Second disappointing bottle from a lot of four purchased on the secondary market. One-hour decant through a screened and aerating funnel. Slight sediment in screen. Wine emitted a moderate sour cherry aroma during decant. Wine was clear; deep crimson bowl lightening to rose on the rim but no amber. After resting, nose had a distinct cherry cola aroma superimposed with garrique and a little brett. In the mouth: deep fruit, slightly sour. Tannins all smoothed out and was a nice match with a prime rib. The finish, however, was rather bitter and off-putting. I am beginning to wonder if these wines were subjected to excessive heat or cold at sometime in their existence.
Perfect drinking window, avoiding over-maturity. Dense, yet fresh and complex, benefiting from the great vintage in the Rhône valley. Lush, mature cherry and raspberry, noble wood and garrigue in the nose. Medium bodied in the mouth, with mature fruit, cedar, earthy, ink, menthol, chocolate, pepper forming an enjoyable, complex drinking experience. Silky, still fresh finish. Enjoy now.
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One-hour decant through a screened and aerating funnel. Black fruit aromas came forth during decant. Slight amount of sediment in the screen. After resting, wine was clear; dark purple in bowl and progressing lighter to a garnet rim surrounded by a moderate clear halo. Nose was atypical for a CdP and set off alarms for me (see below). Nose was very reminiscent of an older Zinfandel: boysenberry and blackberry followed by some cedar and spice. Likewise in the mouth: berry fruit and licorice flavors that seemed a little off-balance and not quite right. While the wine worked with the steak dinner, it was not very CdP-like and certainly not in line with some of the recent laudatory notes posted here on CT (which was why I chose this wine for our holiday get together). Long finish but it too seemed amiss; almost watered down. Hope this was just an off bottle and my others are better.
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Dark purple color turning garnet at the rim with a reflective edge. The nose gives off deep aromas of violets amidst smoky dark fruits. The palate is medium-to-full-bodied with an almost velvety texture. There’s a bit of age on this wine, but there’s vivid blackberry, dark cherry, and plum that’s reflective of the vintage and tips the balance over the medium acidity leading to savory notes of anise, clove, and black pepper on the long finish. An excellent wine, no doubt, but is it a classic? I’m on the fence with this one. Never mind. Just enjoy it! Drink now until 2027.
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This bottle was great! PNP after a cellar dive at the end of dinner. A smidge of garnet at the rim, this bottle had more black fruit than I'm used to from old CdP. Black cherry, black plum, crème de cassis, then savories! Pepper, anise, iodine and wet underbrush lead the way. What. A. Hoot! still very nice on day two, room temp and un-gassed overnight.
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dark red - subdued nose of dark fruit, not much complexity - full rich mouth of red/black fruit - tannins predominate over fruit - 15-20 sec finish - a very good wine that is drinking nicely now, but not likely to improve much with additional time in the bottle
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Don't cling on to your CdP forever! A good example of a wine that needs drinking now, as it is developing animal tones. Lots of garrigue, liquorice, spice, plum. Nice complexity and maturity but drink now.
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Decanted 1 hour. Drank over 2 days. Night in the fridge. Second day the best. Dark purple/black'ish color. Fruit is dark berries, plum, and black currant. Some liquirice. Medium to long finish. Very nice.
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My second bottle of this wine and I love it. PnP and drank with pork roast. Beautiful CdP flavor profile with red and black fruit, earth, licorice, cassis and smoke. Everything integrated with beautiful balance. Yummy bottle. Drink or hold.
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At West London Wine School's 2007 Rhone Superstar Tasting. Dark garnet. Sweaty leather nose. Strawberry kirsch, fennel seed, meat. 20-30 second finish. Good but not memorable. 91-92
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Chateauneuf 2007 - diffucult to get this wrong. Charming nose, with juicy, mature cherry and raspberry notes, delicate wood and garrigue. Medium bodied in the mouth, with mature fruit, cedar, earthy, ink, menthol, chocolate, pepper forming an enjoyable, complex drinking experience. Silky, still fresh finish. To be consumed now over the next 5 years.
