The harvest is finally over in Bordeaux, the free-run wine is flowing into new barrels, the caps are being pressed and the true character of the vintage is beginning to evolve as the wine starts to show it's potential. You can never predict the vintage until the very last day , as a day or two of rain or sun at any time during the picking can make a huge difference. 1997 is an interesting year . The character of the vintage was largely shaped in the late spring, when a combination of early heat and late cold weather combined to produce a very long, uneven flowering. This results in grapes of varying maturity at the time of picking.
Winemakers therefore have to be even more diligent than usual in their selection of grapes.
Many chateaux went through the vines several times picking grapes that were ripe, and leaving others on the same vine to further mature. Consequently as the weather improved the picking slowed, until by late September the remaining grapes had high sugar levels and very good maturity . Denis Malbec, Cellar Master at Latour had lovely grapes and excellent maturity, and everyone there is thrilled with the vintage. At Canon La Gaffeliere in St. Emilion the grapes I saw in the vineyard were some of the cleanest and healthiest anywhere, and again they are looking forward to a very good wine. When I was in Burgundy in late September things were looking really nice.