UGC 2007 BORDEAUX - The Drake, Chicago IL (1/25/2010)
This was divided up into two tasting sessions and I was in the second session. This presented a good chance to check out a good variety from this much maligned vintage. There were no real expectations going in and I wanted to see for myself how the wines were
Graves Red and Blancs
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2007 Château de Fieuzal - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
nose: tight nose with some smokey tones, black currants, earth, cedar, and dark red cherries. Well balanced with solid depth, but a bit plain
taste: good medium feel with nice tannins and tones of smoke, cassis, cedar, and dark red cherries. The mid-palate is lacking and it thins out on the back end
overall: a solid bordeaux. Its nice enough, but it comes off as fairly plain. If it can be bought at a decent price, it can work as a nice food wine (86 pts.)
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2007 Château Haut-Bailly - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
nose: nice and tart nose of smoke, graphite, red fruits, dark red cherries, and some bits of sour berries. Has a more higher toned aromatic sense to it and a tartness to it
taste: excellent medium/full feel with big tannins right now and tart tones of smoke, red fruits, dark red cherries and some bits of berries and cedar. Good depth, but the tannins are pretty tough right now
overall: This is a nice wine. With a bit of age on it, it could nicely open up and be a real attractive wine. Might not be a long distance runner, but is very enjoyable (90 pts.)
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2007 Château Haut-Bergey - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
nose: nice tones of scorched earth, dark red cherries, sour red fruits, graphite, and some green tones sneak in underneath. The green is a bit there too much and it is a bit annoying
taste: very good medium/full feel with good supporting tannins and tones of scorched earth, dark red cherries, graphite, and green tones.
overall: The green tones seem to lurk on this a bit too much. Its a nice wine, and if it can be had at a good price, this too can be a nice food wine in a few years and if the green can be absorbed a bit (87 pts.)
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2007 Château Malartic-Lagravière - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
nose: fairly charred nose with tones of smoke, charcoal, dark red cherries, and tart sour red fruits. A bit over charred on the nose with decent depth
taste: nice medium feel of red fruits, charcoal, and dark red cherries. Good tannins, but there is just something lacking on this right now
overall: Would be best with food. Could use a couple of years, but this is a solid wine, but not much more then that (87 pts.)
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2007 Château Pape Clément - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
nose: fairly elegant and smokey nose with tones of toast, dark red fruits, cedar, and tobacco leaf. Has a fairly expressive side to it, but is wound up fairly tight
taste: well balanced with good firm tannins and fuller tones of smoke, toast, dark red fruits, cedar and sour berries. The tones have a nice roundness to them right now as well
overall: A elegant wine. This one could really be nice in a few years and it did stick out for me. Its tightly wound right now, but when it opens up, it could be a real fun wine to have (92 pts.)
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2007 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
nose: a bit tight, but with some swirling tasty tones of tart citrus, minerals, melons, some cream tones, and white peaches. Good depth with a focus on it right now
taste: very young with medium+ acidity. Excellent and suave feel of minerals, creams, white peaches, and tart citrus tones all work well together
overall: needs a good amount of time to fully come together. Shows a lot of promise right now with and has a real attractive side to it that will only get better (92 pts.)
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2007 Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
nose: nice tones of white peaches start upfront along wiht tones of minerals, melon rinds, and a good amount of tart citrus’. Has a good tartness to it right now, along with the tones being fairly focused as well
taste: Tasty citrusy backdrop on the palate along with white peaches, minerals and bits of melons. Very good medium acidity with a real good lighter feel
overall: A lot of citrus on this. Has a tartness to it that is fairly upfront right now. Comes off as drinking right now, but could benefit from some age to round out the tones a bit more (90 pts.)
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2007 Château Pape Clément Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
nose: tight, but has a real rich depth to it with real tart tones of honeydew, smoke, sweet lemons, all sorts of various tart citrus tones and bits of white fruits. Great purity and precision on the nose add to the allure right now
taste: very lovely feel with medium/high acidity and delicious tones of honeydew, white fruits, peach blossoms, bits of minerals, sweet lemons, and some bits of smokey tones. The acidity is pronounced right now
overall: this is already showing well right now surprisingly, but that feels more like a glimpse of what can come. This needs some time to balanced itself out, but it looks like it could be a real stunner (93 pts.)
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2007 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
nose: nice citrusy nose of lemon zest, citrus peels, bits of white fruits and some limes. The fruit is almost tropical and has a more upfront style
taste: really good medium feel with excellent tones of lemon zest, citrus peels, white fruits, and navel oranges. Excellent medium+ acidity on this right now
overall: Extremely good right now, but it is holding back a bit. Once this gets sorted out a bit, this should be a real quality wine. The feel is real good and the finish lingers a bit really nicely (91 pts.)