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Fruit, ample fruit, not much else going on. Pleasasnt acidity, no detectable tannins, indicate to me overripe fruit. Didnt check, but tastes like mainly grenache. This wine will go well with some foods but is relatively uninteresting and lacks structure.
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Taken to Hawksmoor for the Monday £5 corkage offer.
Decanted for 90 minutes or so by the time we got to it. Clean appearance, still a deep purple colour with lavender and black fruits predominant on the nose. Silky-smooth in the mouth, and completely balanced given its 15% alcohol. Very good indeed.
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A very balanced and nice C9P indeed! Layers of dark fruit and provancial herbs intermixed with liquorice and black pepper tones. Very balanced and elegant. Yet another great wine from the extraordinary 2007 vintage in C9P!
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15% alcohol. Blend of Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Terret, Counoise, Vaccarèse, et Muscardin. Medium density garnet, not really dark nor light. The rim shows a little bit of age. Cork was of very good quality, smooth and clean, the nose of which showed a distinct hint of menthol but no trace of menthol on the palate. Medium body. Indeed pretty alcoholic. Nose and palate don’t really show much of its expressions. On the 2nd day it opened up more, showing berry characters, Everything well mixed together into a single taste, so there is no layers to appreciate. Due to its age the wine starts to decline in the glass. So decant it no longer than an hour. A little disappointing.
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2007 Chateauneuf – A “taste-off” among Domaine Giraud Tradition, Roger Sabon Cuvee Prestige and Le Vieux Donjon.
All of these wines are quite good and highly recommended. In this taste-off, the Vieux Donjon (92) came off as very good with a neat balance of spice and fruit. It coats the tongue and leaves it dry as it dissolves into the classic CdP tastes of licorice, tarragon, desert wind and black cherry.
The Giraud (94) is a “wow” wine with lots of pepper and cassis. It goes straight to the ears and top of the head and leaves you wanting more and wanting to talk with friends for hours on end.
Then there is the Sabon (96) – it is blood red with an overpowering aroma of fruit and spice. Each sips spreads intense warmth and good feeling throughout your body. It is an epically good CdP from an excellent vintage.
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I'm a bit mixed on this wine. Overall, it was a very nice bottle of CdP: a serious wine, smooth & very balanced, full on the palate, good fruit, nice finish, etc. The 'but' is that the flavor profile had a bit of a funk (maybe the barnyard reference from other tasters) that took it off target from a CdP that I would have scored at 95+.
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Had the Bessards 1999 and compared to a CdP Sabon 2007. Interesting pairing. The CdP was big and very fruit oriented for a CdP. Great wine with immediate availability but did not change over the night. The CdP was the crowd favorite at the start. However over the course of the evening, the Bessards kept on changing and opening up and so by the end of the evening (when most of the wine was gone) it was drinking beautifully. This was even after an hour long double decant. So, the Bessards is doing beautifully, can certainly go for more years and should be given a lot of time.
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Beautiful shinning purple. Gave it an hour in the decanter and the aromatics were awesome. Big barnyard nose that over time gave way to a more black fruit dominated taste. Big, relatively complex, I loved this wine. I would recommend drinking over the first hour after decanting to keep the barnyard complexity on the palate. No need to wait but I'll give it another year because I think it will continue to get better.
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In our cellar, party for Lauren G. From a magnum, decanted this for about 2 hours, drank over another 2. Drank after an 05 Hourglass Cab.
Deep purple color. Dark fruits, earth, garrigue and floral notes on the nose. Black fruits, plums, cigar box, kirsch, violets, spices...gorgeous palate, velvety texture, medium/long finish...
Our crowd was split on this and the Cab - two very different wines with preferences more on style than quality of wine. Great wine for the Fall and harvest flavors, would pair well with any range of meats. Seems to be entering it's prime drinking zone, should hold this level for 5+ years.
