Wine @ JJB

We Arrived in Bordeaux and It was Closed

Bordeaux was closed. Not just because the ATMs were closed when we needed Euros, not just because the restaurants were closed when we wanted lunch, and not just because the gas stations were closed when our cars were running low. Because most of the red wines of 2007 lacked a mid palate and a memorable finish; because the prices will be too high after two strong vintages and a weak US dollar; we declare the 2007 vintage officially CLOSED. Yes, closed before it even opened.

One scene sums up the vintage. We were tasting at Chateau Mouton Rothschild and the Baronesse Philippine de Rothschild HERSELF was there - never before have we seen her mingling and tasting with the trade. She must have known 2007 would require all salesmanship she could muster.

While the Baronesse was holding a glass of 07 Clerc Milon, I distinctly recall her telling Philippe Dhalluin, the Director of all of the Rothschild Estates, "ça c’est très férmès?!", which translates to "It's very closed?!" She had it right! Click here to watch this on video.

As it turned out, we found what the Baronesse said to be true and a recurring theme through our tasting of the 07 vintage - not so much that the wines were 'closed,' as that implies that they are merely in a stage where they are shut down and difficult to taste and one day will open up, but instead that many wines lacked much of the mid palate, texture and finish that may never come around. Indeed, many wines were closed and we mean closed, bolted, shut, out of business.

From Mar 24 to April 4, the JJ Buckley team was in Bordeaux to taste the 2007 vintage out of barrel. We sent 6 people - including our buying and sales staff. It was surprising how few other U.S. retailers were there this year. Even though the 2007 is expected to be a lesser vintage - to understand Bordeaux, you have to taste year in and out.

JJ Buckley is one of the largest buyers of Bordeaux in the United States, so we were greeted with open arms, tasted hundreds of wines, and visited with many Chateau owners and directors, negociants and other suppliers. It was a great trip for our whole team. Overall the 2007 vintage is exceptional for whites but weak for reds. In fact, what we tasted in many of the 2007 reds made us want to buy more of the 2005s and 2006s.

Of course, there were the exceptions:

• some real value wines (under $30),
• a handful of reds from Pomerol, Pessac Leognan, St Emilion, and St Julien,
• the whites of Pessac and Sauternes that showed beautifully and certainly as good as or better than their 06 and 05 counterparts.

In general, we found four important highlights of the 2007 vintage:
1. Less is More
2. Tannins
3. The Whites and Stickies
4. Stèphane Derenoncourt

Click here to view all our 2007 tasting notes online

Click here to download a PDF of this entire article and all of our tasting notes

A quick note on the weather

The growing season can be wrapped up in a couple of sentences: After a relatively mild January-March caused early budding, the flowering came early and somewhat irregular. Then, the summer months were terrible and rainy and by the end of August many were ready to completely write off the vintage. Then, September came and 'saved' the vintage with consistent sunshine and dry cool breezes through October and the harvest. This definitely explains the lack of mid palate that we found in so many of the 2007 reds.The grapes may have had good color and sugar levels but they did not have phenolic maturity needed for making great wine.

1. Less is More

We found that the estates who focused on the fruit and produced a wine without too much oak, and especially new oak, made very nice and delicious wines that will be accessible early, albeit with a fairly short lifespan. Wineries that spent their efforts after the harvest didn't get any value. Wines in the sub $30 category, where the focus is on producing great, ripe fruit and less on spending extra dollars after the grapes are picked, were the real winners. In other words, the estates that took what the land and sun gave them, properly managed the vineyard throughout the growing season, picked physiologically mature grapes (not just based on sugar levels and color, but phenolic ripeness), and then made a wine without the intention of over-extracting, over-oaking, or over-manipulating in some way, came out ahead and produced very nice wines. These wines were balanced, had nice fruit, not too much oak, integrated tannins, and showed an inviting approachability.

On a side note, as dramatic as this may sound, I believe this sub $30 category continues to be the most overlooked and under appreciated category in Bordeaux - in fact, these may well be the best wine values you can find anywhere in the world. Even more amazing is that this category continues produce great values even with a worthless dollar - these estates aren't making much (if any) money and the beneficiary of their hard work and passion continues to be the consumer.

