With the 2010 harvest imminent and the glorious 2009s due to hit the market shortly, it is easy to lose sight of earlier vintages. I have just had the opportunity though to review the red wines of 2007 in great detail.

Nicknamed ‘Burgfest’, a tasting takes place every year when a group of importers along with Clive Coates and Neil Beckett (World of Fine Wine Magazine) meet to assess a recent vintage of Burgundy. About 300 wines at 1er and Grand Cru level are tasted across the best part of three days, in small flights never exceeding 12 wines, grouped by village or in some cases vineyard. The wines are tasted blind.

This is the first opportunity for an intensive assessment of a vintage since the round of en primeur tastings when many wines are not in bottle and others have not yet settled down immediately after the bottling. The purpose of the Burgfest tasting is to assess the development of the vintage as well as to see which growers and wines have performed well in that particular year. We are there to find out, more than to deliver judgement.  Click here to read our findings on the best performers of the vintage.

Jasper Morris MW’s new book, ‘Inside Burgundy‘ is about to be released. To register your interest in receiving a copy, please click here.