper than most. Very flashy! Tastes like Rolland style even if I can't immediately think of a St-Julien where Rolland consults. Blind, this didn't taste like a wine from the Barton stable to me…, although it was certainly much more luscious than the Léoville Barton.

Ch Léoville Barton 2007 St-Julien 16.5 Drink 2012-16.
Rich and ripe with soft black cherry fruit but not much real concentration on the mid palate. Very drying finish. Quite firm but sandpaper dominates.

Ch Léoville Las Cases 2007 St-Julien 16.5 Drink 2014-20.
Mid crimson. Tingly fruit. 15% press wine, as in 1995. Good energy. Cuts off quite suddenly after a rich, sweet start. So soft with flattering black fruits on the front palate and then tough and tarry on the finish. A bit toughened up. Not fine or gentle. Very tough compared with the Clos du Marquis. Not in the spirit of the vintage but certainly in the spirit of Las Cases. An interesting comparison with that other wine which usually has no shortage of tannin, Ch Latour.

Ch Léoville Poyferré 2007 St-Julien 16 Drink 2011-16.
Pretty high volatility. Light, slightly powdery nose. Light fruit and a bit chewy and astringent on the finish. Sweetness on the front palate – far from classic dry claret! Slightly pinched finish but quite elegant – the right approach for the vintage.

Clos du Marquis 2007 St-Julien 16.5 Drink 2013-18.
Second wine of Léoville Las Cases. Dark and rich crimson. So sweet! Because of the 34.8% Merlot, I assume, with a hint of sandpaper. Very chewy. Very angular. Really quite uncomfortable to taste otherwise. Just too sweet to be sophisticated really. Tarry.

Ch St-Pierre 2007 St-Julien 16 Drink 2012-17.
Very dark crimson. Tough, meaty tannins – real substance here. Savoury and masculine sort of wine – I took it blind for a Barton wine. Something to get your teeth into! A little bit of length.

Ch Talbot 2007 St-Julien 16.5- Drink 2011-17.
Very healthy crimson. Light, savoury and a little bit leafy. Sweet palate but very round, light tannins. Not desperately refreshing but an easy drink with some sap. Pretty green finish.

Pauillac
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Ch d'Armailhac 2007 Pauillac 16+ Drink 2011-18.
A pretty successful year for Armailhac. Big and bloody on the nose – real opulence and some flavour and character! Hooray! Almost pipe tobacco…. Ripe, present tannins. Dry but not drying. Hint of ashtrays which doesn't sound very nice but let me assure you that it is such a relief to find a wine with some positive flavour… Much gentler than wine Croizet Bages. Just a little flat on the finish.

Ch Batailley 2007 Pauillac 16 Drink 2012-17.
A little pale. Attractive meat extract notes on the nose. Some freshness and a hint of tealeaf though not desperately concentrated. Quite round and fades a lttle fast. A bit watery.

Les Carruades de Lafite 2007 Pauillac 16 Drink 2013-18.
Mid ruby. Quite a sludgy colour. Lots of acidity evident from the first sniff. Very light. Well polished with some reasonably firm tannins underneath. Mid weight of fruit. Lightly chewy on the end. Rather astringent finish. A bit dull and lacking life but by no means one of the softest northern Médocs.

Ch Clerc Milon 2007 Pauillac 16+ Drink 2012-16.
Raw black fruits on the nose. Very sweet and velvety on the palate. A bit too sweet really for a Pauillac. Almost more like a right bank wine! Not that much real substance apart from a vaguely spicy flavour on the mid palate but the tannins are better integrated than in some wines. Smooth already.

Ch Duhart-Milon 2007 Pauillac 17 Drink 2011-18.
Deep ruby. Strong mineral element on the nose, which also shows some ripe fruit. Round and flattering. Quite a fruit bomb! Very supple with pretty refined fruit. This could be a good buy…for early drinking.

