Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vintage 2007

A very healthy grape harvest following an exceptionally dry summer...

With just 35 mm of rain between the 16th of June and the 15th of September, we can confirm that the summer of 2007 at Châteauneuf-du-Pape was an exceptionally dry one. According to the agricultural weather forecast based at Carpentras, it is probably the driest in the last twenty years. The average rainfall registered at 161 mm (The weather station at Orange). 

The rainfall of these last few days (about 20 mm between the 16th and the 18th of  September) were welcomed. The short spell of rain did not bear any negative consequences on the course of the grape harvest which starts to draw to an end.

The summer of 2007 had more wind than normally predicted (20 days of strong Mistral between the 1st of July and the 15th of September) and slight surplus on the level of seasonal sunshine (1.157 h against 1.145 h on average).

In spite of strong variability in temperatures, marked by 30 days when the minimal temperatures laid between 10 et 15°C, and only 7 days when the maximum temperatures were higher than 35°C, the seasonal averages remain in conformity with the normal (slightly higher in June and September and slightly lower in July and August).

The climate results over the last few months confirm what was visible in the vines : the summer of 2007 was particularly favorable to obtaining a vintage of quality, endowed with good aromatic balances and beautiful colours.

In the vines the sorting needed was minimum, the grape pickers advanced with ease, thus giving the possibility to winemakers to stop their harvesting a day or two in the week to leave the grapes reach their perfect maturity. Optimizing the potential of the  2007 vintage.

The quantity of this year’s harvest is slightly higher than the decennial average with yields which should range between 32 and 34 hl/ha, for an authorized maximum of 35 hl/ha.

2007 vintage is situated along the same lines as the four previous ones. 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 vintages were tasted on September 15th at a seminar organized during the ‘Rhône Valley wines festival’ in Copenhagen, and will also be presented on October 22nd in London during a demonstration with wines from Tavel and Châteauneuf-du-Pape.