Wine 1997

Our view on the 1997 vintage

Regarding 1997 Bordeaux, the flowering was heterogeneous and stretched over more than a month, leading to disparities in the maturity of the grapes. Strong export demand for the 1995 and 1996 vintages artificially raised the prices for this 1997 vintage, of lesser reputation. The 1997 Bordeaux red wines are supple and fruity, their aging being probably moderate. In 1997 dry white wine from Bordeaux, Haut Brion is an exception and produced the vintage wine in Pessac Leognan. In Sauternes, 1997 is a very good vintage, which will delight amateurs for many years. Small harvest for the 1997 Burgundy wines, but of good quality thanks to the good dry weather during the harvest after the thunderstorms at the end of August. The 1997 vintage is soft and of good length for the red wines of the Cote de Nuits, and the whites wines of the Cote de Beaune are rich and easy to approach. 1997 Champagne: medium vintage, but more successful for Chardonnay (Blanc de Blancs). The 1997 vintage is average for Rhone wines, better for 1997 Cote Rotie and 1997 Hermitage (Northern Rhone) than in the Southern part, where aging potential will be lower. In the Loire Valley, the wines of 1997 are qualitative: pretty dry whites, powerful Savennieres and sweet wines are exceptionally rich. In 1997 Alsace, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris display impressive sugar level.