Château Mont-Redon: a Châteauneuf-du-Pape classic since 1923
Château Mont-Redon is one of the names that people who drink Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine tend to know by heart. The site has grown vines since Antiquity (the Romans called the hill Montem Rotundum, and in 1344 it belonged to the papal estate), but the modern story starts in 1923. That year Henri Plantin bought a property isolated from the village and surrounded by woods. It was thirteen years before the appellation itself was created in 1936.
Today the estate covers roughly 100 hectares in one continuous block in the northwest of the appellation, and it is run by the fourth generation of the family, the Abeille-Fabre heirs. The family also farms in other Southern Rhône wine appellations such as Lirac, Gigondas, Vacqueyras and Cairanne, but the Châteauneuf is the flagship.
Three terroirs behind Mont-Redon Châteauneuf-du-Pape
What makes Mont-Redon interesting is that one estate holds three of the appellation's classic soils. There is the plateau of large rolled pebbles, the famous galets that soak up heat by day. There is Urgonian limestone, showing as angular white rocks. And there are safres, the compact sandy soils that tend to give finesse. Only the best of these parcels go into the Châteauneuf blend, which is how the estate keeps its style consistent from year to year. The Mistral blows through most of the year and keeps the vineyards healthy.
Mont-Redon Rouge and Blanc: Grenache, Syrah and white Rhône grapes
The Rouge is built mainly on Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, with Cinsault, Counoise, Muscardin and Vaccarèse adding detail. Grapes are picked by hand, sorted in the vineyard and again on optical sorting tables, fully destemmed and given fifteen to twenty days of punching down. The wine then matures about half in barrel and half in vat, with bottling around 18 months after harvest. Expect black fruit and a subtle roasted edge.
The Blanc is a very different animal: Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Roussanne, Picpoul and Bourboulenc, whole-bunch pressed, fermented cool at 14 to 16°C and kept on fine lees in vat for four to eight months. Malolactic fermentation is blocked to hold on to freshness, so young bottles show floral and citrus notes with a pure, mineral feel.
Frequently asked questions about Château Mont-Redon
When should I drink Château Mont-Redon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2020?
The estate says its red can be opened from the second year after bottling, reaches its first peak between the fifth and eighth year, and can age much longer in a good cellar. A 2020 is now entering that first window, so it is a fine bottle to open today or to keep a few more years.
What food goes with Mont-Redon red and white?
The Rouge suits red meat in sauce, game and cow's milk cheeses. The Blanc is lovely with oysters, foie gras, scrambled eggs with black truffle or a scallop and parmesan risotto.
How long does Mont-Redon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc keep?
It is delicious young, but the estate gives it a cellaring potential of 15 years or more. With age it picks up acacia notes, an oily richness and a very smooth texture.
Does Mont-Redon make Côtes du Rhône and Lirac too?
Yes. Alongside Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the Abeille-Fabre family makes wines from Lirac, Côtes du Rhône and several other Southern Rhône appellations.