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An absolutely stunning and brilliantly elegant wine, the 2007 Cuvée Prestige delivers a vivid array of dark rich Grenache fruit accompanied by an intriguing mix of flowers like violets and lilac. There is crushed black pepper, wet saddle leather and classical Asian spice box. Cigar leaves and cacao - I could go on for another page with these nouns... The palate does not make the taster disappointed. The fruit still speak up quite loudly and there are some silky back end tannins, but the balance is profound, as is the integration. With a minute or more length on the finish I am totally impressed by this wine. I easily see it ageing for another 5-10 years. Bravo!
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A wine striking for its satiny, voluptuous texture and gentle flavors (rare in this overripe vintage). Deep tawny-tinted purple. Candied plums, toffee, garrigue on the nose. Rich yet structured palate, mineral but not saline finish. Perfect for near term consumption!
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Delicious CdP. No formal notes but big fruit and earthy notes. Very balanced with integrated tannin. Give it about an hour after opening to come together and enjoy.
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Oddly different bottle than those reviewed below. Somewhat closed, showing little CDP briary fruit or lushness, and not expressing even after an hour in the glass. Could need time or possibly bottle variation. Did not taste corked.
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A nice, rich, example of Chateauneuf. The nose is filled with black raspberry, damson plum, kirsch, anise, garrigue, violet, and hints of graphite. The palate is rich, ripe, but nicely structured. The tannins are well integrated. This is drinking well right now. It is a touch hot and definitely in the bigger style of Chateauneuf, but still quite enjoyable. Purchased at a restaurant.
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Had it with a leg of lamb in a sauce of green olives, shallots, prunes and figs. Went perfectly. Medium to full bodied. Sweet fruit, great structure and a long finish. A beautiful CDP. Opened it a few hours before and decanted very shortly before serving.
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Paired with steak at Yan's China Bistro. Lovely nose of kirsch, plum, black cherry, earth, and allspice, more of the same on the palate, mouth coating, delicious, supple, complex flavors, and a long, long finish.
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Deep purple color and aromatics that jump from the glass. Dense with a complex structure, primarily plums, creme de cassis and blackberries. Terrific mouth feel and a long finish. Drinking well now but I will be very interested to see this age for years ahead.
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Very impressive. Really dark dark fruit, some spice on the nose. Very full, plush and silky palate. Seemed a little flabby but this worked somehow.Love the texture. Medium finish. Didn't seem to have the structure to really age but it's great now.
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Really dark, and slightly chewy. Silky going down. Some spice. Drank at Peking Duck House, and the following day with pasta and red sauce. This was still running full speed on Day 2. This has a nice long life ahead of it. A very special wine for the $53 I paid. Wish I had more.
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mainly dark red with some purple fresh lively rich red fruits aroma, with hints of secondary wet earth and spices med-body, alcoholic, fruity flavours, ample tannins, balanced bitterness, good level of acidity, lacks some dimensions, less elegant than expectations, med-chewy, with enjoyable aftertaste
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After an hour decant, the dark fruit and light berries come forward in a medium body with old leather and spices and little or no hint of oak. This is a fine Châteauneuf-du-Pape that will benefit with a few more years in the bottle; I'm delighted to have a few left for future testimony.
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Produced from mostly old Grenache with some vines that are close to 100 years of age, the wine is packed with kirsch, black raspberry, earth, herb, jam and black pepper. Full bodied and loaded with sweet, ripe, juicy fruit, this delicious Chateauneuf du Pape can be enjoyed now, or over the next 15 years.
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Ripe, round, slippery and low acid. There's raspberry and blackberry fruits threaded with licorice. As it breathes some pleasant lavender and violet floral action comes to the fore. It is intense and seamless without a hair out of place and the length of flavour is admirable.
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Nose has hints of dark cherries, smoke, leather. Taste followed the nose, with nice structure from balanced tannins. Already good to drink, but likely to evolve for years.
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Nez sur le charbon, la réglisse noire, les bleuets. Une pointe d'alcool la bouche montre une puissance contenue par un élevage pas trop ostentatoire, qui donne quand même une certaine modernité Beaucoup de matière, tissé serré, forme assez veloutée, les arômes sont effacés, Finale très minérale, avec une touche chaleureuse mais pas trop marquée, j'appréhendais le pire vu le nez. Il a besoin de temps, difficile à juger mais la matière est prometteuse. D'ailleurs le lendemain, après avoir passé une nuit en carafe, le fond oublié était très bon, l'alcool très bien intégré.
