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Vrucara represents a new, exciting page in the story of Sicily’s most important indigenous grape, Nero d’Avola. The purity of the fruit comes through loud and clear, and the wine doesn’t deliver that bittersweet finish you sometimes get. Instead, it shows cherry, spice and an elegant mineral tone.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WEThe 2007 Nero d’Avola Vrucara is one of the more unusual Nero d’Avolas readers will come across. A blast of super-ripe red fruit hits the palate with authority as the Vrucara struts its stuff. This is a decidedly opulent, flashy Nero d’Avola that sits on the razor’s edge of ripeness. Soft and supple on the palate, the wine flows effortlessly towards the caressing, intense finish. Floral notes add a touch of lift on the finish. The Vrucara, a single-vineyard old-vine selection from high-altitude hillside vineyards, shows the extreme of ripeness Nero d’Avola is capable of. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2017.I tasted a wide range of wines from Feudo Montoni this year. The standouts are the two Nero d’Avolas.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPThe 2007 Nero d’Avola Vrucara is one of the more unusual Nero d’Avolas readers will come across. A blast of super-ripe red fruit hits the palate with authority as the Vrucara struts its stuff. This is a decidedly opulent, flashy Nero d’Avola that sits on the razor’s edge of ripeness. Soft and supple on the palate, the wine flows effortlessly towards the caressing, intense finish. Floral notes add a touch of lift on the finish. The Vrucara, a single-vineyard old-vine selection from high-altitude hillside vineyards, shows the extreme of ripeness Nero d’Avola is capable of.Antonio Galloni | 90 AG

(Chambertin- Domaine Dujac) The 2007 Chambertin is also a beautiful bottle in the making, as it offers up a beautiful aromatic mélange of cherries, red plums, coffee, cocoa, a great base of soil, spice tones and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, pure and magically complex, with great length and grip, flawless focus, a sappy core and superb length on the modestly-tannic and very tangy finish. Quintessential Chambertin. I would love to drink this wine side by side with Éric Rousseau’s example a dozen years from now. (Drink between 2017-2050)John Gilman | 96 JG(Domaine Dujac Chambertin Grand Cru Red) A much more restrained and certainly cooler nose of all red berry fruit aromas that possess obvious mineral and underbrush highlights dissolves into precise, intense and driving medium full flavors that possess simply terrific length and vibrancy. This is not a super concentrated effort but it is extremely well balanced, persistent and classy. A qualitative choice. (Drink starting 2019)Burghound | 91-94 BHBright medium red. Aromas of black cherry, red berries, iron and flowers hint at a liqueur-like ripeness. Dense, sweet and deep, but in a rather polite style for Chambertin, with its fruits and flowers to the fore. But this classy, beautifully balanced wine shows a weightless quality that is compelling.Vinous Media | 93 VM

As outstanding as the 2008 is, it is eclipsed by the brilliant 2007 The Maiden, perhaps the finest second wine yet made here. Sweet tobacco leaf, fruitcake, creme de cassis, black currant and licorice aromas emerge from this round, opulent, voluptuously textured wine. It is very much in keeping with the 2007 vintage. Enjoy it over the next 10-15 years.Robert Parker | 93 RPTight and complex, with a firm, focused mix of mineral, dried currant, herb, sage and cedar. Full-bodied, intense and persistent, ending with a complex, layered aftertaste. To be released spring 2011. Best from 2012 through 2022. 1,040 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSGood deep ruby-red. Currant, cedar and graphite on the nose and palate. Pliant and showy already, with compelling sweetness of fruit and a fresh minerally quality giving juiciness and lift to the middle palate. Long and ripely tannic. This is freakishly good for a second wine.Vinous Media | 92 VMAromas of green coffee beans, vanilla and ripe berries follow through to full body, with loads of new wood and ripe fruit. Full bodied and full throttle. Bottle age to mellow the wood is a necessity here. Second wine of Harlan.James Suckling | 91 JS

