2007 Pauillac Wines & Tasting Notes

The Berrys' Fine Wine team are in Bordeaux sending back regular, comprehensive reviews on the 2007 vintage. The tasting notes below highlight some of the stand-out wines from Pauillac.

Berrys' Points
Wines are scored out of 20. Berrys' points are given regardless of price, value and reputation, and are in absolute terms rather than relative to the vintage.

Drink Dates
By definition these are estimated drink dates only based on our experience of how the wines age. As some of the wines mature these drink dates may not turn out to be different from those originally stated.

Named after a `bataille' that was fought here between the French and English (who else) 600 years ago, Batailley has once again lived up to its reputation of offering good value, early drinking, quintessential Pauillac. Made from 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, its toasty, ripe plum and cedar nose leads on to a palate with vivid cassis and raspberry fruit, creamy vanilla oak and a lovely long finish. Tried, trusted and adored, Batailley has produced another sterling effort in 2007.
BBR Score 14.5/20 Drink 2011-2018

Run by the delightful livewire that is Claire Villars, this underrated estate continues its climb up the Pauillac hit parade in 2007. With a hefty 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and only 10% Merlot, this is gorgeously feminine, almost Margaux-esque. Its pure, cassis nose, and elegant blackberry, chocolate and cedar flavours are supported by attractive but firm tannins. Well-integrated, pretty, refined and approachable, this is as full of personality as Claire's bright orange winery (her favourite colour). With refreshing honesty, she compares this to her 1999 although we think it is rather better than that. A delightful 2007 Pauillac.
BBR Score 15/20 Drink 2012-2020

In another great year for the Mouton-Rothschild stable, d'Armailhac has produced a sumptuous, seductive wine. Owned by the Rothschilds since 1933 and located next door to Mouton, the wine has a rich, elegant nose and a generous velvety blackcurrant palate. Supported by sleek, supple tannins it glides to a long, intense raspberry, strawberry and cassis finish. Benefiting from a substantial dash of old vine Cabernet Franc (22%) this is a very shrewd and rather hedonistic buy from one of Pauillacs up and coming properties.
BBR Score 16/20 Drink 2012-2020

"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."
Jancis Robinson: 16 /20
Drink: 2011-2018

Sandwiched happily between First Growths, Lafite and Mouton, this is Ch. d'Armailhac's more structured, serious big brother. We actually had trouble splitting them in 2007, although for us Clerc Milon still shades it, with its rich, brooding kirsch nose and weighty, fresh, dark damson and spice palate. It has excellent generosity for any vintage, let alone 2007, with dense yet ripe tannins and good grip. With 42% Merlot in the blend, this is one of the few really good Left Bank wines using such a high proportion of that variety. Impressive, traditional Pauillac in the best sense of the word.
BBR Score 16/20 Drink 2012-2022

"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."
Jancis Robinson: 16 /20
Drink: 2012-2016

From the same family of estates as Lafite, l'Evangile and Rieussec, Ch. Duhart-Milon very much retains its own personality even if you can always detect some of Lafite's refined elegance in its wines. Managed by the legendary Charles Chevallier (who sounds like he should be in the music halls rather than the vineyards), Duhart has improved markedly in recent years following the replanting and renovation of its vineyards and winery. It has produced a full-bodied 2007, which not many can say, with a voluptuous attack of black fruit, classic Pauillac notes of cedar and tobacco, and a long cassis finish.
BBR Score 15/20 Drink 2012-2020

"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."
Jancis Robinson: 17/20
Drink: 2011-2018

One of the things that makes Ch. Lafite-Rothschild so wonderful is its aethereal, silky finesse and, as this 2007 clearly shows, its famous second wine Carruades de Lafite has this in spades. Soft and approachable yet gracefully austere, floral and refined, the 2007 Carruades has delicate raspberry and plum fruit and finely textured tannins. If you are looking for a monster wine in 2007 then you should probably head elsewhere, but if elegance and balance is your thing then you should definitely snap up a case of this attractive mini-Lafite tout de suite.
BBR Score 15/20 Drink 2010-2018

Just like the excellent 2006, the calling card of Grand Puy Lacoste's 2007 is balance, purity and finesse. It is more supple and approachable than last year, however, and should certainly be opened before your 2006 or 2005. It has an attractive blackberry and raspberry nose followed by a stylish palate with velvety yet linear black cherry fruit and cedar hints. The epitome of top-class Pauillac, this is another very polished Grand Puy Lacoste from the charming François-Xavier Borie.
BBR Score 15.5/20 Drink 2012-2018

"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."
Jancis Robinson- 17 /20 Drink 2015-2024

It is a heresy severe enough to get you excommunicated, but in our view Pontet-Canet is as good as the First Growths in 2007. Working the vineyards according to organic and even biodynamic principles, dryly humorous owner Alfred Tesseron has produced a 2007 with a lovely pure black fruit nose, ripe but present tannins, a mouth-watering finish and arguably the finest quality fruit in the vintage: silky, luscious, blackberries and plums with oodles of minerals, coffee, cedar and tobacco. Since the outstanding 2004, Pontet-Canet has been a must-have wine every year; in 2007 this is truer than ever.BBR Score 17.75/20 Drink 2015-2030

