Roger Sabon, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Le Secret des Sabon 2007

One of the sexiest, most decadent and unctuous wines in the vintage, the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape le Secret de Sabon (95% Grenache and the rest a mix of permitted varieties) boasts a youthful ruby/purple-tinged color as well as a heavenly array of black raspberries, crushed flowers, spice and incense. Despite all its size and richness, it still glides across the palate with a weightless, elegant style, and this total hedonistic turn-on is ideal for drinking anytime over the coming 15+ years.

The opaque plum/purple 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Le Secret des Sabon is off the charts. There are only 2,000 bottles of this limited cuvee, from a parcel of 100+ year old vines in the famed La Crau sector. Enormously powerful notes of grilled herbs, roasted meats, creme de cassis, blackberries, charcoal, and truffles emerge from this massive, super-concentrated 2007. A tour de force in winemaking, this is old vine intensity at its greatest and purest. Give it 5-6 years of bottle age, and drink it over the following three decades.

Saturated ruby. A kaleidoscopic bouquet of raspberry, creme de cassis, potpourri, pungent herbs and incense. Smoky minerals add energy to deep, sweet red and dark berry flavors, complicated by candied lavender, rose and a suave anise note. The finish refuses to let go of the palate, where the sweet berry and floral notes echo. Boasts amazing freshness, depth and clarity.