A brilliant vintage and this is packed with gorgeously rich, concentrated black fruits. A beautiful wine that is starting to open towards tertiary aromatics and flavours, with the spiced rosemary, warm ash, graphite and black truffle notes coming to the fore. Everything is perfectly held in place, with the warmth of the vintage on display in confident, well balanced fruit. This is a wine you want to drink and share. Made with 100% new oak. Drinking Window 2019 - 2040Decanter | 98 DECThis is a subtle and racy wine. Balanced, with vibrant fruit and bright acidity and chocolate and spices. Full and racy. Very long. Austere. Fascinating. Very closed right now. Give it five or six years minimum now. Winemaker Renzo Cotarella says that Solaia is more reserved in character than the Antinori’s Guado al Tasso from Bolgheri, which is more flashy. Makes me smile.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2007 Solaia saturates the palate with a heady array of super-ripe black cherries, plums, cassis, mocha and sweet French oak. There is an exotic quality to the Solaia I find totally irresistible. Despite its considerable ripeness and opulence, the 2007 Solaia is never heavy, rather it impresses for its extraordinary finesse and balance. Minerals, graphite and crushed rocks frame a long, seductive finish. This is a wonderful Solaia loaded with vintage and vineyard character. The 2007 Solaia is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese and 5% Cabernet Franc, aged in 100% new oak. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2027.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPSoft contours, silky tannins and textural volume are the hallmarks of the 2007 Solaia. A riper, denser version of the 2004 with the richness of the 1997, the 2007 will please readers with a long drinking window of pure pleasure. The style is intense and bold. Readers who prefer more subtlety will find that in other vintages, as the 2007 is a voluptuous, racy, turn-on with tons of immediacy but less in the way of detail or nuance.Vinous Media | 97 VMA racy wine that offers so much currant and blackberry character. Full and very silky. Goes on and on. Fascinating. Best after 2012. 6,500 cases made, 500 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Packed with botrytis, this is a wine whose sweetness is suppressed by richness. Flavors of bitter oranges and white figs go with the intense core of botrytis, followed by a touch of bright acidity. This is a wine whose journey is just beginning.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WECropped over 7 tries with 130 grams per liter of residual sugar, the 2007 Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey has a generous bouquet with almond, dried honey, minerals and yellow flowers – a little resinous and almost Barsac-like at first, though developing more botrytized aromas with time. The palate is medium-bodied with a honeyed entry. There is very good weight here: plenty of botrytized fruit, good acidity, lovely notes of mandarin, marmalade, quince and a twist of citrus lemon on the dense and assertive finish. This is a top Lafaurie-Peyraguey that was worth the perseverance during the harvest.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 93 RP-NMThe 2007 Lafaurie-Peyraguey is one delicious Sauternes. It was picked over seven tries through the vineyard. It bursts from the glass with wild honey, mirabelle, vanilla pod and yellow flower scents displaying impressive intensity and delineation. As I commented with respect to previous bottles, there is Barsac-like personality to the 2007. The very pure palate presents a honeyed texture, more botrytized fruit than the 2006, and quince, barley sugar, Seville orange marmalade and almond notes that dovetail into a citrus-fresh finish. Superb. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at home.Vinous Media | 93 VMHoney, dried pineapple, apricot and tropical fruit on the nose. Full-bodied and medium sweet, with a spice, dried fruit and honey aftertaste. Balanced and pretty. Best after 2012.Wine Spectator | 91 WS(Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey (Sauternes)) The 2007 Lafaurie-Peyraguey is a very stylish example of the vintage that has perfectly captured the more ethereal aspect of the botrytis of the best examples of this year. The nose is deep and beautifully glazed, as it offers up scents of pineapple, oranges, honeycomb, a nice touch of soil and a deft framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, complex and quite long, with good, but not great depth at the core, beautiful, bright acidity and excellent length and grip on the impressively delicate and refined finish. At this early stage I have to give the 2007 Lafaurie-Peyraguey a decided edge over their 2005. A lovely bottle in the making. (Drink between 2015-2040)John Gilman | 90 JGFull body with much more concentration and structure than a second wine. Medium sweet, with spice and honey character. Serious intensity. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 90 JS