Right Bank
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2007 Château Angélus - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
nose: nice and feminine nose of berries, cedary oak, red fruits, red currants and some round cherry tones. Has an almost perfumed quality to it, but is also a bit lighter as well
taste: good medium feel with good tannins and soft tones of berries, cedary oak, red fruits and bits of cherries. There wasn’t much of a mid-palate to speak of which was a problem
overall: this was a bit of a letdown. It was real nice on the nose, so if the palate can flesh out a bit, this could be a pretty wine. (89 pts.)
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2007 Château Canon - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
nose: fairly dense on the nose and wound a bit tight, but has a real elegant side to it with red fruits, red currants, cherries, bits of florals and some cedar tones. Very nice and showing its youth on the nose right now
taste: very dense tannins with a real good medium feel and tones of red fruits, cedar, floral bits, along with red currants and spices. The tannins are fairly rough right now and show off the youth of the wine
overall: this can become a nice wine with some patience. It won’t be a stunner, but something fun to have instead. (90 pts.)
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2007 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
nose: has a good richness to it with dark tones of dark red cherries, black currants, cedar, dark berries, and some bits of spices. Good depth and fairly open right now
taste: good tannins support this with a good medium feel and tones of dark berries, and spice tones, dark red cherries, and some bits of cedar. Medium acidity adds to this and shows off its youth
overall: A real nice wine. Surprised by the darker profile as most of the other 07s had a higher toned profile. Nice depth on both the nose and palate, this does need a bit of time to round into form and should be a nice wine over the mid-term (90 pts.)
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2007 Château Figeac - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
nose: has a rather regal sense to itself on the nose with tones of dark red cherries, tobacco, cedar, bits of clay, red florals, and various wild herbs. There is a bit of a perfumed quality to it as well with nice depth
taste: silky and refined medium feel with plush tannins and round tones of dark red cherries, red currants, red florals, spice tones, and wild herbs. This also had nice depth as well
overall: This really stood out. A real elegant wine with an alluring quality to it. Well polished with good tones on both the nose and palate. (92 pts.)
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2007 Clos Fourtet - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
nose: dark and elegant nose of dark berries, spices, cedar, red florals, bits of clay and some rounded tones of red cherries. Has a higher toned sense to it that is rather fragrant right now
taste: effusive medium feel with good supporting tannins and medium+ acidity along with round tones of berries, spices, lots of herbs, cedar and hints of clay
overall: the cab franc shows itself right now. A nicely styled young bordeaux that will need some time to come together. This should be very nice in a few years and if it can be had for a good price, its well worth having (91 pts.)
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2007 Château Clinet - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
nose: has a real sexy appeal on the nose with red fruits, red currants, bits of fresh berries and a touch of cedar. Very nice, but a bit tight at the moment
taste: very young with a polished medium feel and sturdy tannins along with tones of red fruits, red currants, red cherries and some bits of cedar. Good depth but its on the lighter side of being medium and seemed to be lacking a mid-palate at the time
overall: If the palate can flesh out and be more in tune with the nose, this could turn out to be a possible gem in this vintage. Has an elegant side to it that makes it attractive and fun to drink (90 pts.)
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2007 Château Gazin - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
nose: pretty and floral with red cherries, red florals, purple florals, red currants and cedar tones. There is a nice and lifting purity on the tones that is really nice
taste: good depth with a nice medium feel and some tough tannins along with tones of red cherries, red and purple florals and a nice touch of cedar and spice
overall: The palate isn’t at the level of the nose just yet, but this is a very nice wine. This should be real nice in 5-8 years and really showed itself off well (91 pts.)
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2007 Château La Conseillante - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
nose: very perfumed nose with pretty tones of red florals, red cherries, some bits of dark berries and spices. Nice and aromatic with a real elegant side to it
taste: pretty medium feel with excellent tones of red florals, red cherries cedar and bits of spices. Well balanced with tart acidity that is noticeable
overall: a pretty wine. Needs some time to fully come together, but this is quite nice right now. The price is a bit much for this right now, but this is a real nice pomerol and would be worth getting if the price comes down on it (92 pts.)
