Ch. JUGUET MDC Grand Cru ST EMILION RED 2007

Description

The year got off to a lackluster start, despite being punctuated by an unseasonably warm, balmy April, an overcast May brought more cold and the damp. These dank conditions prompted various outbreaks of downy mildew, and June, July and August delivered little to alleviate the summer’s damp, uninspiring trajectory. Light showers fell too often to allow the vines and berries to fully dry and the persistent damp was all too encouraging for mildew, reducing yields. Scarce sunshine meant some producers were forced to prune canopies to allow the grapes with the most potential full exposure to the available heat. Although this undoubtedly helped, ripening was still uneven, until early September finally delivered a warm, dry heat salvaging the vintage.

The grapes were picked slowly to take full advantage of the late boon of good weather, making for a long, drawn-out harvest only disrupted by late September showers. The Right Bank estates of Pomerol and Saint-Émilion were to first to pick, bringing in their Merlot mid-September. The Left Bank had to wait a little longer for the grapes to reach phenolic ripeness.

Once in, however, the vintage offered some pleasant surprises. Both whites and reds tended to have a soft heart of clear aromatic fruit, but the cooler growing season made it more a year for excellent whites than reds.

Although the reds largely failed to set the world on fire, particularly at the prices they were trying to command, the whites were an altogether more successful story. Some stunning whites were made from Pessac-Léognan, with the best displaying fresh aromatic fruit and mouth-watering acidity.

For the reds, the wines were lighter than normal without the heavy structure required for long-term aging. However, there were still some excellent examples with the best exhibiting plush forest fruit, ripe tannins and well-balanced acidity. Merlot struggled more than Cabernet Sauvignon took more advantage of the long hang time – which tended to result in a refined well-integrated character – and most producers favored Cabernet Sauvignon in their top wine blends. The top reds tended to come from Pomerol and Saint-Julien, but some good examples were also made in Pauillac. The least successful reds, however, tended to lack body and ripe fruit while staying incredibly tannic.

Overall, the 2007 vintage is not a spectacular one for Bordeaux, but some good wines were still made, especially when it came to top Cabernet and the whites of Pessac-Léognan. However, even the best wines were hard pushed to deliver at the prices they were initially asking. Although, it is likely most wines will be past their best as they lacked aging potential to begin with, the very best may still be drinking well now but that window is likely to be closing.