All of the Left Bank firsts are tasting excellent, but Margaux stands out for the tightness and clarity of its sweet cherry and cassis fruit expression, the menthol grip on the finish, and the perfume that runs through the palate. This is a vintage that could almost be ready to drink with a good carafing, but the layers of graphite and the finesse to the tannins suggest it could also go longer. A great example of the subtle crafting possible in 2007.Decanter | 95 DECBright, dark red. Knockout nose combines redcurrant, blackberry, spices, flowers, tobacco and sexy sweet oak tones; complex and aristocratic. Then sweet, suave and seamless, with lovely inner-mouth perfume and noteworthy finesse to the flavors of blackberry, cherry and flowers. Finishes long and sweet, with noble tannins for the year. Not a big wine but one of the classiest examples of the vintage.Vinous Media | 93 VMSilky wine, fresh and light, balanced with high acidity cutting through black berry fruits. The structure has some substance, but this is a light, aromatic wine, developing fast, already delicious, and only for medium-term aging.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThe elegant 2007 Chateau Margaux’s purity, depth of fruit, and overall equilibrium are impressive. A dark ruby/purple color is accompanied by notes of spring flowers, black currants, and blackberries, a soft, lush, medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and delicacy allied to impressive depth, texture, and length. Already drinkable, it should continue to offer exceptional pleasure for 15 or more years.Robert Parker | 92 RP

A powerful, extracted wine, very concentrated. The tannins are dense, giving a sense of tight texture, while underneath the ripe fruits are pulsing with fresh acidity as well as sweet berry flavors.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WETasted at BI Wine & Spirits’ 10-Years-On tasting, the 2007 Leoville-Poyferre has a tightly wound bouquet at first, although it unfurls to reveal attractive cedar and undergrowth-tinged black fruit, dried blood and cured meat aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with a grainy texture, a fine thread of acidity and a grippy, almost Pauillac-like, graphite finish that lends body and focus. This showing at ten years suggests that, after differing performances in its youth, this Saint Julien has settled into a groove; in fact, I envisage it maturing with style over the next 15-20 years. Tasted February 2017.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 91 RP-NMThe 2007 Léoville-Poyferré has a bright, vivid and playful bouquet with red cherries and crushed strawberry mixed with tobacco, sous-bois and smoke aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, well judged acidity, harmonious and quite fleshy on the finish. This is a deceptively seductive, easygoing Poyferré, not complex but built to give pleasure. Tasted at the Léoville-Poyferré vertical at the château with Sara Lecompte Cuvelier.Vinous Media | 91 VMOffers subtle aromas of smoky wood, fresh herbs and dark fruits. Full-bodied, with a solid core of fruit and soft, silky tannins. Very well-crafted and polished for the vintage. Much better than from barrel. Best after 2012. 20,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Unquestionably the Pomerol of the vintage, the dense purple-colored 2007 l’Eglise-Clinet offers an astonishing display of rich, licorice and caramel-infused kirsch, black raspberry, and cassis fruit. Rich, full-bodied, and pure, with low acidity and ripe tannin, it is already offering delicious drinking, and should continue to do so for 15-20 years. Having just had the 1997, which is not as strong a wine as this 2007, that wine, from a very mediocre vintage, is still young. Kudos to proprietor Denis Durantou.Robert Parker | 94 RPThe 2007 l’Eglise-Clinet was picked 20 to 24 September. It has a deep color for a 2007 with little signs of maturity on the rim. It is typical of this Pomerol cru to ignore the reputation of this growing season and manifest a convincing bouquet packed with redcurrant and cranberry fruit laced with tobacco and singed leather. The palate feels smooth and slightly candied on the entry with bright red and black fruit laced with tobacco and spice, a gradual crescendo towards a very precise finish that feels more open than coeval vintages at the moment. It is a l’Eglise-Clinet that is ready to drink but do not under-estimate how well this will age. Tasted at the l’Eglise-Clinet vertical at the château in April 2018.Vinous Media | 92 VMShows gorgeous aromas of ripe blackberry, tobacco box and flowers. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a milk chocolate, toasty oak and berry aftertaste. So attractive now. Wonderfully crafted for the vintage. Best after 2012. 1,575 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

No written review provided. | 96 RPRich, powerful, perfumed aromas of lemon pie, cooked apple and melon lead to a full body, with a fabulous density that persists. Gorgeous, with lovely richness and balance. Best after 2011.Wine Spectator | 93 WSA ripe wine, with a delicious citrus and pear character, sweet fruits and an edge of spice. Pineapple acidity gives both richness and freshness. The wine has both balance and final acidity.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEVery pale, bright yellow. Extremely reticent nose hints at lemon and lanolin with air. Densely packed yet weightless, with terrific cut and an oyster shell minerality contributing to an extremely dry impression. Very penetrating, minerally wine in need of extended bottle aging. I wouldn’t go anywhere near this now.Vinous Media | 92+ VM

