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Thursday 28 August  

Bordeaux 2007 – A brief review

WineDater’s friends at H&H Bancroft are "Keeping it simple in 2007" and offer this from their recent trip to Bordeaux.
 
 
“Our team recently spent a week in Bordeaux tasting the latest Bordeaux vintage in advance of the en primeur releases. There has been a lot written about the wines, some accurate and some far too generalised.
 
In the most simple terms there are some stunning Sauternes (reminiscent of the 2001s), there are some deeply impressive whites (it is surely time we all started tucking away some of these, Bordeaux whites are more than the equal of good Burgundies in a great year like this).
 
And on the reds? The number of impressive wines is not huge so we are keeping it simple this year. There were many disappointments from Chateaux we would expect better from and we have culled all of them from our regular purchases. This year we have selected 25 wines which we consider worthy of offering this year. These 25 wines are those that have exceeded the expectations of the vintage to produce excellent wines that stood out from their peers. The nature of the vintage is such that you will be able to drink your 2007 purchases far sooner than those of 2006 and 2005 - but then do we always want to wait fifteen years before we can consider enjoying one of our coveted clarets? We think not. Our chosen wines are those that we would be proud to have in our own cellars and are likely to be in such demand that they will be hard to secure in the future when they have been bottled and shipped. All that remains is the factor we cannot predict or influence - the price.
 
There is no way of telling which way the proprietors will go on price (they do not have a history of being sensitive, since the demand for classed growth claret has grown to such unprecedented levels) and the exchange rate will have a crucial effect. However our selection is predominantly the 'blue-chip' clarets and we feel that you will never regret having a case or two of one of our recommendations in the cellar.
 
So in a week where we tasted 367 wines we have found a handful we think you should buy. We will be publishing the list and tasting notes this week and we will then let you know as and when the wines are out.
 
The First Serious Sauternes Release
 
Chateau Rieussec, 1er Cru Sauternes
 
96/100 H&H Bancroft Wines
19/20 Jancis Robinson MW
93-96 Wine Spectator
 
We have said we are keeping it simple in 2007 and so you will not be experiencing the usual deluge of offers; instead we are only notifying you of the stars of the vintage. The first one out today is Sauternes's Chateau Rieussec. Wines from this property are frequently described as second only to D'Yquem. The 2007 vintage in Sauternesis being compared with the quality of that of the hugely sought after 2001 and we certainly thought Rieussec was one of the wines that merited the comparison:
"87% Semillon, 8.5% Sauvignon Blanc, 4.5% Muscadelle - Great nose, plenty of botrytis, intense and sweet waves of apricot with citrus spice, beautifully balanced and incredibly long finish. Has to be one of the best wines of the year."
 
The 2001 vintage is now trading hands at prices in excess of £800 per case. The price for the 2007 is:
 
Chateau Rieussec 2007, 1er Cru, Sauternes
 
6 x 75cl Bottles @ £260.00/csib
12 x 37.5cl Half-Bottles @ £265.00/cs ib
12 x 75cl Bottles @ £515.00/cs ib
 
For more information go direct to www.bancroftwines.com ”
 
We hope you found this interesting and our thanks from WineDater to H&H Bancroft for this insight.
 
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