Revoir dans au moins 5 ans. 90-92+ pts
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Sabon Prestige/Secret Vertical (Restaurant AOC): A very youthful nose with plenty of black currant, buttermilk and lemon with a little touch of vanilla. Also has a little dirt.. The palate is powerful black currant and a little disturbing bitterness in the middle->end. A very young wine with a wall of acidity which is just great to drink.
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Distinct aroma of cloves in this wine. Ripe cherry fruit and a hint of cinnamon bun. Earthy and herbal. In the mouth, excellent with a kind of candy cane spiceyness. Sur maturite elements. Drying finish, great persistence. This wine needs time
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10/18/2023 - OenophilistMN Likes this wine: 84 Points
Second disappointing bottle from a lot of four purchased on the secondary market. One-hour decant through a screened and aerating funnel. Slight sediment in screen. Wine emitted a moderate sour cherry aroma during decant. Wine was clear; deep crimson bowl lightening to rose on the rim but no amber. After resting, nose had a distinct cherry cola aroma superimposed with garrique and a little brett. In the mouth: deep fruit, slightly sour. Tannins all smoothed out and was a nice match with a prime rib. The finish, however, was rather bitter and off-putting. I am beginning to wonder if these wines were subjected to excessive heat or cold at sometime in their existence.
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9/3/2023 - CarpeDiem! Likes this wine: 92 Points
Perfect drinking window, avoiding over-maturity. Dense, yet fresh and complex, benefiting from the great vintage in the Rhône valley. Lush, mature cherry and raspberry, noble wood and garrigue in the nose. Medium bodied in the mouth, with mature fruit, cedar, earthy, ink, menthol, chocolate, pepper forming an enjoyable, complex drinking experience. Silky, still fresh finish. Enjoy now.
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12/21/2021 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
1998-2007 Roger Sabon Chateauneuf du Pape (blind tasting) (Virtual Tasting): Nose: 90; Palate: 91
My #5, Group's #6 (82 pts). Tasted blind.
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12/17/2021 - OenophilistMN Likes this wine: 86 Points
One-hour decant through a screened and aerating funnel. Black fruit aromas came forth during decant. Slight amount of sediment in the screen. After resting, wine was clear; dark purple in bowl and progressing lighter to a garnet rim surrounded by a moderate clear halo. Nose was atypical for a CdP and set off alarms for me (see below). Nose was very reminiscent of an older Zinfandel: boysenberry and blackberry followed by some cedar and spice. Likewise in the mouth: berry fruit and licorice flavors that seemed a little off-balance and not quite right. While the wine worked with the steak dinner, it was not very CdP-like and certainly not in line with some of the recent laudatory notes posted here on CT (which was why I chose this wine for our holiday get together). Long finish but it too seemed amiss; almost watered down. Hope this was just an off bottle and my others are better.
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10/5/2021 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 wrote: 94 Points
Dark purple color turning garnet at the rim with a reflective edge. The nose gives off deep aromas of violets amidst smoky dark fruits. The palate is medium-to-full-bodied with an almost velvety texture. There’s a bit of age on this wine, but there’s vivid blackberry, dark cherry, and plum that’s reflective of the vintage and tips the balance over the medium acidity leading to savory notes of anise, clove, and black pepper on the long finish. An excellent wine, no doubt, but is it a classic? I’m on the fence with this one. Never mind. Just enjoy it! Drink now until 2027.
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6/9/2021 - Grinner wrote: 94 Points
This bottle was great! PNP after a cellar dive at the end of dinner. A smidge of garnet at the rim, this bottle had more black fruit than I'm used to from old CdP. Black cherry, black plum, crème de cassis, then savories! Pepper, anise, iodine and wet underbrush lead the way. What. A. Hoot! still very nice on day two, room temp and un-gassed overnight.
