Bordeaux Futures 2007: Results (Part 5)

Which price for 2007 Bordeaux?Médoc and Haut-Médoc 2007Fifth report (April 9, 2008)WHICH PRICE FOR 2007 BORDEAUX? Such a big question! Based on figures from Bordeaux wine producers organization Union des Grands Crus, attendance of futures tastings by professionals was similar to last year. Others mention some even higher figures. The Americans have shunned the appointment and Asians were fewer than expected. I just participated to a debate on television channel France 3 along with Denis Marsan who is in charge of buying for the Quebec State Monopole Importer Société des alcools du Québec (buying 450 000 cases of Bordeaux each year). Mr. Marsan kept repeating on the air that given the Euro/Canadian Dollar parity, the market was in the need for a 30% decline in price so that buying some 2007 can remain interesting. On the contrary, 2005 Bordeaux that were bought at another parity will hit the shelves at lower price than 2007. Anthony Barton, reasonable (but the less wealthy of all producers, as he says) told me about his concern after having lunch with a colleague (he did not disclose the name) who had no intention of lowering prices. As for known brands, I hear about using the prices of the 2004 as a starting point, yet not those 2004 futures prices, but rather its current trading value less a little something. As for properties who are not remarked and that are depending on more and more cautious negociants, large retailers could be the solution. Buyers as well as sellers are thinking with the ponderous shadow of 1997 in mind. I have stopped counting how many times I have heard the following misquote: 1997 instead of 2007! ________________________________________________________ MEDOC AND HAUT-MEDOCIn the following report on Medoc and Haut Medoc, you will perceive that it is those who have been the most detail-oriented properties during the recent years that less suffered the 2007 vintage than others. La Lagune finishes ahead in the Haut-Médoc and Clos Manou in the Médoc. The best wines are well built, faithful to their style, with no dilution in the mid-palate. I was recently asking Hélène Garcin how do winemakers keep paying attention to details without knowing what price they will be able to sell their wine for. She responded, “we are into the game. Once we know which technical viticulture behaviors bring which quality, it becomes very hard to cease practicing them”. ________________________________________________________ BARATEAU Haut-Médoc // 83 Purple color of average intensity. Fruity nose of medium intensity. Fruity on the palate, yet a bit light and easy. Average length. BELGRAVE Haut-Médoc // 85 - 86 Fruity and discreet nose. Caressing from entry, the palate offers a medium body followed by a more rigid character in its persistence. Medium length. BELLE-VUE Haut-Médoc // 86-87 Very lovely dark red and purple color. Intense and aromatic nose that comes along with a noble woody characteristic at the level of the best-classified growths. Very good on entry, the wine is mellow, developing tasty, smooth and pulpy. It finishes with coated tannins of good length. Lots of work has been performed to achieve such profile. Do not miss it. CAMBON LA PELOUSE Haut-Médoc // 87 Purple color of good intensity. Rather aromatic nose for the vintage, fruity and well paired with wood. Well built and structured on the palate, with clearly delineated entry, mid-palate and finish. Evolving with taste and fatness, along with coated tannins. Good and tasty length. CAMENSAC Haut-Médoc // 85 - 86 Purple color. Discreet and fruity nose. Of medium body, the palate offers slightly firm tannins in its persistence. CANTEMERLE Haut-Médoc // 80 Its fruit lacks ripeness. CARONNE SAINTE GEMME Haut-Médoc // 86 Purple color of average intensity. Fruity and a bit discreet nose. More outspoken on the palate. The wine is fruity and rather dense. It surprises by its volume in the vintage. Merloting aspect. Of normal and tannic length, its grain of tannins requires to be polished during barrel ageing. CHARMAIL Haut-Médoc // 88 I think that in this vintage, Charmail is better than Sociando Mallet. Lovely, intense purple color. Fruity nose, appearing creamy and a bit discreet. Well built and structured on the palate, with clearly delineated entry, mid-palate and finish. The finish is very, very fruity, followed by a great length. It should reveal itself even more during barrel ageing. CISSAC Haut-Médoc // 84 - 85 Purple color. Discreet and fruity nose, still quite gross at this stage. Quite dense on the palate with squared tannins. As often, it lacks caressing and charm. It is its style. CITRAN Haut-Médoc // 85 - 86 Purple color. Fruity and fresh nose of moderate aromatic intensity. Smooth and pleasant on the palate. The wine offers a medium body, some ripe tannins, and finishes tasty. CLEMENT PICHON Haut-Médoc // 84 - 85As I indicated last year, this wine is getting out of the dark. Dark purple color. Fruity, pure and fresh nose. Smooth, fruity and moderately tasty on the palate. Tannins are well situated. Enjoyable finish, of medium length. CLOS DU JAUGUEYRON Haut-Médoc // 87 Purple and intense color. Fruity and quite aromatic nose, that comes along with a nice woody component. Well built on the palate, this wine offers fruit, fatness and an enjoyable touch. Quite long tannic finish, with a pure fruity nuance. A success of the vintage. CLOS MANOU Médoc // 88This vintage is another success of the estate. Great, dark and vivid color. Fruity and aromatic nose. Dense and mellow on the palate, with ripe fruit taste. The mid-palate is quite filled-up. The finish offers coated tannins and normal length. It is very good. Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Dief for their attention to detail. Clos Manou now is THE outsider of reference in the Médoc.CORNÉLIE Haut-Médoc // 85 - 86 Purple color of average intensity. Fruity, fresh and aromatic nose. A wine that is quite dense on the palate for the vintage, caressing and showing depth. Barrel ageing should help defining its flavor. COUFRAN Haut-Médoc // 85 - 86 Purple color. Fruity nose of medium aromatic intensity. Smooth palate, developing with ripe flavors. Good body. Enjoyable finish with coated tannins. D'AGASSAC Haut-Médoc // 85 - 86 Purple and very dark color. Fruity and enjoyable nose with a vanilla characteristic. Smooth, fruity and aromatic on the palate, the wine has a medium body. Finish made of coated and tasty tannins. This wine is enjoyable without being profound. D'ESCURAC Médoc // 85 Purple color, very dark for this estate. Fruity nose, of ripe type eventhough it is a tad vegetal. Smooth, fruity and quite caressing on the palate, this wine finishes with a ripe taste, appearing a bit fresher than the nose would let one think. The profile of this wine is quite different from that which had publicized the estate in the years 96-2000. Harvests were performed later.DE GIRONVILLE Haut-Médoc // 86 Purple color of medium intensity. Very lovely fruity nose, finely woody. This is at the level of a classified-growth! Tasty and very fruity on the palate. For sure, the body is medium, yet the taste is precise and pure. Fine tannins. Average length. Plenty of precise and detailed work is performed here as witnessed by the presentation of this wine. This estate and its work keep on improving. DE SAINTE GEMME Haut-Médoc // 82 Very intense color, with a discreet nose. Fruity and quite flowing on the palate, this wine is of average length. DU RETOUT Haut-Médoc // 86 Purple color of good intensity. Fruity nose of medium aromatic intensity. Lovely palate, appearing round, fruity and rather mellow. The cru has managed to escape from dilution. Coated tannins. This is serious work. This is a property on the rise.DU TAILLAN Haut-Médoc // 85This is an estate paying better attention to details. I am the constant witness of this work since I live right next door. The number of cluster per vine was rather reduced. Recently, the property raised the height of trellising. It has been a few years now that the harvesting dates are quite likely considered more carefully, and for sure, those are conducted later. The color is dark red. The nose is discreet and fruity. Rather fat on the palate, the wine develops tasty, with plenty of fruit. Tannic and coated finish. The aromatic expression remains to be fine tuned. Yet, the estate is on the rise. FONTAINE DE L'AUBIER Médoc // 83This wine is the third label from Mr. Rémy Fauchey. Dark color and discreet nose. The body is a bit rustic. Medium length. FONTIS Médoc // 85 Color of medium intensity. Aromatic and fruity nose. Enjoyable on the palate, this wine appears fruity, with a medium body and no stiffness. Quite pure taste. Medium length. HAUT CONDISSAS Médoc // 87 - 88 Purple color. The nose presents itself discreet with a fruit of a bit cooked nature. I instantly think of very late or too late harvests. The palate immediately offers roundness, with pulp and fatness, and some rusticity at the same time. The latter is a bit more present in finish. Average length. L'INCLASSABLE Médoc // 85 - 86 Black color, with a fruity nose of average intensity. Dense body with a taste of very ripe fruits. The wine appears smooth in the first part of the palate, then more tannic in the second, even though it is coated. Rustic characteristic, as Mr. Rémy Fauchey likes it. L'INCLASSABLE DE RÉMY FAUCHEY Médoc // 88This wine is a success of the vintage. This year, it is much better than l'Inclassable. Black color, with a fruity, ripe and fresh nose. Gingerbread characteristic. Fat on entry, the wine develops very fruity, of ripe taste, with a caressing and full body. It finishes on powerful yet well balanced tannins. A classic of an authentic Médoc. Good length. Good ageing potential LA CHAPELLE DE POTENSAC Médoc // 83 - 84 As often, the nose of this wine is a bit green and I regret it. Tender on the palate, a bit smoother than usual on this vintage. So much the better. A simple wine. LA LAGUNE Haut-Médoc // 892007 is a good success for this estate, which is also on the rise. For your information, I just tasted a vertical from 1999 to 2007. From 2005, the wine becomes better. This success can be explained by better selections and especially the height of trellising that has been raised on the entire vineyards between 2001 and 2004: this work pays. Purple color, very fruity nose, with vanilla and floral characteristics. From entry, the wine offers some pulp. It develops very fruity, suave, melting, with plenty of purity in its fruit expression. And indeed, its smooth body does not crash in the mid-palate. It continues its journey, seductive, gracious and velvety. Good length, with a fine grain of