Indeed, 2007 was not a year to try to do something with fruit that really couldn't handle it to begin with. If the contact between the (under ripe) seeds and the juice was too long or the press was not smooth, the wines turned out slightly bitter, tannic, and/or acidic. Far too many wines that are made in the 'low-yield fashion' and sell in the $50+ range, turned out terrible in 2007. It's difficult to extract fruit that's not really 'there.'


2. Tannins

On the whole, many of the reds of 2007 lacked the phenolic maturity of the grapes and core structure to handle too much tannin. Time and time again we found ourselves tasting wines saying "too tannic, too little fruit." Tannins come mostly from grape skins, stems, and seeds, but can also come from oak barrels, especially new ones. Those estates that did not add tannins through excessive new oak and properly managed the skin and seed contact with the juice, had a better chance of making a good wine in 2007. A good wine doesn't necessarily mean a wine you will age but at least it's enjoyable in the near term. The better 2007's are a softer, friendlier effort accompanied by nice fruit. They may not turn out to be a blockbuster, but will be enjoyable soon after bottling. In contrast, 2005s could easily handle the new oak, extraction, etc as there was simply much more fruit to work with.

3. The Whites and Stickies

2007 is a great year for the dry white wines of Pessac Leognan and the sweet wines of Sauternes.
Sweet wines are very difficult wines to taste this early in their development, but it is quite obvious that the 2007's possess great acidity, richness and complexity. In Sauternes, fall is by far the most important season of the year, and in 2007 September was dry but October and November were fairly warm and damp which was great for the botrytis. It was also a long harvest which is great for these wines, as it adds to their complexity. There is plenty of sweetness without the high alcohol of 03s and 05s and great, crisp acidity.

We believe these 07s are on par with the 01s - they are that good!

The dry white wines of Pessac Leognon also turned out fantastic. They are pure with beautiful complexity, balance, and fresh acidity. This may be the year that the American consumer takes notice of the white wines of Bordeaux, in particular Pessac Leognan. These wines are just so balanced, versatile, and age worthy. Pessac Leognon is producing not just great white wines but also beautifully balanced reds - in fact some of the best reds of the 07 vintage come from this region. This may very well be the start of a trend in overall quality of the appellation.

4. Stèphane Derenoncourt

Why in the world would I want to talk about Stèphane you may ask? We have been fans of Stèphane's work for some time, and have admired his ability to make great wines from different terroir and different vintages. Mr. Derenoncourt is a wine maker who consults for 70 different estates in Bordeaux and around the world (including Syria!). It really wasn't until our last day in Bordeaux this year, with tastings of several hundred 07 barrel samples behind us, however, that we realized exactly how good this guy and his passionate young team really are. It was clear that Stèphane's natural wine making inclinations would complement the 2007 vintage perfectly - his focus was on the fruit, not using post crush techniques to change the wine into something that it was not meant to be.

On April 3, we attended a tasting at Chateau La Gaffeliere that included all 2007 wines that Stèphane is responsible for making - about 70 different properties! Stèphane has told us time and time again, that he likes to adapt the winemaking to express the terroir of any one particular vineyard. His philosophy is based upon a profound respect of nature and the singular identity of each wine that he crafts. He works with the vineyard's ecosystem, looking to plant trees, bushes, or cover crops that will attract the insects that will be beneficial to vine growing with a minimum of pesticides. The ultimate goal is to achieve a natural balance without the human and/or chemical intervention. Stèphane says "When faced by the terroir, the more discrete a man's work, the better the wine."

Needless to say, the most impressive wines of 2007, tasted as a group in one setting, were the wines of Stèphane Derenoncourt. I almost thought we tasted a different vintage! Unlike so many other 07s we had previously tasted, many of Stèphane's wines were complete - seamless tannins, less 'manipulated' and simply delicious fruit. Obviously, these aren't first growths but they are very inexpensive - for the value that they deliver, they are very impressive. Some of the most impressive were: Pavie Macquin, Bellevue, Tertre Daugay, La Gaffeliere, Lucia, Domaine de l'A, Villemaurine, La Bienfaisance, des Fougeres La Folie, Beausejour, and Beausejour 1901.