Already the velvet texture is broadening out to give a wine that shows solid fruits, bright and sweet, never heavy, but with plenty of ripeness and polish. Inside this suave character, there is a core of tight tannins, promising medium-term aging.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WETasted at BI Wine & Spirits’ 10-Years-On tasting, the 2007 Langoa Barton has an attractive bouquet with blackberry, autumn leaves, truffle and salted licorice scents that gain intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a harmonious entry and a gentle grip in the mouth; it’s quite a compact Saint Julien, which suggests that it could be one of the long-term bets. There is just a touch of bitterness on the finish, but otherwise this has good potential. Tasted February 2017.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 90 RP-NM

With its perfumed aromas, this is a wine that has richness and sweetness, with soft velvet power. It has an intense wood element that needs to blend into the rest of the wine, but the sweet black currant and freshness provide a good balance. This is a seductive wine, with a fine solid character.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEShowing very well, with creamy-edged plum and cassis flavors flecked with tobacco and warm paving stone notes, remaining quite fresh and supple through the finish. Not as dense at the top years, but shows lovely purity and balance.—Non-blind Cos-d’Estournel vertical (December 2015). Drink now through 2027. 22,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSA beautiful wine with 13.4% natural alcohol, this blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc possesses a deep ruby/purple color as well as a sweet perfume of cassis, incense, charcoal, and subtle oak, round, generously endowed flavors, medium to full body, silky tannin, and surprising depth and length. It can be drunk now and over the next 12-15 years.Robert Parker | 90 RPThe 2007 Cos d’Estournel is what you might call a “serviceable” Claret. There is nothing pretentious or ambitious on the nose with lilting red fruit of dark cherries and wild strawberry. The secondary aromas offering hints of Italian delicatessen and meat juices. The palate is medium-bodied with that hint of liquorish that I have remarked on previous bottles. Impressive substance for the vintage although, it just feels a little “pushed” and overdone in a similar manner to the 2009. Not bad, but lacks the charm and personality of the 2008. Tasted at the Cos d’Estournel vertical in London.Vinous Media | 90 VMA silky and fine 2007 with mushroom, berry and light coffee character. Just a hint of dark fruits. Medium to full body. Round tannins. Drink now. I underestimated this.James Suckling | 90 JS

A beautiful sleeper of the vintage from proprietor Alain Vauthier, this 2007 offers notes of spring flowers, blueberries, raspberries, and crushed rocks. Medium-bodied with beautiful balance, silky tannins, and low acidity, this lush wine should be drunk over the next decade.Robert Parker | 90 RP

Gerard Perse’s tiny vineyard was cropped at 26 hectoliters per hectare, and the final blend was 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc (14.5% alcohol). It boasts great intensity, a dense purple color, and beautiful aromas of sweet mulberries, black cherries, cedar, crushed rocks, and white chocolate as well as a chalky character (which gives the wine superb minerality). The wine is expansively flavored, and the tannins are remarkably sweet and well-integrated. An atypical blockbuster for the 2007 vintage, it should drink beautifully for 15-20 years.Robert Parker | 93 RPGood deep ruby. Blackberry, minerals, violet pastille, licorice and pepper on the nose, along with a rocky quality characteristic of this calcaire-rich site. Juicy and very intense but youthfully imploded, with a restrained sweetness and terrific precision and grip to the mineral and crushed cassis flavors. Finishes firmly tannic and very long, with terrific energy. This should evolve slowly.Vinous Media | 92+ VM

Shows sweet herb, dark berry and light smoke on the nose. Full-bodied, offering chewy tannins and plenty of new wood and fruit. Tight and reserved, with plenty to come. Needs some time in the bottle. Best after 2014.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