Margaux& St.Estephe
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2007 Château Kirwan - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
nose: nice and aromatic nose of smoke, leather, cedar, dark red cherries and berry tones. A lighter style on the nose that is nice but not too deep
taste: very good tannins and a nice medium feel with good tones of leather, cedar, dark red cherries and some bits of tobacco leaf. Tannins are nice and supporting, but not too chewy
overall: the word that comes to my head with this wine is that its very english. With some age this should be a nice and understated wine, but never anything all too spectacular (88 pts.)
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2007 Château Labégorce - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
nose: rather green nose with some bell pepper tones, cedar, tobacco, and dark red cherries. A bit on the simple side as well
taste: comes off as green and rather astringent with tones of bell pepper, cedar, and dark red cherries
overall: forgettable. This had some hard tannins on it as well and was spat out rather quickly (79 pts.)
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2007 Château Lascombes - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
nose: very toasty nose that is a bit much along with cedar, dark red cherries, berries and tobacco. The oak was a bit much considering the fruit behind it for this vintage. It isn’t off-putting, but more noticeable
taste: excellent medium/full feel with good tannins and tones of black currants, cedar, dark red cherries and tobacco. Well balanced and the toast isn’t as pronounced
overall: This could be a nice wine when it gets a few more years on it. The oak was a bit too noticeable on the nose, but it wasn’t as pronounced on the palate (89 pts.)
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2007 Château Marquis de Terme - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
nose: very margaux nose of leather, cedar, red cherries, tobacco, black currants and bits of smoke. Nice and fragrant but lacking some depth
taste: well balanced medium feel with medium+ acidity and nice tannins. Nice tones of leather, cedar, red cherries, and tobacco all work well together
overall: this was drinking fine right now. This is more of a food wine and offers up well balanced tones and could use a few years to fully come together (87 pts.)
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2007 Château Rauzan-Ségla - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
nose: nice smokey backdrop on the nose with well balanced tones of red cherries, cedar, cranberries, and leather. Good depth with a nice and fragrant nose
taste: excellent medium feel with good tannins and tones of smoke, cedar, red cherries, and cranberries with a touch of floral tones. Good depth with nice balance, but the finish is a bit clipped
overall: this was the best of the margauxs that I tasted. This has more depth and expression to it then the other wines from margaux, but the clipped finished left a bit of a letdown (90 pts.)
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2007 Château Lafon-Rochet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
nose: attractive and lighter nose of round red fruits, red cherries, spice box, tobacco and some bits of cedar. Medium depth on the nose with a nice higher toned style
taste: approachable and nice medium/full feel with good tannins and red fruits, red cherries, cedar and tobacco tones. Decent dept with a more forward feel on the palate
overall: The tannins are more supporting right now and this comes off as ready to drink right now. It could use some age to round into form, but this comes off as being a short to mid term drinker (88 pts.)
St Julien
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2007 Château Beychevelle - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
nose: round and softer nose with nuanced tones of spice box, red fruits, red and black currants, and some red cherry tones. Elegant and a bit understated on the nose, but very nice
taste: very good and firm tannins with a well elegant medium feel. Well balanced tones of cedar, tobacco, red cherries, spice box, red fruits and some bits of red currants give this a real attractive quality
overall: this is a real good wine. Elegant and lovely with a refined sense to it, this needs a few more years to start to open up. It will take some time, but this has the ability to become a real beautiful wine (91 pts.)
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2007 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
nose: lovely and round nose of berries, dark red cherries, cedar, red fruits and some currants. Has a real feminine side to it on the nose that works very well with the fruit
taste: elegant medium feel with good tannins and pretty tones of berries, dark red cherries, cedar, cigar wrapper, and red currants. Good depth with a nice polished feel to it already
overall: This should be a real nice wine to have over the mid-term. Pretty aromatics and feel, there is a real good balance to this as well (92 pts.)
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2007 Château Gruaud Larose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
nose: real good and balanced nose of cedar, tobacco, spice box, a bit of funky tones, dark red cherries and some sour berries
taste: excellent fuller feel with chewy tannins and tones of cedar, tobacco, dark red cherries, and sour berries. Good depth, and showing its youth as the tannins are fairly rough
overall: A real nice showing by Gruaud Larose. Well balanced with a real muscular style to it for the vintage. The tannins are good and there is some very good material to work with on this (92 pts.)
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2007 Château Lagrange St. Julien - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
nose: Pretty and elegant nose with tones of dark red cherries, red fruits, red berries, some licorice tones spice box and some cedar. Well balanced and very fragrant that is very nice
taste: elegant medium/full feel with good tannins and polished tones of dark red cherries, red berries, spice box, cedar and a nice cigar wrapper finish. Has an expressive side to it and the tannins aren’t overbearing
overall: After a few years this should be nice. A more hi-toned wine, but still has some weight behind it. Very elegant on both the palate and nose, this is a really attractive wine (90 pts.)