In a difficult year like 2007, much comes down to the vineyard management and winemaking and it is years like this that a winemaking guru like Stèphane Derenoncourt and his wines really shine.

Our recommended buying strategy for the 2007 Campaign:

• Seek out the whites of Pessac and Sauternes - these are great
• Keep 'collectible' buys to a focused group of wines - no reason to buy broadly
• Try the $10-$30 category of reds for early drinkers - great values here, but you can wait to buy these once they land in the US.
• Think about value and why you're buying the wines - if the wine seems too expensive, move on. There is no reason you should pay more just because the dollar is weak and the prices ex-Chateau are higher. Plenty of older stock in the marketplace that are great drinkers now (1999, 2001, 2002, 2004).
• In general, if you're debating between 06 and 07, go with 06.
• If you can afford to pay a bit more, absolutely buy 05s - they are simply great - night and day compared to the 07s or any other vintage for that matter, without a doubt.
• Keep in mind that Bordeaux (in general) remains one of the best values in the world of fine wine - especially under $30 but even up to $100.
• The appellations of Pomerol, Pessac, Sauternes, and parts of St Emilion and St Julien excelled for the vintage
• Many red wines, especially from Margaux, had very nice aromatics, but lacked stuffing and finish
• Stay away from the wineries that have a history of pushing the limits and over extracting, as the fruit simply was not ripe enough in 07. Instead these wines turned out austere and hollow.
• Don't shy away from the vintage as a whole - many of these wines will be early drinkers while you wait for the 05s to mature. That said, stick to the value wines under $30. No reason to spend more than you have to.
• Biggest disappointment of 2007 - Chateau Margaux
• Biggest surprise of 2007 - Chateau le Gay

Dr. Alain Raynaud, proprietor at Chateau Quinault, talks about his wine from the 2007 vintage, as well as Helen Garcin's wine Clos l'Eglise. Watch the video below:

Bernard de Laage, director at Chateau Palmer, candidly tells JJ Buckley about the 2007 vintage in this exclusive video. Also included are clips from outside and inside the actual chateau before we enjoyed a wonderful dinner. Check it out below:

I arrived in Bordeaux after traveling from San Francisco for 25 hours straight...and hit the ground running.

The first stop was the Right Bank winery of Clos Fourtet where winemaker Tony Ballu and his wife Veronique greeted us. Tony’s wine, Pierre de Lune is what one may call a 'garagiste' styled wine with production of only about 200-300 cases. This gives the wine a hand-crafted quality as opposed to a huge brand name operation, where economies of scale help pay for the necessary marketing buzz to sell the wine. Here, the quality comes from knowing and working hard on the land, putting in pure sweat and elbow grease to create wines of density, fruit and with a polish that stems from a dedication to the craft.

Pierre de Lune is Tony’s own wine while his first job is that of regisseur at Clos Fourtet. The property which Pierre de Lune’s grapes come from has been farming grapes since the 1600’s! The first vintage of Tony’s was in 1999. Tony and his wife are passionate about the property and making wines with attention to detail. They abide by 'green harvesting,' where leaf-thinning and culling the vines yields 6-7 bunches per vine and reduces production to 35 to 30 hl/ha. Primary fermentation in stainless and malolactic in barrel (technique produces more aromatics). Barrique aging 50% new and 50% one year old barrels. Tony follows the new ‘de rigeur’ protocol, or required techniques that seem not to be just fashionable, but actually represent necessary and expensive attention to detail to make the best wines in Bordeaux.

Tony’s wines reflect the passion and dedication to both Viticulture and Vinification – the farming of the grapes and the winemaking. This is what I call a respect to the terroir or place where the wine is made.

I see it as 4 things from two tenants: Two are form Mother-Nature, and two are from Man.

