An absolutely profound offering, the 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Prestige requires 5-6 years of cellaring given its massive concentration and tannic structure. The wine was relatively closed the day I tasted it, but it did display an inky/purple color along with hints of camphor, graphite, creme de cassis, kirsch, licorice and espresso beans. Full-bodied and moderately tannic with gorgeous freshness, glycerin and a skyscraper-like texture, this superb cuvee should be at its finest between 2018-2030+. 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

Once again the Sabons have hit a home run with their 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Prestige. Opaque purple-hued with a full-bodied mouthfeel, massive concentration, abundant tannin and good acidity, it will not be as drinkable early on as the 2009 Prestige. The 2010 possesses some of the structural characteristics of the 2005, and thus requires 5-6 years of patience. It should keep for an atypically long time for a Chateauneuf du Pape - 25-30 years. It is a brilliant, majestic, massive Chateauneuf du Pape from the Sabons. (Not yet released)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