Back at the beginning of the millennium, when I joined Gauntleys, one of the first major tastings I attended was for the 1999 vintage of these stunning wines. At the time I was too much of a novice to fully appreciate the subtlety and nuances of these wines, however I was struck by the fact that these were possibly the greatest wines I had ever tasted, and this was definitely the job that I had desired to do.
So fast forward some eight years later, and I am once again sat in front of an array of glasses filled with the 2007 vintage. The difference now is that I am no longer a novice and have over the years attuned my palate to the nuances of some of the world greatest wines, and looked forward to tasting the fruits of Michel’s labours and to hear him talking passionately on the subject of viticulture and vinification.
VINTAGE REPORT
The first thing that struck me about the 2007 wines was their amazing freshness and purity, even though the wines themselves were fairly low in terms of ‘citrus’ acidity. For the first time in Michels memory the period between flowering and harvest, in the north, was almost 120 days. Therefore the grapes ripened extremely slowly, allowing the skins to accumulate a high level of tannins and anthocyanins, and of course allowing the pulp to achieve a high level of sugar.
Obviously as the level of grape sugars increase the levels of acidity decrease, in part due to the dilution of the acids by the large quantities of sugars that are being transported to the grape but also due to the decomposition of malic acid, which is much more rapid in hot summer temperatures. Yet Michel judged the time of harvest to perfection. In the north this began with the Marsanne on September 10th, and the first Syrah grapes being harvested on September 19th. They finished the vintage by harvesting the Ermite vineyard on September 26th, just in time for the first of the equinox rains to deluge the Hermitage and Cote Rotie slopes with 30mm of rain the following two days!
In the south the summer was hot and exceptionally dry. The level of rainfall during this period was down to 25% of the previous year. Fortunately the abundant level of water reserves in the ground were enough to allow the vines to develop without too undue stress and the generous period of sunshine has resulted in a healthy, very aromatic, and high quality harvest.
Chris Goodrum
All wine prices are per case underbond. All orders are provisional and will be confirmed as soon as possible. Please be aware that some allocating may be necessary, duty and vat will be invoiced upon delivery.
