Château Clarke — 2007
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Introduction
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Château Clarke takes its name from the Irish family who bought this estate in 1771. After more than two centuries of wine growing tradition and successive owners, the property was purchased by Baron Edmond de Rothschild in 1973. The vineyard was completely restructured and massive investments were undertaken in order to renovate buildings and improve wine making and storage facilities. With a passion for excellence and the best things in life, the Baron made Clarke a benchmark for the whole region.
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Vineyard Profile
- Appellation: Listrac-Medoc
- Size: 55 ha (135.9 acres)
- Vine Age: 40 years
- Soil: Limestone and clay
- Density: 7,000 vines/ha
- Training: Natural grass cover, double Guyot
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Vintage Report
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2007 is one of those vintages in which worry (sometimes anguish), hope, enthusiasm, doubt, and serenity are all felt in succession. When we keep talking about miracles, we can forget that nature is just capricious, especially in Bordeaux. The especially mild and dry winter brought about an early bud break for the vines. Then, the spring was, as usual, a mixture: March was mild and wet, April was very hot and very dry, May was mild and very rainy, and June was just about normal, slightly more humid than average. These weather conditions brought about a high risk of downy mildew, which is fortunately much better controlled nowadays than in the past, as well as vine vegetation growth which kept on shooting right up to the end of August. The pleasant surprise of a fantastic hot and very dry month of September, thanks to a phenomenon known as Indian summer, enabled us to pick plots very late which had finally reached ripeness at the end of a growing season of record length. As always, our drastic selection brings out the true spirit of a vintage. Our reputation to consistently producing high-quality wines was no match for the demanding 2007 vintage.
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Vinification
- Fermentation: The grapes are put into vats via gravity flow, followed by cold soaking and fermentation in both oak and stainless steel tanks. Moderate extraction adapted to each vat by pumping over and delestage (rack and return).
- Aging: 16 months, 100% in barrels (two-thirds new and one-third second fill)
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Technical Information
- Varietal Composition: 70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Alcohol: 14.0%
- Optimum Drinking: Up to 15 years, suggested drinking window is from 2021 to 2031