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2007 Château Léoville Poyferré - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
nose: very lovely nose that has a tart red fruit base and tones of red currants, red cherries, cedar, red florals and some tobacco tones. Good depth with a nice tartness to the fruit
taste: Elegant and well defined with round tones of tobacco, red cherries, red currants and red florals. Firm tannins back this up to go along with a great medium/full feel
overall: this is a real compelling young wine. The tannins are very noticeable right now and the nose is a bit tight, but this is really good right now. This could be a real winner with some age on it, but its not a long term wine (92 pts.)
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2007 Château Saint-Pierre - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
nose: well styled with laid back and cool tones of dark red fruits, black currants, red cherries, and lots of red berries with a touch of tobacco
taste: really good balance with a lovely medium feel and polished tones of dark red fruits, cedar, red cherries, berries and some tobacco tones. The tannins are fairly good on this right now, but aren’t overly hard
overall: A real elegant wine. Has a lot of class to it and with a bit of time it should be really nice. Well balanced and the tones are very nice and polished that makes the wine fun to like (90 pts.)
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2007 Château Talbot - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
nose: tight with an underlying green streak on the nose along with tones of dark red fruits, sour berries, cedar and leather. The green is a bit distracting from an otherwise nice nose
taste: excellent medium body with good tannins and tones of dark red fruits, sour berries, cedar and some green tones. The green bites a bit on the back end
overall: A very good wine that has a bit of a green streak. Its not too bad on the green and it has a good feel to it (88 pts.)
Pauillac
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2007 Château Batailley - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
nose: a bit green with tarter tones of tobacco, cedar, pencil lead, and dark cherry tones. A bit lighter styled on the nose and the green presents itself
taste: robust medium/full feel with rich tannins and tones of cedar, pencil lead, cranberries and some bits of green tones. The tannins are a bit tough right now
overall: the green is annoying and it takes away from the wine. The wine needs food right now and a good decant (86 pts.)
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2007 Château Clerc Milon - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
nose: nice and fragrant nose of red fruits, black and red currants, cedar box, spice box and some cranberry tones. Has a higher toned style to it with nice depth
taste: good and solid medium feel with chewy tannins and tones of tobacco, red currants, red fruits, cedar box and some bits of spice box
overall: a quality pauillac. Well balanced with good tannins and classic tones. A bit lighter then normal, but very nice and should come around in a few years (89 pts.)
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2007 Château d’Armailhac - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
nose: tight with excellent tones of cedar box, pencil lead, dark red cherries, and cranberries. Fairly straight forward and textbook pauillac
taste: very good medium/full feel with big tannins and tones of cedar box, cranberries, tobacco and dark red cherries
overall: A quality pauillac. Straight forward and young that is pretty textbook right now. Could use a few years, but should be real nice when it comes around (88 pts.)
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2007 Château Lynch-Bages - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
nose: soft and plush nose with round tones of red cherries, pencil lead, cedar, a bit of cigar wrapper and green tones. Lighter with less depth then what Lynch normally brings
taste: good medium body with good tannins and round tones of red cherries, cedar, cigar wrapper and some green tones. Well balanced, but doesn’t have a lot of depth either
overall: This is a lynch light. Not the deepest or most expressive and the tannins aren’t that big either. A very good wine, but not up to the normal lynch standards (88 pts.)
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2007 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
nose: plush and sexy nose with lovely tones of red fruits, tobacco, dark red cherries, cedar and spice box tones. Very good depth with real beautiful and pure tones
taste: Very pretty medium/full feel with a real roundness on the palate and silky tannins with tones of red fruits, tobacco, dark red cherries, berries and some cedar
overall: a beautiful wine. Needs some time, but this can turn into a real lovely lalande. There is a sexy style to it right now and with some more rounding out could turn into a real stunner (93 pts.)
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2007 Château Pontet-Canet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
nose: tight and has a fairly powerful nose as well with tones of dark red cherries, cedar, pencil lead, black currants and spice box tones. Dense and complex, but just wound up tight right now
taste: backwards and powerful full bodied feel with rich tannins and tones of dark red cherries, cedar, spice box, tobacco, and black currants. This is a bruiser on the palate right now and has some real body to it
overall: extremely young and backwards. There is something real good underneath, but its gonna take a bit to come out. A lot of power on this wine that stands in contrast of the vintage (91 pts.)