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4/25/2021 - Verb Likes this wine: 91 Points
dark red - subdued nose of dark fruit, not much complexity - full rich mouth of red/black fruit - tannins predominate over fruit - 15-20 sec finish - a very good wine that is drinking nicely now, but not likely to improve much with additional time in the bottle
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4/3/2021 - Larre Likes this wine: 94 Points
Right on spot at the moment. Gorgeous fruit, oriental spices, herbs and funky secondary notes. Long, silky finish.
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1/17/2021 - CarpeDiem! Likes this wine: 90 Points
Don't cling on to your CdP forever! A good example of a wine that needs drinking now, as it is developing animal tones. Lots of garrigue, liquorice, spice, plum. Nice complexity and maturity but drink now.
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10/7/2020 - SMagowan Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank over a couple of weeks through a Coravin. Silky is the primary word that comes to mind and then balance. This was gorgeous.
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9/11/2020 - CHINACAT wrote: 90 Points
Dark fruits, a little dry, some pepper and wood, with a bit of a rough finish. Plenty of remaining structure here.
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6/14/2020 - Highlander wrote:
Very tasty. Tannins fully integrated. Plenty of tobacco, but mildly so. Fruit is there as well. Very much enjoyed this, as did everyone else.
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12/15/2019 - johnh1001 wrote: 91 Points
Beef, dark fruit, blood. Very traditional CdP with nice spice. A bit of an alcoholic finish
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3/2/2019 - Buick455 wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Drank over 2 days. Night in the fridge. Second day the best. Dark purple/black'ish color. Fruit is dark berries, plum, and black currant. Some liquirice. Medium to long finish. Very nice.
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2/25/2019 - moany rhoney wrote: 82 Points
odd medicine flavour. Just not a good CNDP.
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1/1/2019 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 96 Points
My second bottle of this wine and I love it. PnP and drank with pork roast. Beautiful CdP flavor profile with red and black fruit, earth, licorice, cassis and smoke. Everything integrated with beautiful balance. Yummy bottle. Drink or hold.
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11/3/2018 - PVJC Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 1 hr, really good, slight burnt notes
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6/15/2018 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very nice wine and drinking quite well at present.
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6/14/2018 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine: 91 Points
At West London Wine School's 2007 Rhone Superstar Tasting. Dark garnet. Sweaty leather nose. Strawberry kirsch, fennel seed, meat. 20-30 second finish. Good but not memorable. 91-92
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5/20/2018 - WineGuyX wrote: 90 Points
Typical 2007. Super ripe, pruney. Rich. Not for me, but ok. 90?
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5/10/2018 - CarpeDiem! Likes this wine: 91 Points
Chateauneuf 2007 - diffucult to get this wrong. Charming nose, with juicy, mature cherry and raspberry notes, delicate wood and garrigue. Medium bodied in the mouth, with mature fruit, cedar, earthy, ink, menthol, chocolate, pepper forming an enjoyable, complex drinking experience. Silky, still fresh finish. To be consumed now over the next 5 years.
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2/10/2018 - SINOPTICUS Likes this wine: 93 Points
Superbly structured wine, mix of fruits layered and a menthol edge. Fantastic — opened and decanted fir 2 hours.
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1/16/2018 - whybuyone Does not like this wine:
Drink it with some spicy food or bbq. On its own, it's flat and underwhelming. Disappointing.
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1/6/2018 - JimTaft Does not like this wine: 87 Points
Fruit, ample fruit, not much else going on. Pleasasnt acidity, no detectable tannins, indicate to me overripe fruit. Didnt check, but tastes like mainly grenache. This wine will go well with some foods but is relatively uninteresting and lacks structure.
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11/14/2017 - MJReb wrote: 86 Points
Pnp, some cherry, some flowers, lavender, but quite a lot of wood, high alcohol, not a big fan.
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10/16/2017 - Cooky474 wrote: 92 Points
Taken to Hawksmoor for the Monday £5 corkage offer.
Decanted for 90 minutes or so by the time we got to it. Clean appearance, still a deep purple colour with lavender and black fruits predominant on the nose. Silky-smooth in the mouth, and completely balanced given its 15% alcohol. Very good indeed.