tannin. This is a success that confirms the ambitions of the location. Nice expression.LA TOUR CARNET Haut-Médoc // 87 Purple color, almost black. Very fruity, creamy nose, moderately aromatic. Smooth, fruity and tasty on the palate. On the second part of the palate, the wine finishes dense, a bit thick but with taste. LA TOUR DE BY Médoc // 82 Purple color of average intensity. Fruity nose. Appearing fruity on the palate the wine is smoother than usual, which is a clear benefit. Nevertheless, body lacks in the finish. Barrel ageing may provide a bit more structure to this wine. Is this the final blend? LACHESNAYE Haut-Médoc // 83 Dark and purple color. Aromatic nose. Rounded and fruity on the palate, the wine shows no tannic harshness, yet remains simple in the finish. LAMARQUE Haut-Médoc // 85 Purple color. Fruity nose of moderate aromatic intensity. Smooth, fruity and tasty on the palate with licorice characteristics. Medium body and length. Firm character in its persistence. LANESSAN Haut-Médoc // 84 - 85 Intense purple color. Fruity nose appearing a bit disceet. The palate is well built, fruity, moderately tasty and quite tannic in its finish. There is definitely always a very rustic character in this wine, even in this smooth vintage. LAYAUGA DUBOSCQ Cuvée Renaissance Médoc // 85 Color of average intensity. Fruity and aromatic nose. Smooth and very fruity on the palate, evolving on a medium body. Tasty with coated tannins. This property is using the advices from Mr. Dief, owner of the excellent Clos Manou.LES ORMES SORBET Médoc // 85 - 86I always consider this wine better than Fontis, eventhough Fontis works harder every year. The color is purple of medium intensity. Aromatic and very fruity nose. Fruity and slender on the palate, the wine offers quite a dense body for the vintage. Tannic finish, followed by a good length. MILLE ROSES Haut-Médoc // 86 Purple color, of medium intensity. Fruity nose of average aromatic intensity. Smooth, fruity and caressing on the palate, with an aromatic finish. Coated and floral tannins. This is good but of medium density. PALOUMEY Haut-Médoc // 86 Purple color of average intensity. Fruity nose, a bit reserved. Enjoyable on the palate, starting caressing, then very fruity and finishing on quite coated tannins, with a good length. This wine offers a nice touch this vintage and no fluidity. A success. PEYRABON Haut-Médoc // 85 Purple red color of medium intensity. Fruity and floral nose. Enjoyable yet light on the palate. PIERBONE Haut-Médoc // 84 Dark color of average intensity. Fresh and fruity nose of recently picked fruit type. Easy and pleasant on the palate. POTENSAC Médoc // 87 - 88What a success for this vintage! Purple color. The nose shows itself aromatic, fresh and fruity. Smooth on the palate, the wine behaves particularly tasty and develops very aromatic, with chubby tannins. I am surprised by the intensity of flavors. It is delicious. A nice success of the vintage. The wine is a blend of 45,2% merlot, 44,8% cabernet sauvignon, 10% cabernet franc, and the amount of press wine in the blend represents 12,2%. It is aged in 34% new oak barrels.PREUILLAC Médoc // 86 I have never seen such a dark color in this wine. The nose smells good fruit and wood. It is very well mixed together. Dense on the palate, with a very ripe fruit taste. Coated tannins appear in the finish that is rather aromatic. Good length. The way this wine appears is remarkable for the vintage. Without the efforts of Jean-Christophe Mau this estate would have never succeed in 2007. Quite the contrary, it would have been left behind.SEGUE LONGUE MONNIER Médoc // 83 - 84 The color is of medium intensity. Fruity, floral and aromatic nose. Fruity on the palate, appearing rustic without being rigid. Barrel ageing will reveal more. SOCIANDO MALLET Haut-Médoc // 87 Purple color of good intensity. Nose of average aromatics, appearing fruity, fresh with vanilla flavours since this wine is aged in 100% new wood. Smooth, very fruity and caressing on the palate, yet lacking a bit of depth in this vintage. It seems to me that the selection could have been stricter, but at the same time, this is a label that sells well!TOUR HAUT CAUSSAN Médoc // 86 Purple color of medium intensity. Fruity and rather aromatic nose for the vintage. The wine is well built on the palate, with a structure based on the fruit, appearing tasty with a silky sensation. Chubby and of quite good length. A success of the vintage in the Médoc appellation.TROIS MOULINS Haut-Médoc // 84 Purple color of medium intensity. Fruity nose of average aromatics. Flowing on the palate, fruity and enjoyable. Light body. VIEUX ROBIN cuvée Bois de Lunier Médoc // 85 - 86 Purple color of average intensity. Fruity and aromatic nose smelling good of mulberries. Smooth, fruity and pleasant on the palate, the wine finishes with tannins that are without any roughness. Average length. ______________________________________________________________________________ © Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author: Jean-Marc Quarin Sarl, 10 allée de Ginouilhac, BP 40, 33320 Le Taillan-Médoc. France. Tél. 00 33 (0)5 56 35 83 93. Fax 00 33 (0)5 56 35 86 50. E-mail : jmquarin@wanadoo.fr

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Bordeaux Futures 2007: Results (Part 5)

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