Les Forts de Latour 2007 Pauillac 16.5 Drink 2012-17.
A bit of raw and sandpaper-like on the nose. Then sweet and round and flattering – very unlike Les Forts. So soft! So easy!!! Soft and round. Great for China. So different from the usual style of Les Forts.

Ch Grand Puy Ducasse 2007 Pauillac 16 Drink 2012-17.

Lively, round, very supple wine but with enough freshness. A bit angular but no awkwardness – genuine fruit.

Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2007 Pauillac 17+ Drink 2015-24.
Only mid concentration of crimson. Warm, toasty nose, very sweet start, juicy fruit – quite different from most wines. There is energy there but pretty dry tannins on the finish. Pretty good for the vintage. A little chewy and green and a bit raw on the finish.

Ch Haut-Bages Libéral 2007 Pauillac 15.5 Drink 2011-16.
Light nose and rather awkward green tannins on the finish. Dusty and no great intensity.

Ch Haut-Batailley 2007 Pauillac 17- Drink 2012-18.
70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, Mid claret. Very rich and full and round, Very slightly inky but massive and opulent. A little dry and green on the finish but pretty glamorous. Some freshness. A little chewy. Xavier Borie said the big challenge was to keep freshness.

Ch Lafite 2007 Pauillac 17.5- Drink 2013-22.
38% of the crop went into the grand vin this year, 55% into Les Carruades. Ruby with quite a wide rim. Very light nose with real freshness. Fine, delicate, yet pretty supple. Not the race of Lafite's best vintages – a bit softer and less acidity. Drags down just a little on the end of the palate. Quite a bit of tannin. But I'd like a bit of lift and energy! There's more of that in the Duhart-Milon tasted alongside. . .

Ch Latour 2007 Pauillac 17.5++ Drink 2014-23.
Highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon ever. Round and smooth and quite powerful. Very modern and easy – "Peynaud school of extraction", according to Frédéric Engerer. Not flashy! But a bit like malted milk. Very soft as opposed to the usual Latour style. Very round. Represents 2007 but not especially Latour (cf Las Cases) . "We really tried to muscle it up as much as we could", said Engerer (they included 16% press wine, much more than usual). But it's not that fresh. Well made but extremely unusual – a bit like 2003 by Bollinger in that respect. Perhaps it should be called '2007 by Latour', come to think of it?

Ch Lynch-Bages 2007 Pauillac 15.5 Drink 2012-17.
Heady nose with lots of opulent ripe black fruit flavours and velvety texture but no real grip. Not really very fresh. A bit tired. (I wonder whether this was a sample problem?) Very drying tannins. Julia, tasting the same sample, found lesl flesh on the palate than the nose suggested.

Ch Lynch-Moussas 2007 Pauillac 15.5 Drink 2011-15.
A little pale. Very light and lacks concentration but the balance is good. This could please supermarket buyers in the short term – if the price isn't too high.

Ch Mouton Rothschild 2007 Pauillac 18-- Drink 2014-20.
Deep purple and light nose – you do have to concentrate to find the first growth nature of this. Dense with a dry finish and some fine tannins. Just a little dilute but the fruit is ripe enough (even if the tannins aren't quite). Almost opulent – certainly good round fruit. Just a bit stringy on the finish. Cool and light after the 2006… Big mistake to serve the 2006 alongside! So much more there. . .

Pauillac de Château Latour 2007 Pauillac 15.5 Drink 2010-13.
Château Latour's third wine. Very simple. Easy and a bit facile and hot. Not a third quality first growth really in 2007 - more like much more ordinary quality.

Le Petit Mouton 2007 Pauillac 17- Drink 2012-18.
Firm purplish crimson. Good attack. Quite a powerful nose. Very round and supple with just a little inkiness underneath. Lots there – more than on Les Carruades, for example!

Ch Pibran 2007 Pauillac 15.5 Drink 2012-16.
Quite purple. Rich and smooth and sweet. Very voluptuous but not very appetising, A bit green. Very heady. 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot. Fast fade on the finish. Very obviously sweet compared with Les Tourelles although the finish is dry.