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6/25/2017 - Acohen Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lots of layers with raspberry, kir and nice earthiness
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10/14/2016 - Larre Likes this wine: 94 Points
A very balanced and nice C9P indeed! Layers of dark fruit and provancial herbs intermixed with liquorice and black pepper tones. Very balanced and elegant. Yet another great wine from the extraordinary 2007 vintage in C9P!
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7/2/2016 - fotomill wrote: 89 Points
15% alcohol. Blend of Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Terret, Counoise, Vaccarèse, et Muscardin. Medium density garnet, not really dark nor light. The rim shows a little bit of age. Cork was of very good quality, smooth and clean, the nose of which showed a distinct hint of menthol but no trace of menthol on the palate. Medium body. Indeed pretty alcoholic. Nose and palate don’t really show much of its expressions. On the 2nd day it opened up more, showing berry characters, Everything well mixed together into a single taste, so there is no layers to appreciate. Due to its age the wine starts to decline in the glass. So decant it no longer than an hour. A little disappointing.
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2/20/2016 - SMagowan Likes this wine: 96 Points
2007 Chateauneuf – A “taste-off” among Domaine Giraud Tradition, Roger Sabon Cuvee Prestige and Le Vieux Donjon.
All of these wines are quite good and highly recommended. In this taste-off, the Vieux Donjon (92) came off as very good with a neat balance of spice and fruit. It coats the tongue and leaves it dry as it dissolves into the classic CdP tastes of licorice, tarragon, desert wind and black cherry.
The Giraud (94) is a “wow” wine with lots of pepper and cassis. It goes straight to the ears and top of the head and leaves you wanting more and wanting to talk with friends for hours on end.
Then there is the Sabon (96) – it is blood red with an overpowering aroma of fruit and spice. Each sips spreads intense warmth and good feeling throughout your body. It is an epically good CdP from an excellent vintage.
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12/6/2015 - PVJC Likes this wine: 93 Points
I'm a bit mixed on this wine. Overall, it was a very nice bottle of CdP: a serious wine, smooth & very balanced, full on the palate, good fruit, nice finish, etc. The 'but' is that the flavor profile had a bit of a funk (maybe the barnyard reference from other tasters) that took it off target from a CdP that I would have scored at 95+.
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11/26/2015 - Winevestor Likes this wine: 92 Points
Had the Bessards 1999 and compared to a CdP Sabon 2007. Interesting pairing. The CdP was big and very fruit oriented for a CdP. Great wine with immediate availability but did not change over the night. The CdP was the crowd favorite at the start. However over the course of the evening, the Bessards kept on changing and opening up and so by the end of the evening (when most of the wine was gone) it was drinking beautifully. This was even after an hour long double decant. So, the Bessards is doing beautifully, can certainly go for more years and should be given a lot of time.
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11/18/2015 - Skip4wine wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful shinning purple. Gave it an hour in the decanter and the aromatics were awesome. Big barnyard nose that over time gave way to a more black fruit dominated taste. Big, relatively complex, I loved this wine. I would recommend drinking over the first hour after decanting to keep the barnyard complexity on the palate. No need to wait but I'll give it another year because I think it will continue to get better.
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11/13/2015 - walkerjfw wrote: 94 Points
In our cellar, party for Lauren G. From a magnum, decanted this for about 2 hours, drank over another 2. Drank after an 05 Hourglass Cab.
Deep purple color. Dark fruits, earth, garrigue and floral notes on the nose. Black fruits, plums, cigar box, kirsch, violets, spices...gorgeous palate, velvety texture, medium/long finish...
Our crowd was split on this and the Cab - two very different wines with preferences more on style than quality of wine. Great wine for the Fall and harvest flavors, would pair well with any range of meats. Seems to be entering it's prime drinking zone, should hold this level for 5+ years.
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11/13/2015 - twfwinedude Likes this wine:
Smooth and complex, really nicely done.
