2007 Red Bordeaux

The red wines are very mixed. Pomerol and St. Julien are the most consistent appellations, but there are good (and less good) examples from almost all the major communes. Pauillac is very good with one or two exceptions. Aside from Pomerol, the Merlots are a little one-dimensional, and many Medoc properties have shunted more Merlot than usual into their second wines, reserving the more nuanced Cabernets for the Grand Vin.

The long, slow growing season (130-140 days from flowering to harvest, against a normal 110 days) enabled the Cabernets to develop significant complexity and smoothness, if not concentration, and the best of these will make highly interesting bottles.

The fruit in these wines is very pure, the tannins very present but ripe, and acidities correct and not at all intrusive. The tannins in the Cabernet-dominated wines are, in fact, not far short of the extraordinary levels found the wonderful 2005s, and when the wines have acquired a little more weight through time in barrel they will be soft, fragrant, supple and medium-bodied.

This is not a red wine vintage for financial speculation or for long keeping. It lacks the intensity for greatness or the density to age, but it will provide delicious, short-to-medium term drinking while we wait for the more structured 2005s and 2006s to mature.

The wines to avoid are those where winemakers have sought to add depth through excessive extraction or use of new oak. These will have dry, harsh flavours which the fruit will not adequately be able to mask. Many will be delicious from 2011 onwards. It is hoped that producers will reflect the style and marketability of the vintage in their pricing!

Alun Griffiths MW