This is an elegant Nebbiolo-based wine and arguably the most feminine of Gaja's newest releases. There's extreme balance and sophistication evident in the focused aromas of wild berry, white licorice, pressed violets and polished stone. The mouthfeel is tight, firm and those tannins need at least 10 more years to soften in your cellar. Beautiful.Wine Enthusiast | 99 WEThe 2007 Langhe Sorì Tildìn opens with a huge, kaleidoscopic bouquet that immediately draws me in. A remarkably vivid wine, the sensual Sorì Tildìn caresses the palate with silky, textured fruit, showing incredible power, length and class. There is a transparency to the wine that is beguiling. Once again, the finish is eternal. Sorì Tildìn is one of Gaja's more nuanced wines, and in 2007 it is breathtakingly beautiful.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGVery, very fresh and floral with peaches, ripe strawberries and plums. So aromatic and clear. Full-bodied, with powerful tannins and a cocoa, chocolate aftertaste. Gorgeous and sturdy. Needs time. Better after 2016.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2007 Langhe Sori Tildin opens with a huge, kaleidoscopic bouquet that immediately draws me in. A remarkably vivid wine, the sensual Sori Tildin caresses the palate with silky, textured fruit, showing incredible power, length and class. There is a transparency to the wine that is beguiling. Once again, the finish is eternal. Sori Tildin is one of Gaja’s more nuanced wines, and in 2007 it is breathtakingly beautiful. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2037My most recent visit to Gaja was quite an experience, as I tasted all of the estate’s 1989s, 1990s and 2007s. The 1989s and 1990s are reviewed in this issue’s What About Now feature. Angelo Gaja, always loquacious on a wide range of subjects, says virtually nothing about his wines, an approach I have increasingly come to appreciate in an era where so many producers are constantly in pitch mode. Then again, Gaja doesn’t really need to say anything, the wines speak for themselves. I tasted the 2007s at the winery in November 2009 and then again in New York in January 2010. Both times they were spectacular. Stylistically the 2007s remind me of the 1997s in terms of their opulence. Gaja’s wines are often immensely appealing when young – which is certainly the case with the 2007s – but then close down in bottle for a number of years, sometimes many years. My impression is that the Costa Russi and Conteisa are the most likely of these 2007s to offer the widest drinking windows throughout their lives with a minimum of cellaring. Fermentation and malolactic fermentation take place in steel. The wines then spend approximately one year in French oak and a second year in cask prior to being bottled. As has been the case for a number of years now, Gaja’s Langhe wines incorporate a small percentage of Barbera. On a final note, it’s great to see Gaja’s daughters Gaia and Rossana increasingly involved in the winery. They, and their younger brother Giovanni, have big shoes to fill, but couldn’t have asked for better teachers than Angelo and Lucia Gaja.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPToast and spice aromas lead off in this warm, expansive red, which quickly evokes black cherry, plum, floral and spice flavors, all allied to the silky texture and precision structure. Rich fruit and spice flavors echo on the finish. Best from 2014 through 2032. 80 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

From a vintage that saw lots of rain, the 2007 Château Valandraud is fully mature, with complex notes of sweet currants, chocolate, truffly earth, and subtle cedary herb nuances. Old school Saint-Emilion lovers will dig this. It has a subtle green edge (it’s not vegetal) and it’s medium to full-bodied, with good, not great ripeness, terrific balance, and outstanding length. I’d happily drink a bottle any time over the coming decade.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDTasted blind at the Valandraud vertical at the property, the 2007 Valandraud was a big surprise given that this is supposed to be an off-vintage. It has a rounded and opulent bouquet, especially considering the growing season, with quite precocious kirsch, mulberry and cassis scents interlaced with cigar box and smoke aromas. You ask yourself whether there is any Cabernet Franc here and the answer is none - the 2007 is 100% Merlot. The palate is medium-bodied with fine delineation, precise and elegant with wild strawberry and raspberry fruit that is seamlessly integrated with the oak. Considering this is a 2007, this is just a beautifully crafted wine that is probably à point, though shows absolutely no sign of any decline. Tasted December 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92 RP-NMBright, full ruby-red. Aromas of black raspberry, cola and espresso are complemented by sexy oak. At once sweet and nicely delineated, with attractive blackberry fruit of moderate complexity. Finishes with a whiplash of flavor, but then the firm-edged, oak-driven tannins kick in.Vinous Media | 91 VM

