Château Cheval Blanc
This year was marked by regular rainfall all summer long and a beautiful month of September. The wines are aromatic and have retained great freshness.
This year was marked by regular rainfall all summer long and a beautiful month of September. The wines are aromatic and have retained great freshness.
Weather conditions and vine’s growing cycle
Temperatures and rainfall
After an exceptionally warm month of April, the weather deteriorated starting in May. July was cool and wet, followed by a dry spell in early August, then showers at the end of that month. Fine weather returned in September, with three weeks of ideal conditions: hot days and cool nights. The weather was more variable by the end of the month, with a few showers, although none were heavy or long-lasting.
Water balance
In order to grow well, the vine needs for water stress to set in slowly so the grapes to ripen well and become concentrated. Due to regular precipitation in the summer of 2007, there was an average water deficit this year.
Growing season
Bud break were early for Merlot (20th of March) and average for Cabernet Franc (2nd of April). The high temperatures in April accelerated vine growth and brought about early flowering: the 21st of May for both Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Véraison (colour change) was also early, occurring on the 22nd of July for Merlot and the 31st of July for Cabernet Franc. The harvest began on the 19th of September and finished on the 6th of October (18 days).
The weather in 2007 called for careful attention in the vineyard at all times, as well as green pruning. Mildew was kept under control and despite the major risk of grey rot in late August, fine September weather, with cool nights, stopped the fungus from spreading. That made it possible to wait for the grapes to ripen fully.
| Phenological stage | Merlot 2007 |
Average 1994-2014 | Cabernet franc 2007 |
Average 1994-2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bud break | March, 20th | March, 28th | April, 2nd | April, 2nd |
| Flowering | May, 21st | May, 30th | May, 21st | June, 1st |
| Véraison | July, 22nd | August, 2nd | July, 31st | August, 8th |
| Beginning of the Harvest | September, 19th | September, 19th | September, 25th | September, 27th |
| End of the Harvest | September, 28th | September, 27th | October, 6th | October, 5th |
| Number of days between… | ||||
| Bud break and Flowering | 63 days | 63 days | 50 days | 60 days |
| Flowering and Véraison | 63 days | 64 days | 72 days | 68 days |
| Véraison and Harvest | 59 days | 48 days | 56 days | 50 days |
Features of the vintage
Ripening and yields
Summer rainfall was greater than average. This resulted in larger-than-average berries, especially for Merlot.
Merlot had low sugar levels, whereas Cabernet Franc was sweeter than usual. Acidity was lower than the ten-year average for both varieties. This reflects a good degree of ripeness, but also a certain amount of dilution in Merlot.
Hopes for a fine year were thin at the end of August. However, ideal weather in September saved the vintage. The harvest was long in order for Cabernet Franc to ripen. The grapes were balanced and aromatic. However certain lots of Cabernet Franc displayed herbaceous aromas.
| 2007 yields (hl/ha) | Average from 1996 to 2014 | |
| Merlot | 35.4 | 38.9 |
| Cabernet Franc | 37.2 | 34.2 |
Cellar work
Maceration varied from 15-26 days. The blend contained 6% of press wine, and 1.5% of the wine was bled off from fermentation vats. Ageing took place in 100% new oak barrels for 16-17 months.
Traditional fining with egg white was done in order to settle particles in suspension in barrel. Two egg whites were used per barrel. These were later eliminated by filtration.
Blending
| Degree of alcohol | 13 |
|---|---|
| Total acidity (g H2 S04/L) | 3.0 |
| Volatile acidity (g H2 SO4/L) | 0.59 |
| pH | 3.84 |
| Total SO2 (mg/L) | 94 |
| Reducing sugar content (g/L) | 2.2 |
| IPT (DO280) | 64 |