BORDEAUX 2007



Bordeaux Blanc

Blanc de Lynch Bages-medium gold color, quince
and nectarines rolled around on the nose, very
full muscular body, peach stone, viscous almost
over the top, a fat wine finishing with lemon
zest and peppermint, recommended as the best
blanc de Lynch Bages to date *

La Tour Carnet Blanc-medium light color, lemon
fruit, chalky medium body, OK.

Pavillion blanc-the nose is so sauvignon as well it
should be (100%), grassy and racy, enticing
aromatics, the body is long and lithe belying its
massive 15.5% alcoholic ripeness, quince and
iron, almost tannic, deft and exceptionally
powerful wine **

Perenne Blanc-very light color, excellent floral
nose, expressive passion fruit on the medium
light body, pleasant lift of minerality on the
finish, recommended value *

Margaux

Alter Ego de Palmer-hint of greenness on the
nose, very soft, round, the merlot (60%) really
stands out, plums and sage finished by acidity.

Palmer-dark purple color, chocolate and cumin
nose; a rich wine but with some hollow spots,
tannic finish with some granniness, even more
acidity, prefer alter ego this year 49-44-7 pv.

Pavillon rouge-clover, red berries with
earthiness showing, tight, light body with short
finish, medium light garnet color 58 37 5.

Margaux-medium light violet color, this sample is
cloudier than most. Expressive rose hips and
floral nose with rose hips and bay leaf, medium
weight body with ripe fruit but lacks density, a
bit uneven in the mouth, finishes with sandy
tannins.

St. Julien

Langoa Barton-creme de cassis, almond shells,
hint of vanilla, rich mouthfeel of rough velvet,
good concentration, elegant, with fine fruit
coated tannins on the finish, 78 15 7cf,
recommended for the medium term. *

Leoville Barton-deep dark color, ripe cassis,
licorice and black olives.  A monstrous, powerful,
very full yet structured wine, a wall full of
tannins finishing fine in an exceptional wine for
the vintage. **
70 27 3

St Estephe

Cos d’Estournel-medium dark color to the rim,
fairly forward cinnamon, vanilla and dried red
fruit nose, medium bodied and fine tannins
almost sticking out, recommended for the
vintage *

De Pez-good color, lovely cherry fruit, soft
mouth feel with a hint of smokiness and fine
delineation with good weight, almost doesn’t
taste like a barrel sample, recommended for
early drinking  *

Haut Beausejour-medium light garnet, forest
floor, dark berry nose, rather light palate,
clipped short

Le Crock-excellent color, spicy exotic nose,
medium body, smooth long mouthfeel with hint
of minerality on the edges, increasingly
recommended *

La Dame de Montrose-medium purple color,
basil and cranberry on the restrained nose,
medium body, not quite filled out on the edges.

Les Ormes de Pez-medium purple to the rim,
round and juicy, good concentration a bit
monolithic and touch of alcohol on the fine
grained tannic finish

Montrose-good purple color, restrained nose of
cassis and lilacs, medium full bodied wine that is
exaggerated and pleasant in its current state,
finishes hard and green, volatile, retaste?

Pagodes d’Estournel-light color, earthy and
somewhat vegetal, light and unimpressive.

Tronquoy Lalande-dark garnet to the rim,
exciting blackberry, sandalwood sage nose,
medium full boxy mouth, excellent ripeness hint
of red peppercorns fine tannins on the finish,
recommended *

Tronquoy Lalande de Sainte Anne-medium dark
garnet with violet rim, fresh cut grass and red
licorice on the restrained nose, light body,
finishes tart.

Pauillac

Clerc Milon-medium color, clean cassis coated
medium mouth filling, good length and
concentratiom very modern and very pauillac,
recommended *

D’Armailhac-light color, lead pencil and crushed
red berries, light body fades rather quickly.

Haut Bages Averous-boysenberry floral nose,
medium light body, lacking some on midpalate,
average finish with a tinge of granite.

