2007 Rhône Vintage (JLL / drinkRhone.com)
Summary
2007 is a hefty, full-scale year in the Southern Rhône — windswept concentration, high degree, emphatic and sometimes hard work. A “bullying sort of year.” JLL preferred Gigondas over Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the South. In the North, a tidier vintage — more open and accessible than 2006, stylish wines that have gained depth with age. JLL rates the vintage NR 7, SR 7, Whites 7 — not a vintage he has much of in his own cellar.
The 2007 vintage benefited commercially from an ordinary year in Bordeaux, with JLL defining it as “the first year there has been a definite separation in buyers’ minds between Bordeaux and the Rhône.”
Northern Rhône
Overview
Amid all the hullabaloo about 2007 in the Southern Rhône, the Northern Rhône “glided into the misty reaches of the river, something of a mystery package.” A tidy year overall, more open and accessible than 2006, with stylish wines that have gained depth with age. The Northern Rhône was the quieter story in 2007 but delivered reliable, well-made wines.
Key Details
The 2007 Northern Rhône wines are more immediately approachable than the reserved 2006s, though they lack the structure for the very longest haul. The vintage’s warmth gave ripe fruit and softer tannins, making the wines accessible earlier than the 2005s or 2006s.
Southern Rhône
Overview
The advance billing announced 2007 as a great year at Châteauneuf-du-Pape, backed by very brisk en primeur sales in England. The wines are big, emphatic, concentrated by wind, and high in degree. However, they can be hard work — a bullying sort of year.
By Appellation
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Châteauneuf-du-Pape — Full-scale, concentrated wines. Merchants report very brisk en primeur sales. The high degree and wind-driven concentration produce powerful reds, though not all are balanced. The vintage was hyped significantly.
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Gigondas — A very good vintage at late-ripening Gigondas. The wines are growing into themselves, having started powerfully. JLL preferred Gigondas over Châteauneuf this year.
Key Themes
- Power over finesse — The wind-driven concentration and high degree produced emphatic wines, but balance was not always achieved. The bullying character can make these tiring to drink.
- Gigondas over Châteauneuf — Late-ripening Gigondas handled the heat and wind better than many Châteauneuf producers, producing more balanced wines.
- The North as the quiet success — While the Southern Rhône grabbed headlines, the Northern Rhône delivered stylish, accessible wines with staying power.
- Commercial watershed — JLL identifies 2007 as the moment Rhône definitively separated from Bordeaux in buyers’ minds, helped by Bordeaux’s weak vintage.
Sources
sources/articles/JLL/rhone_vintage_reports.json— 2007 Northern Rhône, 2007 Southern Rhône (JLL / drinkRhone.com)