2007

James Halliday – "The National Trust classification of this great 19th-century winery, history seeping from every pore, is jealously guarded by Alister Purbrick. The wine has retained good hue and, while it is not quite at the Olympian level of the 2006, it is in the mainstream of the Tahbilk style, with attractive cassis, berry and earth aromas, then a medium-bodied and particularly well-balanced palate, the red and blackberry fruit supported by fine, ripe tannins. Fifteen years will not tire it." James Halliday ~ www.winecompanion.com.au

Wine Spectator – Intense, with powerful almond, bitter tangerine, mango and papaya notes, as well as racier heather, mirabelle and yellow apple flavors. Long and very focused despite the weight and breadth, this features a gorgeous hint of warm tarte Tatin on the finish. Best from 2018 through 2035.

Wine Enthusiast – This closed, reticent wine promises to pack a rich, generous punch in the future. Its potential shows in the botrytis flavor and the touches of smoky wood and apricot jelly. With this leashed power, it promises to be a very fine wine.

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate – The team at Château Rieussec have conjured a stellar wine in 2007 There is a little reduction at first that fortunately blows away, revealing thickly layered scents of honey, Danish pastry and quince that appear to gain vigor with every passing sip. The palate is stunning: very viscous in the mouth with tangy grapefruit, honey and white peach. It is still primal, but the acidity is perfectly judged and there is a life-affirming sense of precision and tension towards the finish. Exceptional. Drink now-2045.

Stephen Tanzer – Pale, green-tinged color. Apple, pear and spices on the nose, with a hint of exotic crystallized peach (but this was done entirely in stainless steel). Juicy, tight and quite primary, with a penetrating quality to the flavors of ginger and crushed stone. Very dry, minerally wine with a long, scented aftertaste and excellent grip.

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate – Robert Parker - Pale to medium gold colored, the 2007 d'Yquem delivers powerful scents of tropical fruits—dried mangoes and pineapple paste—accented by acacia honey, toasted almonds and woodsmoke with hints of chalk dust, kettle corn and lime blossom. The palate reveals one of those vintages that shape-shifts into an apparently drier style than it is, largely thanks to its uber-racy backbone of freshness and layered mineral-inspired flavors, finishing with a regal, satin-textured savoriness. Difficult to resist now, this will be one of those Rip Van Winkle vintages that can be predicted to cellar not just for decades but for generations. For number crunchers: 14.2% alcohol, 137 grams per liter residual sugar, and total acidity is 3.7 grams per liter H2SO4.

Jancis Robinson – Apricots and peaches, but still very close-knit and not quite giving at this stage. A broad steel blade of acidity and beautiful in a fierce Boudicca kind of way.

Wine Spectator – the elegance of this wine belies the intensity of its racy acidity and well-meshed frame. Offers layers of flavor--from apple and peach pie to smoke and honey to toffee and a hint of beeswax. This is incredibly silky and lightly mouthcoating, and the finish just keeps going. Drink now through 2030.

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate – Riesling Vorbourg Clos St.-Landelin Selection de Grains Nobles smells hauntingly of sweetly floral perfume; brown spiced apple jelly; and orange marmalade, whose flavors are joined on a glycerin-rich, silken palate by yellow plum preserves and more importantly by an efficacious burst of fresh lime. The result is a remarkable combination of richness with engaging juiciness and sheer refreshment, an instance were rigorous selection of the most perfectly-botrytized berries (along, Mure notes, with some healthily-shriveled) resulted not in a wine of more obvious botrytization but instead one of greater clarity and lift. This ravishing Riesling should gain in complexity and be worth following for a quarter century.