Latour-deep color, reticent nose of cassis and
walnuts, medium bodied, good structure and
length, though very tightly wound and hard to
understand, recommended particularly if the
right fruit-oak balance is struck *

Les Forts de Latour-deep color, high toned floral
nose, rather fleshy, medium full, showing merlot
fruit, stones, orange peel, round with decent
length, very good and recommended for a
second wine *

Lynch Bages-good color, currant and fine wood
restrained on the nose, turning cranberry and
peanut brittle on the medium fully fleshy body,
not my favorite flavors but nicely structured,
recommended *


Mouton Rothschild-excellent, exotic nose of
crushed red berries, lead pencil, small stones,
with a whiff spearmint, very cabernet, medium
full body; a nervy wine with many layers that
improves with air and long finish with more acid
than usual for the vintage and exceptional latent
tannins **

Pauillac (third wine of Latour)-forward perfume
of cassis and red raspberry, medium light soft
body, bay leaf finish.

Petit Mouton-floral nose with medium body, taut
and tart, grainy tannins, touch of green on finish

Pichon Lalande-excellent color and sound
Pauillac nose, many layers of crème de cassis
with peanut butter and a hint of mint, soft
mouthfeel, expansive with excellent underlying
structure, recommended for the vintage *

Reserve de la Comtesse-forward crème de
cassis flavors, much merlot, broad, mouth filling,
though finishes short.

Haut Medoc

Bernadotte-medium light garnet, chicory and
mulberry nose, medium light somewhat austere
palate with dusty tannins turning a touch green
on the finish.

Medoc

Goulée-unusual cherry, hazelnut and sandstone,
medium light soft mouthfeel without much depth.

La Tour Blanche-bitter and light

Cotes de Bourg

Guerry-really purple, flashy, nice wine, not
really Bordeaux.

Cotes de Blaye

Perenne-medium light, decent quaffer

Pessac-Léognan and Graves Rouge

Bouscaut-light color, foral delicate nose, with
plums and green ppercorns on delicate body
lacking some middle.

Carbonnieux-medium plus garnet, floral nose,
medium body with nice broadness, plums and
hint of thyme, recommended to drink upon
release *

Chantegrive-good color, medium bodied and
tight with a nice mouthcoating swathe of
huckleberry, tobacco and bayleaf, baby fine
tannins, recommended value *

Domaine de Chevalier-light color, strawberry
and dried fruit, medium light body, dried out,
bad sample or bad wine?

Haut Bailly-medium purple color with nose of
violets and cassis, smooth and integrated
already, with dark fruit coated tannins and
exceptional length **

Haut Brion-medium dark garnet to rim,
boysenberry cassis nose, with tobacco leaf and
black licorice coming to the fore, smooth entry,
medium full body, elegant with very long iron
filing notes on the finish, wishing for a bit more
weight but recommended *

La Chapelle de la Mission-dark purple to the rim,
violets, prunes and dark fruits, soft mouthfeel,
decent length, hint of bitterness on finish, but
recommended second wine *

La Louvière-restrained raspberry and mulberry
nose, medium light body, lithe, pretty not
complex, recommended for near term drinking *

La Mission Haut Brion-forward acetone, floral
exotic nose, almost full body of crushed fruits
stones, good density, more cab than usual fine
long tight tannins that improve with air, an
exceptional wine, needing time **

Larrivet Haut Brion-fresh nose, medium body,
some minerality, but also stalky.

Latour Matrillac-interesting earthy currant nose,
but a bit too light on palate and  simply short

Le Clarence de Haut Brion-now the second wine
of Haut Brion, medium-light garnet shy nose of
red fruits and white flowers, light and smooth
almost quaffable now.

Le Clementine de Pape Clement-purple to the
rim, very forward earthy nose, plums and
cassis, full bodied with good weight, finished
slightly short by tannins, recommended second
wine *

Les Carmes Haut Brion-medium purple color,
loganberry nose with hint of ironl, medium body
lacking a bit in the middle.