Very little wine is produced (about 400 cases) from this tiny 5-acre vineyard, but it is always among the most concentrated and richest of Bordeaux. The inky/purple-colored 2007 offers sweet cassis fruit notes interwoven with notions of graphite, chalk dust, and toast. Full-bodied with terrific purity and intensity (14.5% alcohol), it should drink well for 20+ years.Robert Parker | 94 RPSaturated ruby. Very dark aromas of black fruits, violet, licorice and bitter chocolate, plus a sexy oak note of hickory smoke. Large-scaled, thick and sweet, with outrageous breadth for the year. Finishes with mouthcoating tannins and palate-staining black fruits. For all its sweetness and size, this wine manages to maintain impressive verve. (I should note that an earlier sample was at least as rich but more porty and roasted, with a distinctly unrefined character. Obviously, my score is for the better sample).Vinous Media | 93 VMDark-colored and very spicy, with meat, dark fruits and cigar box aromas. Full-bodied, with loads of fruit and masses of new wood. Impresses with its opulence and structure. Needs time in the bottle. Best after 2013.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Tasted single blind against its peers. Chateau Climens always tends to go into its shell after bottling, which is probably why I was not dishing out an even higher score to this still, spellbinding Barsac. The 2007 is endowed with a lovely bouquet: very pure with honey, a touch of orange-blossom and a touch of quince. The palate is very well-balanced with great purity and a dash of spice as well as a lovely viscous, botrytis-laden finish that possesses awesome weight and persistency. This is a slice of heaven in a glass, but it definitely needs time to reveal its true potential. Tasted January 2011.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 98 RP-NMA big, rich wine, showing its gorgeous fruit easily. But with a core of dryness, the ripest apricots touched by caramel, it should age well over many years. There is intense power here, still hidden by the youth of the wine, but with final concentration.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WE(Château Climens (Barsac)) The 2007 vintage produced an absolutely classic crop of Sauternes and Barsac and the ’07 Climens is a stellar young wine. Here, we have all of the racy precision and chalky undertow that makes Climens so popular, as the wine jumps from the glass in a lovely and quite complex constellation of apricot, coconut, tangerine, honey, chalky soil tones, citrus zest and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very pure, with lovely harmony and backend energy, laser-like focus and a very long, nascently complex and vibrant finish. A great vintage of Climens in the making. (Drink between 2020-2075)John Gilman | 94+ JGThis delivers loads of citrus aromas, along with dried apricot and honey on the nose, as well as toffee. Full-bodied, with a medium sweetness, spicy, fruity flavors and a long, racy, spicy finish. There’s toffee and caramel as well. Hard not to drink now. Best after 2014.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

(Château Lafite Rothschild, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) The bouquet is forward and aromatic, with smoky, ripe black and red fruits on the nose and a fresh and firm texture, with plenty of structure and a lingering finish. It will not be the longest-lived wine, but it will drink well as you wait for your bottles from 2005, 2009, and 2010 to mature. The 2007 vintage began with a warm, mild spring. The growing season was overcast and only moderately warm. Picking began with the Merlot in the third week of September. The final blend is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot. For a vintage with a second-tier reputation at best, this delivers now. (Drink between 2022-2052)Decanter | 96 DECA candidate for the wine of the vintage, the 2007 Lafite Rothschild (84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot) reveals classic Lafite aromas of graphite, unsmoked cigar tobacco, black currants, cherries, and a hint of truffles. The complex aromatics are followed by a round, medium to full-bodied wine with silky tannins, an overall subtle smoky component, and a rich, round, generous, plump finish. Already evolved and delicious, it should continue to drink well for two decades.Robert Parker | 94 RPThis is a wine for aging. The tannins are dense, very dry with a feel of extraction. It takes a while for the black currant fruit to show through, with acidity and freshness dominant. The wine is still settling, and time will bring the fruit into line with the tannins.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2007 Lafite-Rothschild is a strong performer in what was a challenging growing season. At 11 years of age the 2007 is beginning to drink well with blackberry, briary, graphite and smoke on the nose, perhaps still that old touch of antique bureau. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins and tobacco, well balanced yet typically understated on the finish. The 2007 is not the greatest Lafite-Rothschild for sure, but it should offer 15 to 20 years of drinking pleasure. Tasted blind at dinner in Bordeaux.Vinous Media | 93 VMA big, juicy wine for the vintage, with spice, sweet tobacco and plum aromas and flavors. Full, long and rich, with a soft texture. A little tight, but should develop nicely in the bottle. Best after 2014. 20,085 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

