menu
Member Sign In
  • IWFS Homepage
  • Blog Home
  • Forums Home
  • Global Forum
  • Contact Us
Close
  • IWFS Homepage
  • Blog Home
  • Forums Home
  • Global Forum
  • Contact Us
    Member Sign In
  • Blog Home
  • Forum Home
  • Global Forum
FOLOW US

Recent Posts

  • Ask Sid: What are smudge pots?
  • CHATEAU PAPE CLEMENT VINTAGES BY BERNARD MAGREZ SHOW MUCH IMPROVED PESSAC-LEOGNAN QUALITY
  • Ask Sid: Which wine did golfer Rory McIlroy drink to celebrate his 2025 Masters win?
  • SEVEN SAN FRANCISCO RESTAURANTS WORTH TRYING
  • Ask Sid: Which classified Bordeaux chateau includes a Jura grape variety in their white wine?

Archives

  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

A BRILLIANT CROZES-HERMITAGE: 1978 THALABERT BY JABOULET!

February 15th, 2021 by Joseph Temple

Northern Rhone wines have become a hot commodity. Hermitage & Cote Rotie now are expensive collector items with Cornas & Saint Joseph also increasingly in high demand. However back in the seventies and eighties there was another cult wine from Crozes-Hermitage. A special red named Thalabert from Jaboulet domaine was the shining star of this appellation. Today the Crozes wines have lost some lustre compared to their elite neighbours and have become quite variable in quality. The vineyards have quite different soils and range from flat land to hillsides. Most producers have not been able to achieve the desired ripeness of Syrah in Crozes that one finds on the granite hill of Hermitage. During this century of climate change plus younger inspired winemakers Crozes should be on your watch list of good value red wine. During this continuing pandemic your scribe has enjoyed drinking up some choice remaining single oldest bottles that had been retained for possible future vertical tastings. Among these have been some ancient vintages of their star Crozes-Hermitage Thalabert (called Domaine de Thalabert since 1980) of old vines from Paul Jaboulet Aine. They also produced Crozes Les Jalets from the younger vines of Thalabert with blending material from other producers. So impressed still with the 30 year old 1990 (18 months in cask) that Jancis Robinson scored 18/20 in May 2015 stating “Was any better Crozes ever made? Possibly the 1978 Thalabert.” Your scribe agrees on the 1978 being outstanding as did the late Gerard Jaboulet who called that 1978 Thalabert his “best one ever made”. Even today it sings vibrantly with a bouquet that needs time to open up but explodes with true smoky, peppery, black olives, animal gamey notes with smooth intense textures before drying out on the finish. So much black thick sediment deposit now thrown shows just how much original body mass fruit extraction with strong tannins that this wine started out with in a bottle. Especially a delightful treat matched to a roasted lamb shank with ratatouille Provencal stewed vegetables sauce. Remarkable indeed! Doesn’t have the big bold rich concentrated blackberry fruit of the legendary 1978 Hermitage La Chapelle which is an amazing treasure but nonetheless this 1978 Thalabert is memorable in its own way too. Also drank up recently my last quite light mature 1976 and harder more earthy roasted peppers fruit but rather good though 1983 vintage. Gerard had advised me not to open 1983 before 2001. This latter Thalabert 1983 paired so well with a vegetable pasta dish featuring grilled cauliflower with a spicy pesto sauce.

Checking my records it is informative to check out original purchase prices. 1976 Thalabert purchased March 1978 $6.65/bottle; 1978 Thalabert January 1982 for $12 (also bought 1978 La Chapelle at same time for double the price $24); 1983 Thalabert March 1986 for $19.05 (La Chapelle $35.25); 1990 La Chapelle acquired December 1993 at $65.65/bottle.

Fun and nostalgic to look back at some of these crazy purchase prices. Great value if you can make smart decisions on what turn out to be bargain priced bottles on purchase compared with when you later consume them. That is what the present wine consumer is searching for. Look to find fair priced wine from anywhere that you can enjoy rather currently but will improve further complexity with cellaring. Good luck.


You might also like:
February 15th, 2021 by Joseph Temple
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Leave a Reply

Click here to cancel reply.

You must be logged in to post a comment.

The object of the Society is to bring together and serve all who believe that a right understanding of good food and wine is an essential part of personal contentment and health and that an intelligent approach to the pleasures and problems of the table offers far greater rewards than the mere satisfaction of appetite.
Andre Simon Wine & Food Society Founder (1933)
© 2025 The International Wine & Food Society (IW&FS) IW&FS
Credits | Privacy | Accessibility