Product Description
‘CRÈME DE LA CRÈME’ CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE
AT A RIDICULOUS PRICE!
"We’ve got a screaming deal on this Domaine Roger Sabon Châteauneuf du Pape cuvee. Jeb Dunnuck calls this the ‘crème de la crème’ of the 2012 vintage, and we could not agree more. Plus, we are offering this wine at more than HALF OFF the release price (the lowest price in the country)! Already drinking well and can age for many more years. Don’t wait too long or this wine will be gone!" -Jim Knight, Wine House (3/10/17)
FROM THE IMPORTER
Location: Rhône, France
Appellations: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Lirac, Côtes-du-Rhone
Owners: Denis & Gilbert Sabon
Winemaker: Didier Négron
Vines: 40-75 years old
Viticulture: Sustainable
Varietals: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Carignan, Terret Noir, Counoise, Vaccarese, Muscardin, Roussanne, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc
Viniculture: Hand harvested, destemmed, fermented in tank, regular déléstage, aging in tank, foudre or demi-muid
The Sabon family is an ancient and well-regarded name in Châteauneuf-du-Pape first mentioned in documents dating to 1540. Perhaps not as venerable as the Ameniers of Domaine de Marcoux and Domaine Giraud, but still eminently respectable. A more recent patriarch of the family, Seraphin Sabon first bottled wine in the appellation under the family’s name in 1921. He also fathered three very enterprising sons, all of whom established their own domaines: Joseph Sabon at Clos du Mont Olivet, Noel Sabon at Chante Cigale and Roger Sabon. The Sabons are like the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young of the village.
Domaine Roger Sabon was founded in 1952 and is currently run by Roger’s sons Denis and Gilbert. A third son, Jean-Jacques is deceased but his son-in-law Didier Negron is the current winemaker. Denis and his son Julien oversee the farming while Gilbert and his niece, Delphine run the office. It is quite the family affair!
The size of the domaine has grown slowly over the years with 18 hectares in Chateauneuf 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 concentration 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.
Since 2001 Didier Negron has made the wines at Domaine Roger Sabon, but recently he’s begun to move away from demi-muids and barriques in favor of aging his family’s wines in concrete and large French oak foudres. While the terroir of Roger Sabon, with its high concentration of sand and limestone, has always been inclined to a more ethereal and delicate style of Châteauneuf, Didier’s changes in the cellar have amplified these qualities – the wines have never been more engaging and lovely.
