TN: 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape- C.M-T

[Nicos_Neocleous]

TN: 2007 Chateau Mont-Thabor - Chateauneuf du Pape

This is a rarely discussed CdP on Wine Forums. I tasted this and bought a few bottles at the Printemps du Chateauneuf du Pape in April 2009, along with a number of other 2007’s from other producers. Pristine cork has done a magnificent job so far. A deep cherry red colour with a deep strawberry red rim. The nose is a heady mix of soft wild herbs, strawberry jam and dry earth. The mouthfeel is velvet smooth and gentle, its body just about hiding its 14.5% alcohol. Not a complex wine, but with enough backbone and freshness to be enjoyed now and over the next 5+ years. It was priced fairly at the time and I have no regrets in buying it.

[P.Sunesen]

Thanks for the nice note: always informative and well written.

But Nicos, please go and change those savers in your kitchen. The contents of your glass invariably looks like a mixture of coca cola, prune juice and muddy water(s)…

Peter

[Nicos_Neocleous]

@P.Sunesen

Thanks for the nice note: always informative and well written.

But Nicos, please go and change those savers in your kitchen. The contents of your glass invariably looks like a mixture of coca cola, prune juice and muddy water(s)…

Peter

Hi Peter,

Thanks for your kind words.

For the record, I hand wash my Riedel glasses. It is the reflection in the glass and the light refraction that causes the non-clarity that you comment on.

Nicos

[P.Sunesen]

I would argue that it is the lightbulbs you use in the kitchen, and not the reflection in your Riedel glasses, which make the difference.

The apalingly low quality light you get from these savers, makes young wine look artificially purple, and beautifully ruby red, mature wines tend to look like coca cola blended with mud.

Try and get some old fashioned incandescent lightbulbs, or at the very least some quartz-halogen bulbs, and your photos of the the wine itself will complement, not detract, from the descriptions you so eloquently offer.

Peter

The Hollies - Try It

[Robert_Page]

Interesting for me that you post this! I had the opportunity to try this CNdP last year–had never heard of it before–and quite enjoyed it. I don’t think it is otherwise available anywhere in the U.S. My wife picked up a bottle on business trip to Avignon. From memory, it was a pretty reasonably priced wine for what it is.

That said, I find that as I age, I’m having a tougher time with the alcohol levels of CNdPs in general, and with the 2007 vintage in particular. I don’t recall getting a massive headache after enjoying this wine, but I also don’t recall having more than about a third of the bottle before it was finished off by my dinner mates. At 14.5% ABV, I’m pretty much done after two glasses no matter how well the alcohol is “hidden.”

[Matt_Mauldin]

@Robert Page

Interesting for me that you post this! I had the opportunity to try this CNdP last year–had never heard of it before–and quite enjoyed it. I don’t think it is otherwise available anywhere in the U.S. My wife picked up a bottle on business trip to Avignon. From memory, it was a pretty reasonably priced wine for what it is.

That said, I find that as I age, I’m having a tougher time with the alcohol levels of CNdPs in general, and with the 2007 vintage in particular. I don’t recall getting a massive headache after enjoying this wine, but I also don’t recall having more than about a third of the bottle before it was finished off by my dinner mates. At 14.5% ABV, I’m pretty much done after two glasses no matter how well the alcohol is “hidden.”

Robert, you should seek out 2013 CdP’s. Ones that I’ve had have generally been delightfully light and fresh in style, with really nice black fruit and garrigue.

[Arv_R]

I passed on this one, mostly because the name sounded disturbing to me.

Thabor sounds uncomfortable in American.

=======

Upon further review, it looks like I made a mistake, and apparently purchased this some years ago.

So even though the name is disturbing, I must have coveted the vintage.

[Nicos_Neocleous]

@Arv R

I passed on this one, mostly because the name sounded disturbing to me.

Thabor sounds uncomfortable in American.

I bought this wine because I liked it. The name did not make a difference.

[Eric_Sch]

I have a bottle of the 2009 CMT that I got for cost of shipping back in the head days of free flowing Lot18 credits. Might have to dig that out sometime soon.

[Arv_R]

So it was rather curious to search on WB for ‘thabor’ and find Nicos, and my comments, from a half decade ago, regarding the 2007 Mont Thabor [Chateauneuf du Pape], which is a delicious wine still. My US import bottle - which has a different back label than what OP shared - notes that it’s a 14.5% abv, and indeed it feels full/rich/glycerin loaded. This label includes the cepage: 70% grenache, 25% syrah, and 5% cinsault (!). It seems like the last varietal is not included much as a named element in Rhone blends, at least to me. The nose is complex today - sandalwood incense, cinnamon sticks that segues into a palate of red berry fruit. The flavors and feel are not raisined/porty unlike some other 2007’s that I’ve experienced, which were perhaps picked too late, and thus deteriorated over time. For my tastes, this CNDP’s acid is low, and tannins are all melted away, so I’d give this an A-.

I’ve never heard of this property, but the US importers label claims vineyards have been here since the 1700’s, with the same family running it for the last 100+ years. Maybe it deserves more attention from stateside enthusiasts. I’d be keen to try this in another big So.Rho year like 2016. According to my records, it was $28.25 so a very fair ticket entry to this AOC too. The still deep color, and taste over 24 hours, suggests that it still has several years of life ahead of it too.