Bill Blatch's Preliminary Vintage Report

Bordeaux 2007: The Turnaround Vintage (Abridged Version)

In 2007, the turnaround happened on 29th August. Although this was two weeks ahead of the same 2002 event, this time, the situation just beforehand seemed much worse and the vintage was considered at that point just about lost - by players and spectators alike.

This sudden and lasting Indian summer was an amazing, unexpected and totally welcome phenomenon and it was to save the fortunes of the 2007 vintage.

In a year that has been reported as cool and wet, there were in fact two heat and drought records set, one at the beginning and one at the end, sandwiching the poor summer: April was the warmest of the last 100 years, whilst September was the driest since 1985. 

The statistics for the summer months show more deficient sun hours than excessive rainfall or cold temperatures, just like in 2002 and 1998.

So we have ended up with red wines that are disappointing in some of the lesser properties, but clearly very good in many of the more serious estates (top end as well as bottom end).

They seem to have the same discreet weight as the `06s but are generally softer with smoother tannins than their straight-jacketed predecessors

The dry whites are of great class, tangy, fresh and fine as in '06 but with a bit more power, whilst the star of the show is surely Sauternes, where the botrytis took a long time concentrating, but when it did, was of great quality and could be harvested, at the same leisurely pace as the reds, right up to mid-November.

So ended this turnaround vintage. It had got off to such a good start, had almost lost it in the middle, and then made a superb comeback at the finish.

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