"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..."
Jancis Robinson: 16.5/20
Drink: 2013-2018

In 2007 Les Forts de Latour has produced a wine that is comfortably of Second Growth quality. It is an elegant, feminine Les Forts rather than a tannic beast, perfectly harnessing the finest aspects of the vintage. The nose is brooding and serious, while on the palate the wine explodes with sweet mouthfilling cassis and cool precise blackberries with licorice and coffee hints. Made from 59% Cabernet Sauvignon and 41% Merlot this is creamy and refined with very supple tannins. It may not reach the dizzy heights of the 2005 but in the context of the vintage it is excellent.
BBR Score 16.5 Drink 2012-2020

"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...So different from the usual style of Les Forts."
Jancis Robinson: 16.5/20
Drink: 2012-2017

Pichon-Baron has made a great 2007 to mark the opening of a stunning new cellar and visitor centre at its fairytale château. This sexy wine is atypical for 2007 in its incredible ripeness and rich, concentrated fruit, but clearly displays the approachable charm of the vintage. From the rich, perfumed cassis and coffee nose to the smooth, seductive palate it is the epitome of stylish, modern Pauillac. With a dash more Cabernet Sauvignon (74%) than usual, General Manager Christian Seely and his team have clearly shown the benefit of picking late in 2007 - finishing the harvest on 9th October. Bravo.
BBR Score 17/20 Drink 2012-2022

This delightfully exotic and perfumed, yet incredibly focused, 2007 from Pichon-Lalande shows their continuing progress back to the very top of the Bordeaux echelon. Benefiting from the advice of Ch. Angélus's Hubert de Boüard and the legendary Jacques Boissenot, Pichon's 2007 is as beautifully feminine and opulent as ever but also boasts a lovely mineral core to its impeccably balanced vibrant cassis, spice and cedar box palate. Pichon-Lalande always tends to triumph in slightly lesser vintages and their beguiling 2007 looks set to emphatically proof the point.
BBR Score 16.75/20 Drink 2012-2025

Since winemaker Nicolas Labenne joined Lynch-Bages from Calon-Ségur the wines here have been better than ever; no longer the `poor man's Mouton' but increasingly almost as good! Impressive, aethereal aromatics and some serious minerally cassis set the tone for this rich, silky-textured Pauillac with oodles of sweet black cherry and blackberry essence and coffee hints. With George Clooney-like charm, a ripe but substantial tannic structure, and an intense, mouthwatering long finish this respects the vintage but definitely outperforms it. Proudly displaying an impressive new label, Lynch's enchanting 2007 looks set to be one of the buys of the vintage.
BBR Score 17/20 Drink 2014-2025

No wine in Bordeaux is more silky and gorgeously textured than Ch. Lafite. Happily, their 2007 continues the trend. A rich, fine, dark fruit compote nose leads to a wonderfully fresh, refined palate with delicate yet intense cassis, plum and cedar-box flavours caressing the tastebuds on their way to an exquisite finish. Lafite have not tried to produce a blockbuster in 2007 but have worked in perfect harmony with the vintage. Using low yields and allowing only 38% of the crop into the Grand Vin, they have wholeheartedly succeeded in producing a beautifully classic 2007 Lafite.
BBR Score 17/20 Drink 2016-2030

"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."
Jancis Robinson: 17.5/20
Drink: 2013-2022

Following the remarkable success of the 2006, Mouton's 2007 continues its dramatic, and very welcome, renaissance. As good as any of the First Growths, and as seductive and beguiling as Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the wine's majestic black fruit nose is followed by a powerful, beautifully poised palate with a generosity and concentration rarely seen in 2007. Rich plums, cassis and a panoply of spices are supported by ripe tannins, good structure and excellent minerality. With all the charm and personality of Baroness Philippine herself (which is a lot), this is a fantastic Mouton.
BBR Score 18/20 Drink 2015-2035

"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."
Jancis Robinson: 18/20
Drink: 2014-2020

Between the 1999 and 2004 in style, this is an incredibly supple and approachable Latour, although that is a relative term when it comes to this formidable First Growth. Underneath the aristocratic, fragrant, black fruit nose lies an incredibly concentrated palate of blackberry coulis, plums and dark chocolate with toast, coffee and cigar notes. The tannins are firm but incredibly ripe, the structure extremely impressive, while the rich finish is wonderful. This is an elegant, highly attractive and intellectual Latour that will provide enormous drinking pleasure without having to wait the usual 12-15 years to open your first bottle.
BBR Score 18/20 Drink 2016-2035

"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?"
Jancis Robinson: 17.5 /20
Drink: 2014-2023

• Ch. Haut-Bages Averous 
• Ch. Haut-Bages Monpelou 
• Ch. Haut-Batailley 
• Ch. Lynch Moussas 
• Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild 
• Ch. Pibran Tourelles de Longueville (not released En Primeur)

For further information on these and other Pauillac wines please contact us.