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7/25/2015 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine: 97 Points
An absolutely stunning and brilliantly elegant wine, the 2007 Cuvée Prestige delivers a vivid array of dark rich Grenache fruit accompanied by an intriguing mix of flowers like violets and lilac. There is crushed black pepper, wet saddle leather and classical Asian spice box. Cigar leaves and cacao - I could go on for another page with these nouns... The palate does not make the taster disappointed. The fruit still speak up quite loudly and there are some silky back end tannins, but the balance is profound, as is the integration. With a minute or more length on the finish I am totally impressed by this wine. I easily see it ageing for another 5-10 years. Bravo!
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7/21/2015 - KPB Likes this wine: 93 Points
A wine striking for its satiny, voluptuous texture and gentle flavors (rare in this overripe vintage). Deep tawny-tinted purple. Candied plums, toffee, garrigue on the nose. Rich yet structured palate, mineral but not saline finish. Perfect for near term consumption!
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7/5/2015 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 94 Points
Delicious CdP. No formal notes but big fruit and earthy notes. Very balanced with integrated tannin. Give it about an hour after opening to come together and enjoy.
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6/22/2015 - twfwinedude Likes this wine:
Really good Chateauneuf. Smooth, complex, dark fruit, earth.
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4/16/2015 - Sotto325 wrote: 88 Points
Oddly different bottle than those reviewed below. Somewhat closed, showing little CDP briary fruit or lushness, and not expressing even after an hour in the glass. Could need time or possibly bottle variation. Did not taste corked.
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4/1/2015 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:
A nice, rich, example of Chateauneuf. The nose is filled with black raspberry, damson plum, kirsch, anise, garrigue, violet, and hints of graphite. The palate is rich, ripe, but nicely structured. The tannins are well integrated. This is drinking well right now. It is a touch hot and definitely in the bigger style of Chateauneuf, but still quite enjoyable. Purchased at a restaurant.
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2/14/2015 - snowman94114 wrote:
nice bottle. warm, soft, layered. plenty of time left. 92 pts
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12/25/2014 - twfwinedude Likes this wine:
Drinking beautifully now. A gorgeous, full-bodied Chateauneuf with terrific complexity. A wine to savor.
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6/14/2014 - Nothung Likes this wine:
Had it with a leg of lamb in a sauce of green olives, shallots, prunes and figs. Went perfectly. Medium to full bodied. Sweet fruit, great structure and a long finish. A beautiful CDP. Opened it a few hours before and decanted very shortly before serving.
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6/14/2014 - thhara wrote: 91 Points
Rustic, earthy flavours, still quite tight tannins. Slight bitterness hints that maybe there are not that many years left.
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6/6/2014 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 93 Points
Paired with steak at Yan's China Bistro. Lovely nose of kirsch, plum, black cherry, earth, and allspice, more of the same on the palate, mouth coating, delicious, supple, complex flavors, and a long, long finish.
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4/30/2014 - cyu wrote: 94 Points
Dark fruit. Super long finish. Easy to drink. Was going to keep for a while but wife wanted to drink it now.
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7/30/2013 - Skip4wine wrote: 94 Points
Deep purple color and aromatics that jump from the glass. Dense with a complex structure, primarily plums, creme de cassis and blackberries. Terrific mouth feel and a long finish. Drinking well now but I will be very interested to see this age for years ahead.
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4/10/2013 - Lord Rayas wrote: 90 Points
drank over 3 nights. tons of fruit and spice. went well with chinese.
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2/23/2013 - deanda Likes this wine: 93 Points
drinking wonderfully right now. decanted for 15 mins. bid and rounded. not fruit forward, but definitely not subtle a great CdP
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2/18/2013 - johnh1001 wrote: 93 Points
Very impressive. Really dark dark fruit, some spice on the nose. Very full, plush and silky palate. Seemed a little flabby but this worked somehow.Love the texture. Medium finish. Didn't seem to have the structure to really age but it's great now.
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1/25/2013 - dhammer53 wrote: 93 Points
Really dark, and slightly chewy. Silky going down. Some spice. Drank at Peking Duck House, and the following day with pasta and red sauce. This was still running full speed on Day 2. This has a nice long life ahead of it. A very special wine for the $53 I paid. Wish I had more.
