Following a non-summer, hopes were modest, to say the least, for the 2007 Bordeaux vintage.  However, reports began to emerge of an especially long autumnal ripening season, with an amazing 64 days on the trot of dry, sunny weather.  This, we are told, will confound our expectations for the wines.  We shall see.

From Wednesday 2nd April you will be able to delight in the opinionated diatribes of Fine Wine Specialist Tom King as he and sidekick Mercer slurp, spit and stain their teeth on these embryonic wines and bring you their first impressions.

Ah bon, and finally

Day 5 - 5/4/08

Passion amidst Tranquility

Finally, we are able to spend a little time getting to grips with a particular estate without the pressure of subsequent appointments to go to, as we have only one visit before returning to the airport today. Chateau Falfas is indeed a place worth spending some time to learn about, and this calm, warm spring morning is conducive to some learning by osmosis (I take a little kip outside and afterwards have the creativity to invent all I purport to have learnt). The house - historical monument and family home - was built in the 17th Century and its barrel cellar (chai) dating from the same period indicates that it has always been a wine-producing estate. Located in Cotes de Bourg, across the Gironde from Margaux, it enjoys a very gentle maritime climate, and the vineyard is planted within a shallow bowl, protected from the prevailing winds by hills and woods. Nineteen years ago, it was purchased by John and Veronique Cochran (he's a New Yorker, she's French), who immediately set about converting it to biodynamic agriculture.

Veronique is a passionate proponent of biodynamism: her father was highly influential in its establishment in viticulture and she has picked up the baton of advocacy. I thought I understood what it is about, but my questions may have betrayed my ignorance, so I should consult the book she gave us (written by her father, recently translated into English) before I hold forth on the matter. Suffice it to say, the Cochrans' attention to detail in vine-growing is awe-inspiring, and whatever you may think of the biodynamic approach, it is hardly surprising how great the finished product is, even in a year like 2007.

We are treated to a small tasting that includes the 2007 and both Chateau Falfas and top wine 'Le Chevalier' from 2005. The 2007 has lovely purity but also density and thick, velvety tannins. The 2005 has more force of fruit yet still combines weight with elegance. Le Chevalier (mainly from 75+ year-old Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc vines) shows even more intensity, texture and structure. It will last a long time.

As we reluctantly depart, it is close to 20 degrees, the sun is shining, the birds are singing and all is very tranquil. Must we leave?

...

Day 4 - 4/4/2008

La Tournee des Ducs

Above is an expression that I'm told means the getting-together of several old chums to wine and dine at the finest of establishments. To get to the British equivalent, replace 'wine and dine' with 'beer and pork scratchings', and 'tournee des ducs', with 'pub crawl'. This of course has nothing to do with our activities today.

Right after breakfast, we are banging on the doors of Moueix, demanding audience with the king of Bordeaux - Petrus. Upon gaining entrance, we leave behind our uncouthness, and adopt a more deferential demeanor. A contact has tipped us off that we really should ask Edouard Moueix about his theory as to why Cabernet Sauvignon was considered to be much more successful in the Medoc in 2007, but Merlot has clearly given great results in St Emilion, Pomerol and other Right Bank areas. Key to his thinking is that after the wet final week of August, the first three weeks of September were sunny and bone dry, causing rapid 'finishing-off' of the Merlot's ripening. Then, although the sunny weather continued, there was a little rainfall, although mostly at night. This caused the vines to start putting energy into vegetative growth, and in Edouard's opinion, the quality of the Merlot fruit began to decline. Therefore, picking began at the Moueix estates before the end of September, and Merlot dominates the blends. His thinking is that in the Medoc, because of the more widespread planting of and therefore economic dependence upon the later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, many châteaux simply wrote off their Merlot to avoid having to hire pickers for two completely separate harvests in a vintage that had already necessitated lots of expensive work in the vineyard (leaf removal, green harvesting, etc).

Perhaps predictably, the top Moueix wines are excellent: the best vineyard sites (Petrus, Trotanoy, Hosanna, La Fleur Petrus, etc) allowed full ripeness to be achieved, while the relatively early picking emphasised freshness of fruit and perfumed aromas.