The light rust and amber color is enticing. Aromas of dried rose petals, cinnamon and nutmeg. Hints of dried meat, smoke and sage. Full body and compact, creamy texture. So fine and delicious. Great, subtle and complex flavors. More like a lightly aged, premier cru Volnay, but with the magic of Champagne. Drink now.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2007 Comtes de Champagne Rosé is a total knock-out. Racy and exuberant in the glass, the 2007 wraps around the palate with stunning textural depth and resonance. The 15% still Pinot adds structure and persistence to a creamy, inviting Rosé Champagne that will leave readers weak at the knees. Hints of rose petal, dried cherry, cinnamon and dried flowers meld into the sublime finish. This is about as good as it gets. Wow!Antonio Galloni | 97 AGThe Comtes de Champagne Rosé is composed of 30% Chardonnay (Grands Crus from Côtes de Blancs), 70% Pinot Noir (Grands Crus from Montagne de Reims, including 15% Pinot Noir from Bouzy, vinified as red wine). It has strawberry, mint, rose petal and cherry notes on the exuberant nose. The palate is racy and creamy, very compact and fresh, with a delicate salty note on the finish.Decanter | 97 DECThis bottle of Taittinger’s just-released 2007 Brut Comtes de Champagne Rosé was disgorged in December 2018, and it’s showing brilliantly, unfurling in the glass with a complex bouquet of blood orange, minty raspberries, red plums, dried flowers and warm brioche. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, chalky and tensile, sharing a racy, chiseled profile with its Blanc de Blancs cousin. Deep, concentrated and tightly wound, the wine concludes with a long, sapid finish. This is an intense, racy Comtes Rosé with a long future ahead of it. As has been the norm chez Taittinger for several years now, the blend is based upon 70% Pinot Noir and includes 15% still red wine from Bouzy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThis harmonious rosé Champagne offers quiet grace, with a pleasing juiciness to the sleek acidity, framing finely knit flavors of raspberry, peach, brioche and candied pink grapefruit zest. Showing a raw silk–like texture, this caresses the palate through to the fresh, ginger-laced finish. Drink now through 2027. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 550 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

Good full ruby-red. Pungent aromas of kirsch, plum, minerals, coffee, mocha and smoky oak. Rich, plush and sweet but not heavy; in fact, this dense and highly concentrated wine’s energy comes as a surprise in light of its full ripeness. Finishes very long and sweet, with broad tannins and a vibrant minerality.Vinous Media | 93 VMTiny yields of 15 hectoliters per hectare and a typical blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc (14.5% natural alcohol) have resulted in a soft, plump, 1997-ish (which is drinking brilliantly) wine. It offers an inky/purple color, plenty of sweet mulberry and boysenberry fruit intermixed with hints of espresso and toast, and a textured, full-bodied, fleshy mouthfeel. There is lots of succulence for a 2007, and this soft, delicious St.-Emilion should drink nicely for 15+ years.Robert Parker | 91 RPThere’s lovely licorice, berry and milk chocolate aromas in this young wine. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a pretty core of ripe fruit. Balanced and delicious already, but be patient. Best after 2011. 270 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

A brilliant effort for the vintage, the 2007 Lascombes is an impressive, larger-scaled wine with beautiful notes of incense, spring flowers, blackberries, cassis, and subtle spicy oak. Full-bodied, rich, and concentrated, with no hard edges, this voluptuously textured Margaux can be drunk now or cellared for 15 years.Robert Parker | 91 RPThere is a high level of wood here, but that is sustained by the weight of the black fruits and the rich tannins. The wood gives a vanilla character that will disappear in a year or two, leaving a solid wine that is dominated by ripe, sweet Merlot.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

Good red-ruby. Exotic, perfumed aromas of very ripe dark berries, licorice and violet. A supple, sweet, nicely energetic midweight, boasting very good breadth to its black fruit and sweet oak flavors. Here the fine-grained, ripe tannins reach the front teeth. Offers lovely balance for 2007 and finishes spicy and long. I’d hold this for a couple years, then drink it over the next seven or eight.Vinous Media | 91 VMThe 2007 Cuvee Speciale Peby is a heavily extracted, extremely oaky effort with the wood so prominent that the fruit seems pushed to the background. There is a huge weight to the wine, which is very unusual in 2007, and there is good purity and density, but the oak is overwhelming at this point. The wine possesses outstanding concentration, and if the oak becomes better integrated, it will merit its score and then some. Patience is most definitely required as it needs at least 2-4 years of cellaring.Robert Parker | 90+ RP