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1/21/2013 - ljl203 wrote: 91 Points
Enjoyable. Slight red raisiny fruit, spice, soy. Seamless with a little heat. Not very long or complex.
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12/24/2012 - Grod Likes this wine:
Really nice drink....on the dot for an '07 CDP.
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10/28/2012 - Yagil wrote: 90 Points
mainly dark red with some purple
fresh lively rich red fruits aroma, with hints of secondary wet earth and spices
med-body, alcoholic, fruity flavours, ample tannins, balanced bitterness, good level of acidity, lacks some dimensions, less elegant than expectations, med-chewy, with enjoyable aftertaste
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9/20/2012 - CR lawrence wrote: 94 Points
After an hour decant, the dark fruit and light berries come forward in a medium body with old leather and spices and little or no hint of oak. This is a fine Châteauneuf-du-Pape that will benefit with a few more years in the bottle; I'm delighted to have a few left for future testimony.
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7/13/2012 - Mfeigin wrote: 92 Points
Got better as it opened up. Going to be great in a few years.
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5/9/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Produced from mostly old Grenache with some vines that are close to 100 years of age, the wine is packed with kirsch, black raspberry, earth, herb, jam and black pepper. Full bodied and loaded with sweet, ripe, juicy fruit, this delicious Chateauneuf du Pape can be enjoyed now, or over the next 15 years.
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3/18/2012 - Lord Rayas wrote: 91 Points
BBQ party for Aidan's SPCC friends & parents (Roof): deep nose of violet and cherries. young and fresh. perfect BBQ wine!
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3/18/2012 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Ripe, round, slippery and low acid. There's raspberry and blackberry fruits threaded with licorice. As it breathes some pleasant lavender and violet floral action comes to the fore. It is intense and seamless without a hair out of place and the length of flavour is admirable.
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7/8/2011 - AtoZ wrote: 90 Points
Hot hot hot. Got tasty but the heat is too much.
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5/6/2011 - Lord Rayas wrote: 90 Points
still primary but good potential. must decant.
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2/13/2011 - thhara wrote: 93 Points
Nose has hints of dark cherries, smoke, leather. Taste followed the nose, with nice structure from balanced tannins. Already good to drink, but likely to evolve for years.
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5/19/2010 - d'Artagnan wrote: 91 Points
Nez sur le charbon, la réglisse noire, les bleuets. Une pointe d'alcool
la bouche montre une puissance contenue par un élevage pas trop ostentatoire, qui donne quand même une certaine modernité
Beaucoup de matière, tissé serré, forme assez veloutée, les arômes sont effacés, Finale très minérale, avec une
touche chaleureuse mais pas trop marquée, j'appréhendais le pire vu le nez.
Il a besoin de temps, difficile à juger mais la matière est prometteuse. D'ailleurs le lendemain, après avoir passé une nuit en carafe, le fond oublié était très bon, l'alcool très bien intégré.
Revoir dans au moins 5 ans. 90-92+ pts
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4/9/2010 - canan wrote: 92 Points
Sabon Prestige/Secret Vertical (Restaurant AOC): A very youthful nose with plenty of black currant, buttermilk and lemon with a little touch of vanilla. Also has a little dirt..
The palate is powerful black currant and a little disturbing bitterness in the middle->end. A very young wine with a wall of acidity which is just great to drink.
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4/5/2010 - Lord Rayas wrote: 84 Points
nose a bit closed. not giving a lot. good concentration but need to give it a few years.
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3/20/2010 - astroman wrote:
Very dark ripe fruits with some alcohol bit palate is overly alcoholic and kind of disjoint and alcoholic. . A ptiy otherwise quite a good wine.
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11/12/2009 - Marc wrote: 91 Points
Distinct aroma of cloves in this wine. Ripe cherry fruit and a hint of cinnamon bun. Earthy and herbal. In the mouth, excellent with a kind of candy cane spiceyness. Sur maturite elements. Drying finish, great persistence. This wine needs time
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2/8/2009 - Philippe_C wrote: 93 Points
Nose of ripe cherries, a hint of smoke... very concentrated in the mounth, very fuity and good acidity
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