Looking
Back: 2007 Sauternes

BY NEAL MARTIN | OCTOBER 04, 2022Each
primeur I revisit a vintage in Sauternes to see how the wines are evolving in
bottle. Denied the chance to do this in recent years due to the pandemic, upon
returning to the ‘golden slopes’ in April this year, I seized the chance to
spend a few hours going back to the 2007 vintage. I tasted these wines over
two flights.The Growing Season The
2007 dry reds might have been met with a lukewarm response upon release, but the
Sauternes were received much more positively. Bill Blatch notes that this was
not a growing season founded on a hot dry summer; instead, it was a lesson in conducting
multiple passes through the vineyard to fashion a tensile sweet wine.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1664892300024-sauterns+sign+pic_copy.jpg">This way to Sauternes The
weather was rather inclement in June and July, rainclouds refusing to disperse
in August. The crucial difference is that Sauternes was spared the downpours on
28 August, leaving vineyards in better sanitary condition compared to the Left
and Right Bank. It allowed pickers to make their first forays into the vines
around 10 September that bestowed shrivelled grapes brimming with freshness.
The month was dry and fairly cool thanks to a prevailing north-easterly that inhibited
the spread of botrytis. Naturally, pickers held back. Then, at the end of the
month, it became more damp with warmer night-time temperatures, inciting
botrytis infection. The region fortuitously escaped the heavy rain on 5 October.
Frustratingly, botrytis infection seemed to have stalled at the pourri plein
stage, not concentrating into the rôti stage. With a bad weather
forecast, some lesser estates began picking in
earnest. Thankfully, on 11 October, high pressure brought clear skies and an
easterly breeze – too late for the dry reds but a Godsend for those in
Sauternes. Twenty-four days of perfect conditions ensued, allowing fruit to
concentrate and develop botrytis. Consequently, much of the 2007 Sauternes was
picked on the week of 15 October, Blatch estimating that it constitutes around
75% of the vintage. Some estates continued picking up until 12 November.The Wines Revisiting
the 2007 Sauternes at 15 years of age is always a useful exercise to see how the
wines are tracking (readers should note that Climens and Yquem are included in
respective verticals). There are certainly some gems to be found: Coutet, de
Fargues, Doisy-Daëne, de Rayne Vigneau, Suduiraut and Rabaud-Promis
all excel, though if I had to choose one from this vintage, then it would be
the outstanding 2007 from Sigalas Rabaud. There are a few misfires,
perhaps estates that jumped the gun, panicked when the forecast was for bad
weather. But the best Sauternes capture the freshness and concentration that
the final furlongs of the growing season granted to those who waited. Market
prices remain very reasonable…this is Sauternes after all. So, if you are
seeking a mature vintage that will keep for a couple more decades, the 2007s
should satisfy.&nbsp;© 2022, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.<div><hr> You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/magic-and-madness-climens-1912-2020-aug-2022">Magic and Madness: Climens 1912-2020</a>, Neal Martin, August 2022 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/pierre-denis-jean-jacques-doisy-daene-l-extravagance-1942-2013-jan-2022">Pierre, Denis &amp; Jean-Jacques: Doisy-Daëne &amp; L’Extravagance 1942-2013</a>, Neal Martin, January 2022 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/stand-and-deliver-2001-sauternes-sep-2021">Stand and Deliver: 2001 Sauternes</a>, Neal Martin, September 2021</div>

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