Before the arrival of the 2014 vintage, 2007 was my gold-standard, my reference point for what whites could deliver – but not at all levels!

The issue with 2007 was the with the lower appellation wines – many were too acidic – very drinkable and fresh on release, but they became more and more acidic as their puppy fruit waned. Good villages and virtually all the premiers and grand crus I loved. 2014 is certainly better at the lower appellations, if not necessarily-so for the higher appellations. 2007 wasn’t a late harvest – indeed it was one of the earliest starts ever for reds – starting in August – and most was done by mid-September, but many whites were picked later than reds, the reverse of most years – and the temperature felt like October – it was cold.

Not surprisingly I was really looking forward to this tasting – I had very high expectations – I came away a little disheartened given the apparent age of multiple bottles. A tasting that reinforces my preference for alternative closures such as DIAM or screw-cap – it’s all very fine for certain producers to say that cork delivers the best wines, but their words are meaningless if you own some of these older – or corked! – bottles.

The wines…

Delivered in blind flights of three, only witha title such as ‘three Meursaults:’

1st a flight of three Meursaults:

2007 Vincent Dancer, Meursault Les Corbins
Great young colour. This has a pretty nose, a little round and with some sweetness – the first sniff had a chunk of sweet oak too – but then it was gone. Super texture, a dirty line of dark oak through the core – super acidity. Eventually there’s a lovely minerality to the long and interesting finish. Really super, but wait another 5 years if you’re oak averse.

2007 Coche-Dury, Meursault
Young colour. A big, wide nose, showing remnants of quite a lot of toasty oak – almost reductive too – more than would allow you to guess the village – it smells like Coche. In the mouth, this is a race-horse with an almost Chablis-style linearity, minerality and a wonderful line and energy. I think this lovely, I mark it down a little today for the ‘nowhere’ nose, but it taste fabulous. I’d guess high slope villages or maybe even a Perrières – it could just as easily be villages Coche.

2007 Vincent Dancer, Meursault Les Grands Charrons
Young colour. Totally different in style – a nose that is more about ripe yellow citrus fruit and just a little cheese! Really big in the mouth, great volume, silky, almost fat wine with a growing intensity – older Charmes style – lots of concentration and a decent mouth-watering flavour. The finish is best part – here it’s really super.

2nd a flight of three more Meursaults:

2007 Buisson-Charles, Meursault 1er Bouches-Chères
Deeper colour. A deep nose, some roundness, some intensity of aroma, but not particularly inviting. Mouth-filling, lots of volume, a growing acidity. There was oak here but it’s mainly gone – but now it’s extra long – a little wave of minerality too. This is a big wine and a very good wine – a good 1er cru style – but it’s missing the clarity of the best – time needed? Maybe, but it’s still fine.

2007 Comtes Lafon, Meursault 1er Les Charmes
Also quite deeply coloured. Sweeter – a mobile, very interesting and very inviting nose – yum! Even bigger in the mouth. Caramel, slightly lactic sweetness quite some intensity, very good texture. The acidity is not perfect it sticks out a little, yet this is delicious – there is power and enjoyment.

2007 Kistler, Wine Hill
Similarly deep colour. Fresh open, very different, with a very malic almost apple aromatic sweetness. Big again in the mouth, that malic is on a lower level, lots of weight of concentration, really great finishing with saline minerality. A wine of power, but that’s not really together. This needs much more time, or it’s already too late! Clearly different, clearly the pirate.

3rd a flight of three Chassagnes – except that one was corked:

2007 Morey-Coffinet, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Morgeot Les Farendes
Great young colour. Aromatically this is a little tight, but working the glass brings, young, fresh, complex and attractive notes. Lots of scale here, a ripe core, really lots of fresh complexity, a little richness of texture, and lots of weighty complexity. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a grand cru – super wine!

2007 Jean-Marc Pillot, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Morgeot Farendes
Really a much darker colour. Really this wine is about maturity – but too early. It’s drinkable, hardly oxidised, but really shows like it’s 20 years-old – so it’s that oxidised. There is, however, super minerality and line in the finish – really impressive length and good balance but it shows like and old wine – clearly a big shame!

4th a flight of three Chassagnes again:

2007 Morey-Coffinet, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er La Romanée
Good, modest colour. A little smoky bacon, but lots of fine freshness too – wide and inviting. Wide, fresh, a little muscular, layered delivery of flavour, good minerality. Long and even quite young. This is very tasty wine.

2007 Jean-Marc Pillot, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Caillerets
Whilst the colour looks fine, this wine has a toffee impression in the aromas. Ooh, that’s super – direct, linear, super-concentrated, silken wine. Oof. Great wine. Long, long, long – just a top wine – chevalier? Super complexity.

2007 Morey-Coffinet, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Blanchots Dessus
Darker colour. A little fresh but bruised apple? Ooh, that is a fabulous texture, with width, and shape – long though turning apple-y. This is a a once great wine picking up speed on the down the slope. That’s such a shame. Very tasty, but showing 10 years older (at least) than it should.

A ‘diverse’ collection to finish:

2007 Morey-Coffinet, Bâtard-Montrachet
Width of aroma, some ripeness of fruit – a little nondescript aromatically. Hmm, this is very nice in the mouth; layered, some richness of flavour and texture yet always with a very fine balance. Fresh, slightly floral, this is very lovely wine. Only the nose disappoints today. Very good Puligny I think – maybe Folatières.

2007 Leflaive, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Pucelles
Darker colour. Another nose that has the bruised apple aroma – older than it should be. Ooh, beautiful line though, fine silk, fine intensity – this is super. This is highly drinkable but it’s another wine building up speed to fall off the cliff. Great length. There is still lots to find and enjoy here – but drink them this year! An even better Puligny I think.

2007 Jean-Marc Pillot, Chevalier-Montrachet
Light colour – good. Deep, chunky but fresh aromas but with really good depth. Quite a rich, fat, layered wine of flavour and texture – lots of complexity. I’d like some more energy, but there’s lots of finishing minerality so this is, in the end, quote balanced in the mid-palate and finish.