We are able to compare many of the greats of St Emilion and Pomerol with visits to Ausone, Cheval Blanc, l'Eglise Clinet and Vieux Chateau Certan. They have in common two things: some of the finest 'terroirs' and the means to do all the vineyard work necessary to excel in a less-than-easy vintage. In the words of Alain Vauthier of Ausone, the key to success in 2007 was "the soil and the vineyard work". Oh, and another thing - while each is very different, they all taste fabulous.

The day finishes in a similar manner to that in which it began. A tasting of the wines of another excellent vineyard owner and wine producer - Jean-Baptiste Audy. There is a disagreement here: unlike at Moueix, the grapes were picked later, in common with l'Eglise Clinet - Denis Durantou thinks that Petrus is picked too early! Picking later produced a richer and more plummy style: less floral. To be honest, I can't say that one philosophy has produced better results than the other - the difference may be purely a matter of preference.

Today produced the greatest concentration of superlatives, as well as requiring the greatest concentration of mind. Looking forward to a touch more tranquility before the flight tomorrow...

Day 3 - 3/4/08

A Long Drive Well Worth Making...

A cosmopolitan Bordelais, who is fortunate enough to own a chateau located within spitting distance of the city itself and all its amenities, is incredulous when we tell him we are driving to Begadan in the northern Medoc to visit Chateau Vieux Robin. "What do you want to go there for, it's in the middle of nowhere!", he scoffs. We are also beginning to doubt our plans, since we have discovered it will be over an hour's drive from Bordeaux to Vieux Robin, followed by a nearly two-hour drive to Pomerol and St Emilion, where we have our subsequent appointments. A promise is a promise, however and we are committed to this visit, no matter how inconvenient. So we grit our teeth and hit the road.

Mr Mercer has at last worked out the satnav, so our progress is accompanied by the machine's authoritative tones, dictating: "Prepare to turn right in half a mile" (deep breath, we've been through this before, right hand down for this manoevre), then: "Prepare to turn right in quarter of a mile" (am I really prepared? Is there something I'm missing? See turning...right hand down...into turn...straighten up - don't worry, it'll be fine), "Prepare to turn right in 200 yards...100...50...10...,NOW!" (Last minute crisis of confidence! Did it say right or left? Am I really properly prepared...aaarrrgghhh!). The machine is the voice of conscience ("You are over the speed limit"), but does prove to be a helpful source of advice in its 'reaching your destination on time' mode. "To arrive on time you will need to speed by one hundred and twenty miles per hour...To arrive on time, you will have to reach warp speed...To arrive on time, you will need to buy our convenient time machine add-on. Visit our website for details."

The excursion turns out to be not just worthwhile, but unmissable. Proprietess, Maryse Roba, and her assistant, Alison, give us a wonderful introduction to this immaculate estate run by Maryse and her husband, Didier. We taste six consecutive vintages of the main wine, 'Bois de Lunier', from 2002 to 2007, and each one is excellent. All communicate the identities of their respective vintages, while possessing balance and charm as individual wines. The high quality of the wines from more challenging years speaks volumes about the excellent work that the Robas are doing. For example, the wine from the cooler 2002 vintage still displays ripeness, balance and velvety texture (this is the current vintage that we stock). 2003 was difficult for the opposite reason: excessive heat; tending to result in baked flavours and bitter tannins. By contrast, the Robas made a wine with a degree of freshness and elegance, and ripe but not overripe flavours. In common with the finest wines of the vintage, the 2007 emphasises the lifted perfumes that the autumnal conditions produced.

Taking our leave from Maryse and Alison, we embark on our trek to the 'Right Bank' areas of St Emilion and Pomerol to resume our assessment of the 2007 vintage. By the time we arrive, Satnav's voice has become more than a little wearing, but we don't seem to be able to shut him up.

The 2007 wines are more consistently good over here, with a successful vintage for Pomerol (Chateau La Conseillante is exquisite - possibly a classic) and a number of St Emilions are also interesting. Chateau Figeac is - to borrow a phrase from a colleague - kick-ass.

More tomorrow, as we tour some of the area's most desirable properties.

  Day 2 - 2/4/08

A Clearer Picture...

Today we assess the 2007 wines from the vineyard areas along the western side of the Gironde estuary: Medoc, Margaux, St-Julien, Pauillac and St-Estephe, referred to collectively as the 'Left Bank'. We also have the chance to taste a large range of sweet wines from Sauternes and Barsac.

