Description: Never before had so many samples of the Pavillon Blanc been taken for the blending as this year -from different plot selections, from the three successive sortings carried out in each of those plots at harvest, from the different vinification trials. Over thirty six batches made up this crop in which the overall yield was no more than 26hl/ha….This great diversity obviously reflects the huge efforts that have been made to take the quality of Pavillon Blanc to even higher levels. Drastic selection was made this year to get the best possible results out of a vintage that was particularly favourable. We will not therefore produce many more bottles than last year... Everything, or almost everything, conspired to make 2007 a successful year for the whites, from the overall coolness of the summer weather to the outstanding condition of the crop and not forgetting the absence of hydric stress, which can sometimes be quite marked in our Virefougasse parcel. The result is a wine of comparable quality, even superior, to the 2006! Rarely has the Pavillon Blanc nose been so intense, complex and deep. Probably never have we felt so much density and power on the palate. As the previous years, the alcoholic degree is very high, but the balance, and especially the freshness in the finish, somehow almost make you forget this record level. (April 2008)
Robert Parker: Wine Advocate # 181. Feb 2009. Reviewer : Robert Parker ( re 2006) . Produced from 100% Sauvignon Blanc, this superb dry, lemony white reveals hints of spring flowers, orange peel, crushed rocks, and a subtle touch of smoke. Medium-bodied with superb texture as well as purity, this is a dazzling example of white Bordeaux. Anticipated maturity: now-2020.
Jancis Robinson: Published : 14-Apr-2008.
Very pale straw. Luscious, sweet nose. Sleek, greenish notes but lovely depth too. Fine and delicate but also rich on the palate. 15.5% but not at all evident. Very cool yet rich. Total acidity (**?sulphuric) 4g/l, pH 3.35. Not at all heavy or oily. Good whole. Racy, powdery and so clean and racy! Great stuff!!! Strict selection.Wine Spectator: Issue: Web only, 2008 ( barrel tasting) . This is superracy and stylish, with mineral, lemon, lime, pineapple and papaya. Full, yet balanced and fresh, crisp and long. Wonderful.
Stephen Tanzer: May/Jun 08. By Stephen Tanzer. Very pale color. Pungent, complex nose offers candied lemon peel, white peach, a note of honey and piquant mineral lift. Extremely powerful on the palate, with flavors of white peach and minerals and a chewy impression of extract. Boasts incredible volume and explosive fruit but today I am aware of the wine's high alcohol. Perhaps most impressive on the extraordinarily tactile finish: this struck me as one of the longest wines of any color or type that I tasted on my spring Bordeaux tour.
Chris Kissack, thewinedoctor.com, 16-17+/ - " This is 100% Sauvignon Blanc, fermented in oak, one-third new, and 50% of the wine underwent
batonnage on the lees. The alcohol is a whopping 15.5%, although you would not think it quite this high on tasting. Fresh and aromatic on the nose, pure and rather green in style. Full rather peppery, with an inordinate amount of grip on the palate reflecting the use of oak I think. Very structured, and despite that high alcohol level very good. From my
2007 Bordeaux en primeur assessment. 16-17+/20 (April 2008) "