Sauternes&Barsac
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2007 Château Bastor-Lamontagne - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
nose: very good nose of limes, lemons white fruits, and some bits of apples and apricots. Good tones, but lacking real depth right now
taste: excellent feel of limes,white fruits, apricots and some bits of citrus tones. Good medium+ acidity gives this a nice backbone. Lighter feel right now, but should develop nicely
overall: A very nice young sauternes. It needs a few years to add some weight and depth and it has a real nice nose right now (90 pts.)
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2007 Château Climens - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
nose: very deep and pure nose of honey, apricots, pears, white fruits, and tart tones of nectarines. A bit tight, but this has real good purity right now
taste: deep and pure medium feel with medium+ acidity and well balanced tones of honey, apricots, pears, and nectarines. Has a young feel to it right now, but the acidity isn’t overbearing
overall: Very young and in need of time to show its full potential. A bit tight on the nose but very pure on both the nose and palate. Once this adds more depth and weight this could become a tremendous sauternes (93 pts.)
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2007 Château Coutet - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac
nose: zesty nose of honeydew melons, apricots, green apples, and some bits of nectarines. Good depth with semi tropical tones as the base
taste: real good medium feel with balanced tones of honeydew, apricots, nectarines and sweet citrus tones. Excellent medium+ acidity with sweet and tasty tones that are youthful
overall: A real nice young sauternes. This needs some time to get a bit more weight, but this is going to have a real open window as its really nice right now. It has real good weight with the feel and has nice depth as well (92 pts.)
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2007 Château de Fargues - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
nose: very polished and regal nose with great tones of green apples, honey, white fruits, bits of peaches and white floral tones. Excellent depth right now with really good and pure tones
taste: medium feel with medium/high acidity and polished tones of of green apples, honey, white fruits, bits of white floral tones and apricots. The acidity is pretty big right now but the feel is really good and has real good depth as well
overall: Needs time, but a real awesome sauternes is in there waiting. Great depth and purity already, but seeming like its holding back a bit right now (93 pts.)
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2007 Château Doisy-Daëne - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
nose: real tart nose of green apples, tart citrus tones, honey and melons. Real nice and tart on the nose with really good depth
taste: great medium feel with good medium+ acidity and delicious tones of green apples, tart citrus tones, and a lot of honeydew melons
overall: A really good young sauternes. Has a more forward and tart profile, but its well balanced and deep (92 pts.)
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2007 Château Guiraud - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
nose: sweet and fragrant tones of citrus, limes, apples, and a good amount of nectarines. Real good depth with a fatness on the nose
taste: very well balanced with a great medium feel and medium+ acidity with really good tones of white fruits, sweet citrus’, nectarines and limes. Great depth with a real nice fat mid-palate on it right now
overall: A great young sauternes, this needs time to add a bit of weight and round into form. Has real good tones and great aromatics right now, this should be real fun with some age on it (93 pts.)
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2007 Château La Tour Blanche Sauternes - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
nose: tart and lovely nose of nectarines, limes, bits of white fruits, honey and drops of warm caramel. Very well defined on the nose with good purity and depth
taste: great and silky medium feel with good medium acidity and distinct tones of limes, honey, caramel, and white fruits. Excellent depth and it has some real polish on the tones
overall: This will certainly get better with time. A real intriguing sauternes that has a nice and tart style to it. Great nose with good depth on both the nose and palate, this is an extremely good young wine (92 pts.)
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2007 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
nose: very pretty and fat nose of white florals, white fruits, citrus tones, and tart tones of apricots. Great depth with lighter and lovely aromatics
taste: delicious and great tones of nectarines, apricots, white florals, white fruits and some bits of citrus’. Excellent medium feel that has a fatness to it as well as medium+ acidity
overall: A really good young sauternes. Has a real good fat feel and nose that is really well balanced. This should really turn into something with time (93 pts.)
Overall I was pleasantly surprised by the reds here. They are far from world beaters and most likely won’t be legend canidates, but they should turn into nice mid-term drinking while the 00s, 03s, and 05s start to come around. They are lighter styled and come off as very english in a way.
There wasn’t a across the board consistency from the wines. This was certainly showing that its a taste before you buy vintage, and that price will determine what will be bought. These aren’t wines for those seeking points and is bordeaux drinker’s vintage.
As far as the appellations for the reds, St Julien seemed to stand out with wines that are attractive. They will need some time, but many of them are worth having at the right price. Pauillac was the second best, but it wasn’t as consistent as St. Julien. The margauxs disappointed a bit and didn’t really do much for me. There were some others that I didn’t get to try.
A really good time and a nice cross section of wine to get a good feel for the vintage
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