La revue de presse

Domaine Roger SABON

Jean-Jacques Sabon and his family run this renowned estate which is consistently one of the reference points of Chateauneuf du Pape. What is probably confusing for consumers is that there are four different Chateauneuf du Papes, but the first three are available in good commercial quantities, with only the Le Secret des Sabon a limited cuvee of under 200 cases.
P.S. By the way, Jean-Jacques Sabon changed the upbringing of Le Secret des Sabon from some of the cuvee being aged in small oak barrels to 100% of it now aged in 600-liter demi-muids.

2004 Domaine Roger Sabon Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Prestige
Rating: 91 points
Producer: Domaine Roger Sabon
From: Chateauneuf du Pape, Southern Rhone, Rhone, France
Variety: Proprietary Blend (a dry red table wine)
Drink: 2007-2022
Estimated Cost: $60.00 Source: Wine Advocate #169 (Feb 2007)
 The outstanding 2004 Cuvee Prestige, as always, has gamey, kirsch liqueur notes, a dark plum/garnet color, full body, loads of flavor, and plenty of spice, herbs, new saddle leather, and meaty notes. It is rich, heady, and best drunk in its first 10-15 years of life.

2005 Domaine Roger Sabon Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Prestige
Rating: (90-93) points
Producer: Domaine Roger Sabon
From: Chateauneuf du Pape, Southern Rhone, Rhone, France
Variety: Proprietary Blend (a dry red table wine)
Estimated Cost: $60.00 Source: Wine Advocate #169 (Feb 2007)
 The top-of-the-line 2005 Cuvee Prestige clearly has more fruit to it, but it doesn’t have the edge over its siblings, leading me to suspect that the wine will reveal additional character with further evolution. Full-bodied with a dense plum/garnet color, it has notes of figs, black cherries, earth, herbes de Provence, and charcoal as well as saddle leather. The wine is savory, expansive, with moderate tannin and good acidity.

2004 Domaine Roger Sabon Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reserve
Rating: 89 points
Producer: Domaine Roger Sabon
From: Chateauneuf du Pape, Southern Rhone, Rhone, France
Variety: Proprietary Blend (a dry red table wine)
Drink: 2007-2015
Estimated Cost: $40.00 Source: Wine Advocate #169 (Feb 2007)
 Moving up in quality and somewhat in price, the 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reserve reveals more concentrationthan the Olivets. It is medium to full-bodied and has a big, sweet kiss of kirsch liqueur intermixed with dried herbs, black currants, and loamy and resiny soil notes. The classic roasted Provencal herb note is also present in this expansive, savory wine, which should be drunk over the next 7-8 years.

2005 Domaine Roger Sabon Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reserve
Rating: (90-92) points
Producer: Domaine Roger Sabon
From: Chateauneuf du Pape, Southern Rhone, Rhone, France
Variety: Proprietary Blend (a dry red table wine)
Estimated Cost: $40.00 Source: Wine Advocate #169 (Feb 2007)
 The deep ruby/purple-colored 2005 Cuvee Reserve is full-bodied, with a classic sweet nose of kirsch liqueur intermixed with roasted herbs, licorice, and meaty notes. It is dense, powerful, with moderate tannin and decent acidity, giving the wine excellent definition and vigor.

2004 Domaine Roger Sabon Chateauneuf du Pape le Secret des Sabon
Rating: 95 points
Producer: Domaine Roger Sabon
From: Chateauneuf du Pape, Southern Rhone, Rhone, France
Variety: Proprietary Blend (a dry red table wine)
Drink: 2007-2027
Estimated Cost: $250.00 Source: Wine Advocate #169 (Feb 2007)
 One of the vintage’s strongest wines is undeniably the 2004 Le Secret des Sabon. It is full-bodied, powerful, with hints of Amarone intermixed with saddle leather, roasted meats, incense, and chocolate. In addition, plenty of pepper, black currant, and sweet, ripe cherry notes intertwined with nuances of Provencal herbs are found in the wine’s fabulous texture. Plenty of structure and length are also present in one of the few wines of this vintage that will evolve for 15-20 more years.

2005 Domaine Roger Sabon Chateauneuf du Pape le Secret des Sabon
Rating: (94-96) points
Producer: Domaine Roger Sabon
From: Chateauneuf du Pape, Southern Rhone, Rhone, France
Variety: Proprietary Blend (a dry red table wine)
Drink: 2012-2032
Estimated Cost: $250.00 Source: Wine Advocate #169 (Feb 2007)
The 2005 Le Secret des Sabon, which comes from ancient old-vine parcels well over 100 years old (mostly on La Crau, but also from the sector known as Nalys), was somewhat of an experiment in the mid-1970s and first commercialized in 1998. The wine has now become much in demand with a huge following. This is Chateauneuf du Pape in its most primitive, structured, intense style with notes of earth and meat juices intermixed with blackberry, creme de cassis, truffle, burning barbecue fires, and roasted herbs. This dense, powerful wine has awesome presence in the mouth, huge structure, relatively high tannins, and good acidity. Give it 5-7 years of bottle age, and drink it over the following two decades.

2004 Domaine Roger Sabon Chateauneuf du Pape les Olivets
Rating: 86 points
Producer: Domaine Roger Sabon
From: Chateauneuf du Pape, Southern Rhone, Rhone, France
Variety: Proprietary Blend (a dry red table wine)
Drink: 2007-2014
Estimated Cost: $37.00 Source: Wine Advocate #169 (Feb 2007)
The basic entry-level Chateauneuf du Pape is called Les Olivets. The 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Olivets is medium-bodied, pleasant, and shows plenty of pepper, herbs, and sweet and sour cherries in a soft, ripe style meant for drinking over the next 5-7 years.

2005 Domaine Roger Sabon Chateauneuf du Pape les Olivets
Rating: (88-90) points
Producer: Domaine Roger Sabon
From: Chateauneuf du Pape, Southern Rhone, Rhone, France
Variety: Proprietary Blend (a dry red table wine)
Drink: 2007-2015
Estimated Cost: $37.00 Source: Wine Advocate #169 (Feb 2007)
The basic entry-level Chateauneuf du Pape is called Les Olivets. The 2005 Les Olivets is the lushest of the group, and seems to be the Chateauneuf that will drink best at an early age. Deep plum/ruby with hints of underbrush, lush cherry, licorice, and some spice and resiny notes, it is round, full-bodied, and seductive already. It should drink well for 7-8 years.

2005 Domaine Roger Sabon Cotes du Rhone
Rating: 86 points
Producer: Domaine Roger Sabon
From: Cotes du Rhone, Southern Rhone, Rhone, France
Variety: Proprietary Blend (a dry red table wine)
Estimated Cost: $15.00 Source: Wine Advocate #169 (Feb 2007)
The Sabons make a tasty Cotes du Rhone, and the 2005 Cotes du Rhone offers lovely cherry and peppery notes with some spice and earth in a medium-bodied, straightforward style.