Ch Pichon Lalande (Comtesse) 2007 Pauillac 16 Drink 2012-18.
Very dark crimson. Sweet and lush but not very ambitious. Simple. Perfectly okay but a bit heavy and hot. Not refreshing. Very hard work to taste at this age! May improve with time.

Ch Pichon-Longueville (Baron) 2007 Pauillac 16.5 Drink 2012-17.
Yields of just 32hl/ha. Only 2003 produced less. Picked young Merlots 18-20 Sep and then 1-9 Oct for older Cabernets. Very dark. Rich and round and a bit forced and sweet and furry. Very angular and green. Round and a bit simple.

Ch Pontet-Canet 2007 Pauillac 16.5 Drink 2013-18.
Quite rich and sweet on the nose. Not very Pauillac-like! Good, firm tannins on the palate. A creditable attempt to spin some interest out of this vintage. But pretty low key. Tannins almost too dominant. Watery finish. But there is no shortage of effort here and the wine should have a longer life than many. Just a bit too like sandpaper in terms of texture.

Réserve de la Comtesse 2007 Pauillac 15.5 Drink 2012-16.
Second wine of Pichon Comtesse. Light crimson. Very ripe, query brett? Served cool but still not really pure. A bit chewy. A bit stringy.

Les Tourelles de Pichon 2007 Pauillac 15.5 Drink 2012-16.
Second wine of Pichon Baron. Sweet and gentle and easy. If this is a good price, it could be a good buy. Quite fresh. Dry on the end. Seems as though there is quite a bit of Cabernet Franc (10%). A bit inky.

St-Estephe
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Ch Calon Ségur 2007 St-Estèphe 16.5 Drink 2016-22.
Bright crimson but not blackish purple exaggeration. Sweet start, some gentle fully ripe fruit. Very searing St-Estèphe tannins on the finish but there is definitely juice and flesh here. Neat, dry finish. Very competent. An attempt at gentle texture without sacrificing anything to too much technique.

Cos d'Estournel 2007 St-Estèphe 17- Drink 2010-16.
Determinedly, almost exaggeratedly, modern style. Firm, very concentrated nose. Something strange on the nose – very distinctive. Extremely concentrated! And then reasonably supple on the palate – but quite low acid and freshness. A certain rawness but great attack and beef. One of the most distinctive wines of the vintage but a bit forced. All created by the early cutting of the shoots in June – taking a risk that the summer would not be hot. (Otherwise the fruit risked being sunburnt.) Strictly for modernists.

La Dame de Montrose 2007 St-Estèphe 15.5 Drink 2010-15.
Second wine of Ch Montrose. Mid intensity of dark crimson with purple rim. Neat, low-key nose. Sweet, light Merlot start (32% Merlot). A light kiss rather than an embrace. Well balanced but very lightweight. Much softer, lighter tannins than usual for a St-Estèphe. Lightweight fruit. More refined than its stablemate Tronquoy-Lalande but pretty lean.

Ch Lafon-Rochet 2007 St-Estèphe 15.5 Drink 2012-17.
Fragile, rather weak nose. Then soft for a St-Estèphe even if with quite a bit of acidity. Short and a bit harsh. Very marked acidity. Not the most successful vintage for this property.

Ch Montrose 2007 St-Estèphe 16.5 Drink 2012-18.
The most atypical Montrose I have ever tasted, but Jean-Bernard Delmas insists this is all part of the great update. 62% of the harvest went into the grand vin. 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot! 60% new barrels. Very dark purple. Light nose with some obvious Cabernet leafiness. Very soft tannins and then a little acidity and astringency on the finish. Lively fruit but terribly round and light. Unrecognisable from other more typical vintages of Montrose. Jean-Bernard Delmas is especially proud of the roundness of the tannins here – there's everything you need and no excess. Certainly no-one could accuse this wine of having an excess of anything – it's almost a shadow!