This tasting in a single day of wines from across the price spectrum from some of Bordeaux' most famous areas has clarified for us how each has coped with this unusual vintage. Quick recap to emphasise its unusual nature: temperatures were 1-2 degrees C below average between June and September, and average in October. Rainfall was slightly below average in June/July, way above average in August and way below average from September onwards. The cool temperatures slowed development of the crop, but the very sunny (although not hot) autumn permitted long, slow ripening of the fruit. The opinion of most chateaux was that these conditions favoured their Cabernet Sauvignon, so they have increased the proportion of this variety in the blend. It is hard to compare this year with another as the combination of very rainy summer with very dry autumn is unique within recent years. 2002 had a dull summer, but it was dry, so the vintage was very different.

As noted yesterday, the long autumnal ripening conditions permitted the development of fantastically pure, lifted, perfumed aromas, and some of our favourite wines emphasise these characteristics and let go of their ambitions for long keeping. Only a few make a convincing case for long-term cellaring.

The Margaux tasting is hard work - we chew our way though a lot of skinny wines with varying degrees of underripeness. Further north, in St-Julien, we see better ripeness and more fragrant aromas. These are emphasised further in Pauillac, most of the wines that will support longer-term cellaring are to be found here. The few St-Estephes that we taste show succulence and voluptuousness.

Jaw-dropping name-dropping

I can't resist shamelessly braggIng that today we are honoured guests of some very swanky properties: Lafite, Mouton, Ducru-Beaucaillou and Leoville-Las Cases. While these represent the very top echelon, and their reputation depends on producing high quality, irrespective of vintage, they have also produced wines that will be accessible earlier than usual - with the exception, perhaps, of Mouton. Even so, they all appear to have the stuffing for longer-term ageing as well.

Sweet success

The calm dry, sunny autumn brought about ideal conditions for the right kind of Botrytis development in Sauternes and Barsac, and quality is consistently high, with an abundance of pure, delineated flavours, suave textures and exquisite balance. Because of the cool conditions, acidity levels are higher and the contrast between high acidity and sweetness with very pure fruit make some wines reminiscent of Beerenauslese.

A demain!

Day 1 - 1/4/08

Leaving a bright and breezy Bristol, Mr Mercer and I are welcomed to Bordeaux with some bona fide 'Temps Anglais': the plane descends through a thick blanket of stratus into a world of drizzle and murk. We might have travelled several hundred miles south, but our destination is blessed with a climate every bit as maritime as our own. Last summer, the vines enjoyed July and August England-style until the sun finally came out in September and kept shining day and night until the day we arrived - or so I am reliably informed by one chateau owner. He is evidently of Irish descent. Or perhaps it's just April 1st.

I succeed in locating our first destination - Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion - before Mr Mercer has managed to work out how to use the GPS unit we were loaned. As usual, we are graciously received despite arriving early, and are able to get the chore of tasting first growth claret out of the way speedily before moving on to the real work.

After trailing a bendy bus at an excruciatingly slow pace through the suburbs, orbiting a roundabout several times, driving through a school car park and along a track adorned with potholes the size of small lakes, we arrive at our second appointment, the wider tasting of Pessac-Leognan wines. Tempting though it is to blame the satnav for our navigational difficulties, I can't, because we still haven't worked out how to use it.

At this tasting, we are able to get a picture of how the 2007 vintage has been interpreted by a variety of winemakers. Many have opted to emphasise the lifted, fresh-fruit and floral perfumes that the long ripening season produced, with varying degrees of structure and concentration. One or two have chosen a more grippy, extracted style that doesn't seem to sit quite right with the character of the vintage. Whites in general are excellent, with exciting tropical fruit characteristics and zippy acidity. My favourites are Domaine de Chevalier for both red and white, Carbonnieux (white) and Smith Haut Lafitte (red). Particularly impressive are red and white from Paulin Calvet at Chateau Picque Caillou. Although Paulin and his wife, Isabel, have owned the chateau for 15 years, 2007 is only the third year that Paulin has had hands-on, full-time control of the winemaking. As such, the 2006 supassed the 2005 in purity and precision of fruit, and the 2007 supasses the 2006 in roundness and texture. The white is cracking, and I would rank it among my top 3 (Haut-Brion excepted). Paulin is justifiably happy with his progress, and this may be one of the few 2007s that offers true value for money!