Malartic Lagraviere-light cherry color, very light
body, slightly herbal.

Olivier-dried fruit, medium body, short with a
hint of bitterness

Pape Clement-dark color, plums, cassis and
macerated cherries on the nose, excellent
ripeness broad, yet with definition and a gravel
pitch; sensuous rough velvet tannins finishing
exceptionally long **

Picque Caillou-watery and thin.

Poumey-medium light garnet, bright cherry
nose, fruity medium body with a hint of tobacco,
recommended value *

Smith Haut Laffite-dark fruit with fennel and
licorice, medium plus body, with fine long fruit
and oak tannins, recommended for the vintage *

Pessac Leognan Blanc

Carbonnieux Blanc-medium yellow color, stony
nose, medium body, apple pie, good
concentration, grainy in parts, gains complexity
with air, recommended *

Chantegrive Blanc-medium light yellow color;
racy intense floral nose, good verve with
tropical fruit, balanced body and exceptional
length **

De Fieuzal-shy oak nose, hazelnuts, medium full
body but a bit chunky and foursquare.

De France-medium yellow color with fragrant
green apple nose, medium body, good length
and concentration, recommended *

Domaine de Chevalier Blanc-medium silver color
with some green tinges, golden delicious apples
on the nose with a rocky smokiness, tightly
wound, structured, gaining power and cumin
spice, some wood tannins, an exceptional
graves to age **

Ferrande Blanc-silvery color, light, lemon
cleaner.

Haut Brion Blanc-medium gold color to the rim,
beautiful floral nose of great complexity, broad,
many layered and full-bodied, gaining
momentum with white peaches, green melons
and pear, getting more kinky with air, 55%
Sauvignon, sublime ***

La Louvière Blanc-light color, pleasant peach,
medium body, lacking something.

Larrivet Haut Brion Blanc-menthol, white peach
nose, elegant wine with soft mouth feel, slate
finish, recommended for early drinking *

Latour Matrillac Blanc-lucid color, cool pear on
the nose, gaining weight and intensity in mouth,
more fruit stone showing, recommended *

Laville Haut Brion-light gold color, hint of
wateriness on the rim, quince and quartz on the
nose, ripe limes on medium full body, gets very
stony almost tannic on the finish, 83% semillon ,
almost faints in the midst of the HBB, though
recommended *

Le Clementine de Pape Clement Blanc-
periwinkle and muscadelle on the nose, medium
full deceptively powerful, a bit of baby fat, a tad
short, but recommended second wine *

Olivier Blanc-medium greenish color, clover
honey nose, medium full body, powerfull wine
with green apples almost alcoholic  and
exceptional viscosity **

Pape Clement Blanc-shy stony lemon nose,
massive attack envelops the mouth completely
with pear drop flavors, monolithic, impressive,
tannic, and sublime ***

Picque Caillou Blanc-rather closed, water and
unevolved, tart, retaste?

Rahoul Blanc-medium light green color, quinine
minerally nose of Semillon, green apples on the
medium body, a bit syrupy, needs acidity.

Smith Haut Laffite Blanc-light yellow color,
perfumed nose, broad entrance, smooth very
mouth filling, intense and very long with tropical
fruits, exceptional **


For more 2007 Bordeaux tasting notes and
other reviews please email me for a free copy of
the first issue, summer 2008
justin@winechristoph.com
Commendation
system


*** Sublime- truly
remarkable,
memorable to all
senses; wines that
launch a thousand
tongues or paddles.

**Exceptional-
exceeds
expectations, a top
wine, worth paying
up for and tracking
down.

*Recommended-tru
e to form and type,
worth seeking out
or suggesting to
friends.

Non starred-Not
commended-from
average to
disappointing and
dismal; some
atypical or
overpriced.


Believe none of
what you hear, half
of what you see
and all of what you
taste
For more 2007 Bordeaux tasting notes and other reviews please
email me for a free copy of the first issue, summer 2008
justin@winechristoph.com