Simply put, the weather above the land affects each growing season (hence the vintage date on the label) and the soils where the grapes grow are unique and definitely affect the taste and quality of the grapes to be made into wine. This is very noticeable in Bordeaux and there is definitely a big difference in terroir from the Right Bank to the Left Bank!

Then, man can manipulate the grapevines by planting on a hillside or orient the aspect of the grape rows' angle towards the sun. He can manipulate the trellising and height of the vines. If the grapes are behind schedule for ripening, he can pull leaves at certain times and cull grape clusters to reduce yields and concentrate the vines' energy to ripen the remaining grape bunches (commonly referred to as ‘Green Harvesting’) and finally, man can make stylistic choices in the winery by choosing various vinification techniques as they deem necessary.

When you get the opportunity to purchase wines from people who have a history of working in a wine growing region, they have gone up the learning curve and figured out what to do in any difficult situation that arises within a given vintage. We like to work with seasoned professionals who fit this dynamic. And, certainly these two wineries take great care in producing wines that reflect the very best they can make from the vintage handed to them.

We tasted a mini vertical of both wines made by Tony: his own Pierre de Lune and Clos Fourtet wines from 2006 and 2007, as well as the ’04 vintage of Pierre de Lune.

The theme here is a purity of fruit accompanied by power and structure (acid and tannin help to balance the fruit) that we don’t often see in California wines! The reason simply is the effect that glycerol has on our domestic wines. The higher sugars at ripeness lend an almost sweet lushness to our wines resulting in what appears to be less structure and more of a fleshy, fat, rich mid-palate for ease of drinking and a very pleasurable early life of the wine. The only trade-off is that the lack of powerful structure tends to reduce our domestic wines' capacity for aging. Moreover, the fruit and mineral characteristics of these Bordeaux wines are very different from domestic Merlot and Cabernet wines from say Napa or Sonoma – mainly due to the lack of limestone there, which is very prevalent in Bordeaux.

The second stop on our tour s with Sofie Fourcade – owner of Cote Baleau, Chateau Grands Murailles, and Clos St. Martin. Here, we were treated to a glimpse into the glorified history that makes Bordeaux so interesting and compelling. Sofie is a descendant of the original owners who planted the first vines on the land dating back to 1743. And she still lives in the house from the time period. She actually resembles a picture of the patriarch in a picture from the period.

Having worked at a similar a winery in Napa Valley with a similar story, Chateau Montelena, I did not feel so much as an outsider, but realize how much history plays in winemaking.

We were greeted by Sofie, her winemaker, the courtier (the winery’s agent to the marketplace) and the American Importer Jeffery Davies. Make sure you see our videos from the tasting.

Cote de Baleau has the unique distinction of being the smallest Grand Cru winery in the Right Bank! Michelle Rolland is the consulting winemaker. The soil profile consists of Clay atop Limestone. The assemblage (composition) is 70% Merlot, 20 % Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.

The yields are 40 to 42 hl/ha; 8 to 9 bunches per vine; 11,800 vines per hectare - average in Saint Emilion are 5,500 vines per hectare to put things into perspective. This closely planted, dense vine system encourages competition among the vines and helps drive the roots deeper, thus increasing tolerance to drought and heavy rains. We found out that in 2007, those who waited to harvest in late October after the August and September rains were rewarded with ripe fruit and made the best wines in the vintage producing fruit forward wines that balanced the intense power and structure of the wine. 1000 cases on average produced.

After tasting, we sat down for lunch in the house from the 18th Century. Small greens with olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette served in the middle of a warm chevre based cheese wrapped with JAMBON-YUM.

Steak grilled over smoked wood-cuttings from Merlot vines and canes! COOL and unique smoky taste. The starch was a classic potato gratin which had a unique creamy sauce throughout the layers of potatoes. Cheese course consisted of soft brie, cave aged chevre, and olive infused pungent Spanish Manchega.

Sofie’s wines are gorgeous and the lunch was exquisite. All in all a great visit.

This is some undercover footage of the famous and elegant Baronesse Philippine de Rothschild that JJ Buckley snagged during a tasting at Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Check it out below: