The 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reserve reveals a boatload of roasted Provencal herbs intermixed with lavender, licorice, cassis, kirsch, cedar, underbrush and pepper. In addition to great fruit, it possesses fabulous concentration, a full-bodied mouthfeel and a sensational, 40-second finish. It should drink well for 12-15+ 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. I witnessed and was profoundly touched by the following story and decided to share it with readers. One of the Sabon brothers, Jean-Jacques, died last year after a heroic fight with cancer. I knew Jean-Jacques well as he was one of the first vignerons to embrace me, and help educate me about the different terroirs, styles of wine, and the history of Chateauneuf du Pape. I remember taking a dear friend to visit the Domaine Roger Sabon in 2002. My friend wanted to visit Roger Sabon because he had just lost his beautiful wife after a long battle with brain cancer. As we were tasting in the cellars, my friend wanted to taste Le Secret des Sabon, a wine his wife thought might be some sort of miracle cure for her terminal disease. Not surprisingly, when Jean-Jacques took his pipette and poured a sample for my friend, he broke down. As Jean-Jacques and I walked to a distant corner of the cave to give him some privacy, Jean-Jacques said that never in his life had he seen a person moved so much by a wine he and his family had made. He said it gave him goose pimples, and he himself nearly lost it emotionally, as did I. It was a rare and revealing look at an extraordinary man. Jean-Jacques Sabon will be forever missed as he did so much for this appellation. 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. Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC: tel. (704) 358-1565

Even deeper-colored with more purple hues, the 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve is composed of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Cinsault from nearly 70-year-old vines. This brilliant effort is one of the finest Reserves the Sabons have yet made. Dense and complex, it offers up notes of incense, charcoal, roasted herbs, meat juices, bouquet garni and lots of black currant and black cherry fruit. This full-bodied, voluptuously textured, multidimensional, superb Chateauneuf du Pape is accessible now and should age well for 10-15 years. This estate has been at the top of its game for many years and any partisan of Rhone Valley wines (especially the southern Rhone) who has not yet tried a wine from Domaine Roger Sabon should make every effort to do so. They produce four separate Chateauneuf du Pape cuvees and have hit home runs in both 2009 and 2010, the finest back-to-back vintages I have ever tasted from this 42-acre estate run by the large Sabon family, in this case, Jean-Jacques, Julien, Gilbert and Denis. They own 15 parcels spread throughout the appellation, most of them concentrated in the western and eastern sectors north of the village. The brilliant 2009s are among the finest of the vintage. Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC: tel. (704) 358-1565

A sleeper selection, the 2008 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reserve (70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Cinsault from 65+ year old vines) reveals a ruby/plum color as well as notes of roasted meat juices intermixed with black cherries, black currants, licorice and garrigue. Medium to full-bodied and atypically rich and powerful with an upfront precociousness, it is ideal for drinking over the next 7-8 years. Bravo! Domaine Roger Sabon has long been a reference point for classic Chateauneuf du Pape, and they have added a slight twist to their traditionally made cuvees with the Secret des Sabon, made from an ancient field blend (although over 90% is clearly Grenache), and aged in small barrels and demi-muids. A little new oak is used with the Cuvee Prestige, but these are primarily classic, old style Chateauneuf du Papes. There are many members of the Sabon family in this appellation and all of them have the Midas touch when it comes to making wine. Established in 1921, this estate has over 42 acres scattered among 15 separate parcels in Chateauneuf du Pape. As I reported last year, their 2008s are among the strongest wines of the vintage. Jean-Jacques Sabon and his son-in-law, Didier Negron (the oenologist here since 2001), hit pay dirt in 2009, a vintage that is not far off the pace of their spectacular 2007s. Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC: tel. (704) 358-1565

Revealing a deeper, more saturated ruby/purple color, the full-bodied 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reserve exhibits plenty of glycerin, a multilayered texture, and a sensational combination of rich black currant and kirsch fruit intermixed with licorice, roasted herb, and forest floor notes. A blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Cinsault aged in both foudre and old demi-muids, it should drink well for 12-15+ years. While this is one of Chateauneuf du Pape’s finest estates, it is not nearly as big as one might suspect given the market penetration they have enjoyed throughout the world. From their 42 acres of vines scattered among 15 separate Chateauneuf du Pape parcels, Roger Sabon produces four cuvees of red wine as well as a small quantity of white wines. Three of the red wines are based on old vine Grenache, and the limited production Le Secret des Sabon comes from a 100+- year-old parcel of primarily Grenache and other field varietals that are cropped at incredibly tiny yields of less than one-half ton of fruit per acre. The property is currently managed by Jean-Jacques Sabon with his son-in-law, Didier Negron, who has been the oenologist since 2001. The history of this estate is intriguing as the first estate bottled wine was made in 1921, when the property was run by Seraphin Sabon, who had three sons, Joseph (the founder of Clos du Mont-Olivet), Noel (who started the Domaine Chante Cigale), and Roger (who created this estate in 1952). All of the following offerings are traditionally made wines, based largely on Grenache, that spend 12-15 months in foudres. Occasionally, a small percentage is aged in small, 3- to 4-year-old oak barrels. The only exceptions are the Cuvee Prestige, which is aged mostly in foudres and small new oak (25-30%), and the Secret des Sabon, which is aged in one-year-old demi-muids. 2007 may be the strongest vintage across the board that I have ever tasted at Roger Sabon. Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC: tel. (704) 358-1565

The 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reserve exhibits beautiful sweet black cherry fruit, a full-bodied, powerful mouthfeel, and a layered texture. Consume it over the next 12-15 years. Proprietor Jean-Jacques Sabon and the other younger family members are taking these wines to even greater quality heights than previously attained. The new vintages possess updated, more polished labels, but more importantly, the wines continue to go from what were very strong efforts in the past, to even deeper concentration, complexity, and depth. All four cuvees are now routinely outstanding, with the top two offerings, the Cuvee Prestige and the limited production Le Secret des Sabon, compelling Chateauneufs. As with many estates, the 2007s exhibit the vintage’s succulent, juicy, incredibly pure fruit and tremendous freshness and vivacity, all packed into substantial, full-bodied wines with surprisingly high alcohols given their vibrancy. One might expect such greatness in 2007 in Chateauneuf du Pape, but the Sabons have also hit the heights in the excellent 2006 vintage. Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC: tel. (704) 358-1565