Ch Ormes de Pez 2007 St-Estèphe 15.5 Drink 2011-15.
Very light nose reminiscent of putty. Lively, not dense - a bit light and green. Lots of acidity on the finish.

Les Pagodes de Cos 2007 St-Estèphe 15.5 Drink 2012-16.
Cos's second wine. Very different indeed from the grand vin. Mid crimson – quite healthy and lively. Light nose seems rather less vivid after the Goulée. Rather tarry and dry on the finish. Austere and dry. A bit dull and heartless. Bone dry and with reasonable attack.

Ch Petit Bocq 2007 St-Estèphe 16 Drink 2011-15.
This is the only instance I can remember where I actually preferred the 2007 to the 2006 tasted alongside. All down to freshness of fruit, I suspect. This is certainly quite tart and short with St-Estèphe austerity on the finish but both fruit and tannins are relatively fine, and this certainly shouldn't cost much.

Ch Phélan Ségur 2007 St-Estèphe 17 Drink 2012-18.
Firm and concentrated with real personality and density. Well done! Quite long. This has fruit all the way through without being simple and sweet and soft. Built like a classic red bordeaux. Corpulent – and that's a compliment in 2007!

Ch Sérilhan 2007 St-Estèphe 16 Drink 2012-18.
59% Cab, 33% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc. 20% new oak. Vineyard just behind Pez. Sweet dark oaky nose, lots of mocha. Some violets. Acid and tannins striking off each other. Needs to take on flesh but will it? A bit hard on the finish. (JH)

Moulis
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Ch Brillette 2007 Moulis-en-Médoc 14.5 Drink 2011-15.
Strange combination of meatiness and Cabernet-Franc style pencil lead. Firm and spicy up front but not much behind and then rather hard on the finish. (JH)

Ch Chasse-Spleen 2007 Moulis-en-Médoc 15.5 Drink 2012-15.
Some ripe aromas but pretty light. Some oak and superficial thickness of texture – certainly very carefully managed tannins – but, again, it's difficult to discern the flavour here.

Ch Malmaison 2007 Moulis-en-Médoc 14.5 Drink 2011-15.
Beefy and cedary. Very dry and high acidity. Rather painful. (JH)

Ch Maucaillou 2007 Moulis-en-Médoc 15.5 Drink 2012-15.
Notably full and soft on the nose. Odd, powdery note. Dense and thick and trying very hard. Trying to be a smart classed growth in fact. Certainly seriousness of intention is there. Pretty dry finish and very cool. Could do with just a tad more acidity and life but not bad.)

Ch Poujeaux 2007 Moulis-en-Médoc 15 Drink 2012-14.
Purplish crimson. Heady super-ripe nose but with some refreshment too – then the greenness kicks in. A little bit awkward.

Listrac
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Ch Clarke 2007 Listrac-Médoc 15.5 Drink 2011-15.
Very vibrant crimson. Fresh, well-mannered fruit on the nose. Pretty concentrated and yet well balanced. Lively, fresh fruit. Quite a bit of astringency on the finish but not too forced.

Ch Fonréaud 2007 Listrac-Médoc 15 Drink 2011-13.
Weak purple rim. Light, rather cheesy nose as though this wine is not really trying very hard. Masses of colour but not that much flavour. Light and it rather disappears on the palate.

Ch Fourcas-Dupré 2007 Listrac-Médoc 16 Drink 2009-12.
Crimson with a very pale broad rim. Lightish but juicy and easy. You could enjoy the freshness of this wine now!

Ch Fourcas-Hosten 2007 Listrac-Médoc 15+ Drink 2011-13.
Interesting, strongly aromatic nose with a streak of green. **Round and foursquare. Reasonably voluptuous even if not the most refreshing. Bit of a drying and watery finish!

