Ripe, nicely integrated, delicate nose. Not super complex, though. In the mouth, this had some spice, and was rich and smooth (soft tannins). Nicely balanced, though a tad thin – lacking a bit of concentration. I served this blind and several people guessed a cool-climate California pinot – which was not a silly guess, though it had no candy cherry/cough drop notes. It had very clean pinot flavors – no funk or wet leaves. On the finish, it was a tad short and some harder tannins showed up, so a bit less satisfying.
Overall, a nice bottle, if a bit simple. Someone looked up John Gilman’s review and he thinks this needs quite a bit more time. Perhaps. The fruit might well fill out. It’s my only bottle, though, so I probably won’t know. 87-ish for me (which is a decent score in my uninflated scale).
Hey, John. similar to my impressions. A number of folks have been drinking their 2007’s over the past couple of years because of early accessibility, but I’ve found a number somewhat undeveloped. I think they will actually follow a more normal burgundy development curve in terms of secondary characteristics and interest, and I’m speculating that I’ll be happier with them at 12-15 years of age.
John,
Are you raiding my cellar today? First the Fontanafredda, and now you dash my hopes that my case of '07 CdB Iles would be an early drinker for 2017. I’m this close to blocking your feed 
.
Once again, thanks for the great TN’s (even though you’re a tough scorer; I hope you’re not a teacher or professor.)
Cheers,
Warren
Just let me know what else you have teed up, Warren, and I’ll try to spoil the anticipation for you.
John,
I have liked this wine more than you did. First of all, it cost $30. For that price, on the nose alone it is a steal. I really love this wine’s nose. From the nose, I am shocked that anyone would think this is from California.
The palate is still a bit rougher, but the wine is not at all ready yet. Still, there is a lot to this wine and I think it has a very nice future.
This wine is really ripe. I serve it to people that prefer CA PN over Burg. That being said I like the wine and have had a lot of excellent wines from this Domaine. Their Corton can be found for an excellent price, relative to other GCs
George
I enjoyed your detailed note, John. I have had the wine many times and believe that it is good now, but that it will be better in 10 years after some secondary aromas and flavors appear. I really like the modest concentration and light-weight nature of the wine. The nose is quite beautiful, even now, and it has a lovely texture. When I offer my remaining inventory of the wine, I will send you a bottle so that you may have another look at it.
George, your “really ripe” comment has me puzzled. I would never think to serve this wine to anyone other than a seasoned Burgundy drinker.
I’m with Martin; thinks it needs more time.
Sounds like there’s a consensus that this has a promising future!
I had the '08 of this wine recently, and it was surprisingly soft and evolved, bricking even. Perhaps a bad bottle? Found it on close-out, so it may have led a tough life. Any reason to think the '08 wouldn’t live at least as long as the '07?
No. There’ve been a few scattered reports of folks thinking their 08’s might not be aging well, but I think it’s just the usual crappy phase for many burgs at 6-9 or 10 years of age.
Thanks all - this is very helpful. I was tempted to bring a half-case out of storage this fall but held off. They’ll remain in hibernation for a while yet based on all the feedback here.
Opened one last night at dinner. I agree with John that it didn’t show super complex, but it had nice depth (not a thin showing) and good pitch to the nose. After 30 mins added some complexity over time but still generally primary. Very nice showing, but more potential. No fireworks at this stage but very flexible and great for the table.
I went through 3 over about an 18-month window, last bottle about 6 months ago. It was ok, and at $40 per, was very outclassed by many Cru Beaujolais that I regularly drink.
Interesting that this entire discussion could have been about the 2007 Dubreuil-Fontaine Savigny Les Beaune 1er cru Aux Vergelesses I enjoyed this evening. Their accessibility and deliciousness has led me to blast through multiple bottles in the last couple of years. Tonight, despite the lack of tannins, something tells me to slow down and see if more complexity can develop. Certainly enough acidity to sustain it.