2007 Rive Droite Paradise Hills Vineyard

Claude Blankiet had brought in Denis Malbec to make his wines just a month before my visit, and the team was still finalizing the 2008s and deciding whether there would be a Rive Droite bottling. This sheltered vineyard above Dominus in Yountville has a microclimate of its own: the Blankiet 2006s were some of the stars of that vintage, while Claude Blankiet told me that he actually picked more dehydrated berries in 2007 and made somewhat more exotic wines. (Incidentally, Christian Moueix and his winemaker Tod Mostero similarly described their 2006s as classic in style.) The 2008 harvest here lasted from September 4 through the last day of the month, and Blankiet reported that there was "more uniformity of ripeness and less raisining" than in the previous year. Of course, he has a misting system in his vineyard to help manage heat spikes.