Ch Mayne Lalande 2007 Listrac 15 Drink 2011-16.
Still seems to have some pear-like fermentation aromas, then fresh acidity, quite firm, juicy. Maybe a slightly bizarre sample? (JH)

Haut-Médoc
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Ch d'Agassac 2007 Haut-Médoc 16 Drink 2011-16.
Toasty, slightly meaty, spiced aromas. Rounded and velvety tannins. Harmonious though the acidity is quite marked. (JH)

Ch Beaumont 2007 Haut-Médoc 15.5 Drink 2011-16.
Dull crimson. Scented. Sweet and easy on the palate with quite a bit of juice and neat tannins with some firmness. Relatively simple wine.

Ch Belgrave 2007 Haut-Médoc 16+ Drink 2011-16.
Some toast and pepper on the nose. Quite noble fruit concentration. Round and silky fruit. Much better than most Haut-Médocs. Supple fruit with some zestiness. A little green on the finish but not bad. Oak a little obvious.

Ch Belle-Vue 2007 Haut-Médoc 16 Drink 2011-15.
Includes 20% Petit Verdot. Dark, sweet and spicy on the nose. Fine and balanced but shorter than the Gironville though probably more charming at this stage. (JH)

Ch Bernadotte 2007 Haut-Médoc 16 Drink 2011-16.
Rich and sweet and round. Some greenness. Heavy but opulent. Not bad at all. Though a bit hot on the finish.

Ch Cantemerle 2007 Haut-Médoc 16+ Drink 2011-16.
Blackish crimson. Tarry, meaty nose then supple, rather refined fruit and a very cool palate. Well managed tannins and no hint of green. Not thrilling but very well handled.

Ch Clément-Pichon 2007 Haut-Médoc 15.5 Drink 2011-16.
Very ripe fruit aromas. Ripe flavours but high acidity not quite in keeping. Thick and juicy but a little rustic. (JH)

Ch Coufran 2007 Haut-Médoc15.5 Drink 2010-15.
Dark crimson. Some rawness on the nose and very supple but a bit flat on the palate. More life please! Very drying tannins on the finish and then a complete fade out!

Ch de Gironville 2007 Haut-Médoc 16+ Drink 2011-15.
Pretty black but only 10% Petit Verdot and and less new oak than the Belle-Vue. Sweetness gives way to cassis leaf on the nose with bags of mocha. More savoury on the palate. Chewy but lots of effort has gone into this and it's got length and balance. (JH)

Ch La Lagune 2007 Haut-Médoc 15 Drink 2011-14.
Soapy, low-key nose. A little skinny and pretty green on the finish. Definite astringency. Hollow. All make-up rather than substance. A disappointment.

Ch Malescasse 2007 Haut-Médoc 16 Drink 2011-16.
Already a bit of evolution on the nose! Sweet, Earl Grey tea character. Mild and with sufficient gentle fruit on the mid palate though pretty chewy on the finish. Pretty low key.

Ch Sociando-Mallet 2007 Haut-Médoc 16.5 Drink 2011-16.
Cedary (sappy) cassis. Markedly silky in the context of this vintage. Gentle and restrained and yet has nicely sustained juicy fruit and good length. (JH)

Ch La Tour Carnet 2007 Haut-Médoc 16- Drink 2012-16.
Light nose. Sweet start and rather floral with a little bit of zip and finesse. Certainly the fruit is fresh enough. Just a bit slight overall. Dry finish.

Medoc
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Chapelle de Potensac 2007 Médoc 15 Drink 2012-14.
Second wine of Las Cases's lowest-ranking stablemate. There must be a joke there. Low-key, inky nose. Quite fresh and loose though not very dense. A bit green. Stringy.

Goulée 2007 Médoc 16 Drink 2010-12.
Relatively new, ultra-modern and concentrated product from the Cos d'Estournel team. Very bright crimson. Very positive and concentrated on the nose, as though it had been concentrated! Though very nice supple fruit on palate entry – mulberries. Only at the end is there a bit of dryness reminiscent of some of the St-Émilions – oak has slightly swamped the fruit? Pretty round and well done. Lots of bang for the buck here and more life than in many grander wines. Just fades a bit on the finish. NB drinking dates. Go for youthful power here! (There is a Goulée Blanc, effectively a very small-production second wine of Cos d'Estournel Blanc.)

