Roger Sabon, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Le Secret des Sabon 2011

Starting with the 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape Le Secret du Sabon, it shows the sunny character of the vintage with its perfumed kirsch and red fruits, herbes de Provence, licorice and ground spices. A big wine, it possesses full-bodied richness, fine tannin and a seamless, elegant style that will allow it to evolve gracefully for 15 years or more.

A Chateauneuf du Pape Le Secret des Sabon 2011 was produced, and it is a candidate for the wine of the vintage. This superb effort displays a dense ruby/purple color along with notes of charcoal, camphor, black truffles, roasted meats, creme de cassis and blackberries. Brutally young and unevolved, which is atypical for a 2011, but super-rich and full, it should last an uncommonly long time for a wine from this vintage – possibly 15-20 years.

This has long been one of my favorite estates in the southern Rhone. Like many of the old families of Chateauneuf du Pape, the Sabons have been estate bottling since 1921. They own nearly 44 acres of vines divided among 15 different parcels, with some of their most significant holdings in the famed La Crau sector of the appellation. The style here is a brilliant combination of the best traditional techniques married to a handful of modern nuances.

As I wrote last year, the 2009s were super at Domaine Roger Sabon. Even better, the 2010s may be the greatest vintage ever produced, including the 2007 and 2005. The 2011 vintage appears to be very strong as well. There are four Chateauneuf du Pape cuvees, including the limited production 150 cases), luxurious, over-the-top Le Secret des Sabon, which comes from nearly 110-year-old vines, and is a field blend of largely Grenache and many other authorized grapes.