BIN905
AUGUST 24
2007 Chateauneuf-du-Pape - Does it live up to the hype? by Geoff Last
2007 Chateauneuf-du-Pape – Does it live up to the hype?
By Geoff Last
The term “vintage of the decade” is bandied about with a fair bit of regularity these days, so frequently in fact that we tend to regard such claims with a certain degree of skepticism. The problem with vintage assessments – especially within the mainstream wine media – is that they damn the producers who manage to rise above the challenges of a difficult year. This is especially true of regions like Burgundy where quality is often achieved by rigorous de-selection of fruit and absurd attention to detail. We have all tasted great wines from so-called “bad” vintages at one time or another and as such I tend to place more importance on the producer rather than the generalized vintage conditions. But every now and then a vintage comes along that was so perfect that the wines almost make themselves. This was the case in 2007 in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, a year described by Robert Parker as the “vintage of a lifetime” accompanied by such adjectives as historic, profound and flawless with numerous 100-point scores to back it all up. As prone to hyperbole as Parker may be he appears to be pretty much bang-on in this instance. We have amassed a nice selection of wines from this vintage and they are truly remarkable. They offer beautiful ripeness – but not overripe as they were in years like 2003 – backed by excellent acidity and muscle, in short, the perfect vintage to lay down.
Good Chateauneuf does not come cheap – most sell in the $50 to $100 range – but relative to other collectable, world-class wines they remain a bargain. One only has to cast a disparaging gaze towards classified-growth Bordeaux or grand cru Burgundy to figure that out. These are wines that will pay off in spades with time in the cellar and my advice is to buy as much as you can afford while you can. In larger markets around the world the vintage has essentially sold out. On a recent visit to San Francisco, for example, I couldn’t help but notice that several prominent wine stores had sold out entirely of the 07 vintage and were moving on to 2008. One wine merchant I spoke to described it as panic buying, especially after the Parker reviews came out. At Bin 905 we currently have a great selection of 07’s still in stock including wines from Chateau Beaucastel, Domaine la Barroche, Clos Saint Jean (including their Deux-Ex Machina described by Robert Parker as “the single greatest wine I have ever tasted”), Domaine du Pegau, Domaine Vieille Julienne, Clos des Brusquires, Domaine de la Morderee, Boisrenard, Olivier Hillaire and Pierre Usseglio. Many of these wines will be included in an upcoming in-store tasting, keep your eye on this website for details.
