2007 Les Pensées de Lafleur

Perhaps the key to transcending the vintage in 2007 was working a very small property that one could farm virtually like one's own back yard, as is the case here. Jacques Guinaudeau carried out substantial green harvesting to reduce the crop level in his 4.5-hectare vineyard, then did multiple treatments against mildew when needed and picked with precision, bringing in merlot on September 16, 21 and 28, and harvesting the cabernet franc on September 29 and 30. "For most of August nothing was happening in the vines," said Guinaudeau. "The acid levels remained high into early September, but of course this also allowed the fruit to retain freshness and when the grapes finally ripened there was no cooked character. Still, the new vintage is less structured and powerful than the wines we made in 2006 and 2005." Guinaudeau told me that his cabernet ripened better than the merlot because it was less advanced at the time of the inclement weather in late August. Incidentally, the 2006 Lafleur appears to be delivering on its early promise. Guinaudeau considers '06 a very good Pomerol year, "like 2001," which is a sleeper vintage for this appellation and produced a number of standout wines.