Ch Patache d'Aux 2007 Médoc 16 Drink 2010-15.
Sweet baking spice at first then more leafy. Decent fruit weight. Savoury finish though there's also pure black fruit in there. Fine, smooth tannins. (JH)

Ch Potensac 2007 Médoc 15.5 Drink 2013-17.
Not as dark and concentrated as usual. Bit of oak evident. Very dry and chewy. Rather uncomfortable to taste. More ambitious than the Chapelle de Pongtensac but not more fun.

Ch Preuillac 2007 Médoc 16 Drink 2011-15.
Negociant Yvon Mau's baby, and pretty bouncing too overall. Quite reticent on the nose. Smooth and fresh and deftly handled. Quite spicy. Moderate weight and concentration and better than many wines of higher appellations. (JH)

Ch La Tour de By 2007 Médoc 16- Drink 2010-13.
Dull crimson with quite a weak rim. Very light nose and pretty sweet but decent texture. Very soft and voluptuous. Not the purest but fine for easy, early drinking if sold at a reasonable price.

Pessac-Léognan & Graves
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I had hoped to find rather more excitement here than I did. It sometimes seemed as though all the fairy dust had been saved for the dry whites. But the team at Haut-Brion did remarkably well again, especially with Ch Haut-Brion. Yet again this year we were treated to a major change: this time the renaming of Bahans as Le Clarence de Haut-Brion.

Ch Brown 2007 Pessac-Léognan Rouge 16 Drink 2011-16.
Aromatic, gentle, lots of fruit, some slight astringency but overall pretty good balance. Very, very slightly dull but no faults.

Ch Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2007 Pessac-Léognan Rouge 16 Drink 2011-16.
Blackish purple with a little maturity at the rim. Mild, fresh super-fruity nose. Round and fruity start with some light, slightly green tannins on the finish. Competent certainly without being terrifically exciting. A hint of green on the finish.

Ch La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion 2007 Pessac-Léognan 16 Drink 2011-16.
64% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc. Dark glowing crimson. Very full, luscious ripe red fruit aromas. Then a little skinny and slightly tart on the palate. No great depth but perfectly pleasant. Just a bit scrawny towards the end. Very flattering nose and then a bit light on the palate. Decidedly inky, astringent finish.

Dom de Chevalier 2007 Pessac-Léognan Rouge 16.5 Drink 2012-17.
Light and very slightly raw fruit nose. Solid and chunky. No tricks. Bone dry. Savoury. Confident. Very straightforward even if not voluptuous. Not that much weight but good balance. Nice long finish. All on the finish which is certainly a good sign.

Le Clarence Haut-Brion 2007 Pessac-Léognan Rouge 17 Drink 2011-16.
New name, new wine style! 51% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc. Smoky, toasty, leathery notes on the nose. Pretty impressive intensity for a second wine! Round and supple on the palate - almost not like Bordeaux at all! Seems very Merlot based. Soft and supple with some hint of first growth polish. Neat, dry finish and pretty good length – just no great tannic depths. Debut vintage for this new name for the old Bahans, second wine of Haut-Brion.

Ch Ferrande 2007 Graves Rouge 16.5 Drink 2013-18.
A hint of top quality oak on the nose. Savoury. Vibrant fruit and some intensity without overripe character. Reasonable charge of tannins that are not too gawky and acid in good balance. Just a little hole towards the end of the palate where the fruit concentration should be.

Ch de Fieuzal 2007 Pessac-Léognan Rouge 16 Drink 2013-17.
Sweet and figgy, even furry, on the nose. Voluptuous start and very round on the palate. The tannins have been extremely well managed here. More generous on the palate than many, though still on the lighter side. The only thing I would reproach is its lack of freshness. Finishes very suddenly.

