Last week I had a chance to taste a 2007 Pichon-Longueville Baron from a half bottle format (375 ml).

As many of you probably know,  Pichon Baron is a second-growth wine from the Paulliac region of Bordeaux and 2007 is generally thought of as a low year for Bordeaux wine.  

The bottle was opened half an hour before a casual take-out Italian meal of beef lasagna and grilled vegetables from Galbiati Gourmet Deli. So how did a "good" wine perform in a "bad" year?

I was pleasantly surprised by the 'strength' of the wine which still had the characteristic taste of a Pichon Baron.  Some Bordeaux wines from the 2007 which I had tasted were distinctively watered-down and had lost their unique flavours. Still by no means inexpensive, the 2007 Pichon Baron was sold at a lower price than those from the better vintages.  Maybe the satisfaction was even higher because of the lowered expectations, but overall I thought it was good value for money and would certainly recommend it.

What I liked about this wine was that it was medium-bodied and fragrant, which went well with the meal. Most importantly, it did not overpower the taste of the food, although with hindsight, the choice of this wine may not have been the best combination with this meal.  The gentle and rounded nature of the wine went well with grilled vegetables but a more robust wine like a Brunello would be more suitable to cut through the oiliness of the lasagna.