Volcanic Wine Awards | The Jancis Robinson Story

Blatch's diary of the 2007 Bordeaux harvest

Wednesday 23 January 2008 • 2 min read

Below is my best shot at an electronic representation of Bill Blatch's diagram of the day by day progression of picking in the 2007 harvest in Bordeaux. My apologies for the wiggly lines (Julia, on holiday, would be horrified) and the occasional wobble. I hope you can make sense of it nevertheless. Note that the numbers in the Sauternes 'column' refer to which trie, passage through the vines to pick, was taking place at that point. See the key to symbols and footnotes at the bottom of the table – JR.

Aug

27 M    22-35° s/dr     2 mm
28 Tu    21-35°     sh/s     1 mm            Whites
29 W     15-19°     r         19 mm            I
30 Th    13-22°     s                              I
31 F     11-24° c/dr     1 mm          I
Sep
01 Sa    12-25°     c/s                           I
02 Su    13-25°     s                              I                                                        
03 M    12-23°  dr/s    1 mm         I
04 Tu    15-22°     s                              I                                                                      
05 W     11-23°     s                             I                                                                            
06 Th    13-25°     s                              I                                     
07 F     15-25°   s                    I                                                  
08 Sa    13-25°     s                             I                                                        
09 Su    13-27°     s                             I                                         Sauternes           
10 M      13-27° s                       I                                  1st trie
11 Tu    13-24°     s                              I                                                           1
12 W     12-22°     s                             I                                                           1
13 Th    10-28°     s                             I                                                        1    
14 F      15-28°     s                   I                                    1
15 Sa    12-29°     s                              I                                              1
16 Su    13-31°     s/sh     1 mm             I      Merlot                                  1
17 M   8-25°     s/dr   1 mm         I        I                             1
18 T      10-20°     s                              I        I                                     1
19 W     05-20°     s                              I        I                                     1       
20 Th    07-23°     s                              I        I                                           1
21 F    08-30°  s/dr     1 mm         I        I                                  1
22 Sa    15-20°     sh       10 mm            I         I        Cab      Cab              1      
23 Su    11-24°     s                            I         I            Franc     Sauvi    1
24 M    -22°     s/dr       2 mm      I         I          I             I         1+2
25 Tu    10-18°     sh       10 mm*          I         I             I              I            1+2      
26 W     10-17°     c/s                                     I                 I           I           1+2
27 Th    07-15°     s                                       I                 I           I           1+2
28 F    07-20°   s                               I            I           I       1+2
29 Sa    10-17°     c/sh       4 mm                     I                 I           I          
30 Su    12-25°     c/s/sh    6 mm                     I                 I           I
Oct
01 M   18-24°     r       5 mm                I             I           I           2+3
02 Tu    17-26°     sh/c/s    1 mm                     I             I           I              2+3
03 W     17-24°     s/c                                    I             I              I                 2+3
04 Th    17-25°     dr/s       1 mm                     I             I              I                 2+3
05 F   17-22°   c/r      22 mm**          I             I           I            2+3     
06 Sa    17-20°     c/s                                     I             I           I                
07 Su    15-22°     f/s                                     I             I           I                 3+4       
08 M  15-21°   f/s                             I             I           I                 3+4
09 Tu    12-19°     s/c/sh    6 mm                     I             I           I             3+4         
10 W     14-18°     r/c/s      5 mm                     I             I           I            
11 Th    10-19°     s                                       I             I           I                 3+4
12 F   08-19°   f/s                                                  I                 3+4
13 Sa    07-20°     f/s                                                               I             3+4 
14 Su    08-24°     f/s                                                                I             3+4
15 M   10-25°   f/s                                                  I             3+4
16 Tu    12-24°     s                                                                  I             3+4
17 W     12-20°     dr/s       2 mm                                                I             3+4
18 Th    12-19°     s                                                                  I             3+4
19 F   05-17°    s                                                    I             3+4
20 Sa    05-16°     s                                                                                       3+4
21 Su    02-16°     s                                                                                3+4
22 M      05-15s                                                                   3+4+5+6
23 Tu    05-15°     s                                                                                4+5+6+7
24 W     01-13°     s                                                                                4+5+6+7
25 Th    05-12°     s                                                                                4+5+6+7
26 F      03-14°  s                                                                                       4+5+6+7
27 Sa    02-14°     s                                                                                4+5+6+7

                                                                          

The Sauternes  “tries” continued up to 12 Nov

Bold type = the main days of harvesting
c  = Cloud           f = Fog                             
s   = Sun             r = Rain                                                                                     

sh = Showers       dr= Drizzle                                               

Figures are for Mérignac

* = Rainfall figure for the town of Bordeaux; very little elsewhere

**= Rainfall figure for the town of Bordeaux only; no rainfall elsewhere                             
Become a member to continue reading
Member
$135
/year
Save over 15% annually
Ideal for wine enthusiasts
  • Access 288,913 wine reviews & 15,882 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
Inner Circle
$249
/year
 
Ideal for collectors
  • Access 288,913 wine reviews & 15,882 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
Professional
$299
/year
For individual wine professionals
  • Access 288,913 wine reviews & 15,882 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 25 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Business
$399
/year
For companies in the wine trade
  • Access 288,913 wine reviews & 15,882 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 250 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Pay with
Visa logo Mastercard logo American Express logo Logo for more payment options
Join our newsletter

Get the latest from Jancis and her team of leading wine experts.

By subscribing you agree with our Privacy Policy and provide consent to receive updates from our company.

More Free for all

J&B Burgundy tasting at the IOD in Jan 2026
Free for all What to make of this exceptional vintage after London’s Burgundy Week? Small, undoubtedly. And not exactly perfectly formed. A version...
Australian wine tanks and grapevines
Free for all The world is awash with unwanted wine. A version of this article is published by the Financial Times. Above, a...
Meursault in the snow - Jon Wyand
Free for all 24 January 2026 All the tasting notes from London’s Burgundy Week have now been published, bringing the total number of...
View over vineyards of Madeira sea in background
Free for all But how long will Madeira, one of the great fortified wines, survive tourist development on this extraordinary Atlantic island? A...

More from JancisRobinson.com

London Shell Co trio
Nick on restaurants A winning combination in North London beguiles Nick, who seems to have amused the trio behind it. Above, left to...
SA fires by David Gass and Wine News in 5 logo
Wine news in 5 Also: the WHO calls for raised alcohol taxes; more tariff drama; Champagne sales decline, and protests continue at Moët Hennessy...
Ryan Pass
Tasting articles Some promising representatives of the next generation of California wine brands. Above, w inemaker Ryan Pass of Pass Wines (photo...
The Marrone family, parents and three daughters
Wines of the week An incredibly refreshing Nebbiolo from a sustainably-minded family that sells for as little as €17.50, $24.94, £22.50. - - -...
Aerial view of various Asian ingredients
Inside information Part five of an eight-part series on how to pair wine with Asian flavours, adapted from Richard’s book. Click here...
Vineyards of Domaine Vaccelli on Corsica
Inside information Once on the fringes, Corsica has emerged as one of France’s most compelling wine regions. Paris-based writer Yasha Lysenko explores...
Les Halles de Narbonne
Tasting articles Ninety-nine wines showing the dazzling diversity of this often-underestimated region. Part 1 was published yesterday. See also Languedoc whites –...
September sunset Domaine de Montrose
Tasting articles Tam thinks so – and has nearly 200 red-wine recommendations to show for it. Come back tomorrow for the second...
Wine inspiration delivered directly to your inbox, weekly
Our weekly newsletter is free for all
By subscribing you're confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions.