Roger Sabon 2020 Reserve Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rhone France

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93 Points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

Les Olivets represents a classically provençale style of Châteauneuf, redolent with dried herbs and bright red fruit, while Prestige is dense, structured, and darkly fruited. Between these two styles is Didier’s Reserve, a blend of Grenache with Syrah, Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Cinsault from vines between 60 and 75 years old. It is sourced from the lieux dits of Montolivet (red clay and galets) and Les Bosquets (sand), which combines the power and structure of the former with a freshness and aromatic complexity of the latter.

Domaine Roger Sabon was founded in 1952 and is currently run by Roger’s sons Denis and Gilbert. The size of the domaine has grown slowly over the years with 18 hectares in Châteauneuf du Pape, 8 hectares in Lirac and 8 hectares in Côtes-du-Rhône. Most of their holdings in Châteauneuf-du-Pape are located in the northeastern part of the appellation, where the soils are sandier with a high con[1]centration of limestone. They also own a few parcels in Le Crau famous for its red clay under a deep layer of galets deposited from the alps eons ago. These two soil types combine to make wines that are equally rich and nuanced.

While Grenache is the mainstay at the Domaine, they also grow Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Terret Noire, Counoise, Vaccarèse Muscardin, Roussanne, Clairette, Bourboulenc and Grenach Blanc. They own some fairly old Syrah, about 60 years old, located on limestone soils which is an important component in the Prestige bottling. Their oldest vines, topping 100 years old, are located in two plots near Courthézon and are the Secret des Sabon source. While details are sketchy, and the Sabons are shy about divulging any information about this cuvée, it is safe to assume that these vines are primarily Grenache. There is a single demi-muid in the shadows in the cellar, which is presumably the Secret des Sabon, but once again, polite inquiries are met with a Gallic shrug.