Ch Haut-Baillly 2007 Pessac-Léognan Rouge 16.5 Drink 2012-19.
Diffuse bouquet already on the nose – low key but intriguing. A hint of oak – definitely not speciously sweet. Quite succulent fruit but a very dry finish. Confident even if not especially concentrated. Dry powdery finish.

Ch Haut-Bergey 2007 Pessac-Léognan Rouge 17 Drink 2012-19.
Strongly, almost decongestantly, Cabernet aromas. Very pure and direct. Pretty grown up. Somehow someone has made a serious wine out of 2007 here! There is ripe fruit and almost ripe tannins. Impressive! Dry rather than sweet but good concentration of both fruit and tannins. Not a 2005 but certainly a good effort. And very Graves… Lots of ambition, which has – just – paid off.

Ch Haut-Brion 2007 Pessac-Léognan Rouge 18 Drink 2014-24.
43% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc. Very impressive depth of crimson. My first smell of this wine reminded me of what had been missing in my two days of Bordeaux tasting up to then: sheer Bordeaux class! Nuances, top notes and bottom notes. Some spice, a hint of top quality oak, lots of Haut-Brion minerality. Lovely spread across the palate – very supple – even in this wine no great tannic charge. All the thrill is up front. On the finish it is neat but not lingering and the acidity just peeks out above the very fine tannins. Very sensitively made, possibly the best red bordeaux 2007 of all, but still definitely a 2007! I think that next to, say, a more complete vintage it would be wanting, which is why I have not given it a higher score. Not much volume but what there is has been beautifully handled.

Ch Larrivet-Haut-Brion 2007 Pessac-Léognan Rouge 14.5 Drink 2013-15.
Blackish purple. Very light nose with a hint of tar. Simple, soft nose without much structure or refreshment value. And a lack of fruit freshness – more like uncomfortably green sap flavour on the finish. Not really trying.

Ch La Louvière 2007 Pessac-Léognan Rouge 16.5 Drink 2011-16.
Blackish purple. Mild, well-mannered nose. There is some ripe fruit here and a good shot of lively acidity – and not too much aggressively dry tannin. Pretty good! I would guess this is not this château's finest wine ever but it's a typical, well balanced 2007. Light to medium weight.

Ch Malartic-Lagravière 2007 Pessac-Léognan Rouge 16.5 Drink 2011-16.
Blackish purple. Very aromatic. Relatively supple and fresh. A little bit simple but true to 2007 with no rough edges or jaggedly dominant features. Not too weak either. Good decision-making tasteable here! Dry but not excessively drying finish.

Clos Marsalette 2007 Pessac-Léognan Rouge 16.5 Drink 2012-18.
Von Neipperg's Graves. Mid crimson. Light and aromatic on very sweet base. Very flattering. Quite round and almost like a cough syrup it's so sweet. Round. Well done! A tiny bit bitter on the finish but not drying. This may be a good buy.

Ch La Mission Haut-Brion 2007 Graves Rouge 16.5 Drink 2012-18.
Only 43% Merlot this year, 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc. Much less nose and more acidity than the Chapelle. Lots of acidity on the palate, sure enough, and quite tight and lean on the palate. This doesn't seem a vintage that suits the austere character of La Mission especially well. A bit hollow, and light on the finish.

Ch Pape Clément 2007 Pessac-Léognan Rouge 15 Drink 2013-17.
Blackish purple. Some strange dominant oak note on the nose obscures the fruit. Drying tannins on the palate – no mellifluous easy drinking here. Extraction overdone? Very dry finish – seems made as though 2007 had delivered fruit with 2005 concentration, which it didn't of course. A rare miss for Bernard Magrez's flagship wine on the basis of this sample.

Ch Smith Haut Lafitte 2007 Pessac-Léognan Rouge 16 Drink 2012-16.
Purple with a pale rim. Lightweight nose but everything in balance with nice frank fruit and the tannins are supple and fine. Lively and in the flirtatious, easy idiom of the vintage. Easy and breezy. Not especially ambitious but a good drink. Congratulations are in order on not fighting the vintage character.

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