Chateauneuf du Pape Le Secret des Sabon 2021 (Roger Sabon)

Drink now or cellar for up to 20 years. Decant 2 hours before serving. First mentioned in official documents in the region in 1540, the Sabon family have a noble and historic legacy in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Seraphin Sabon was the first to bottle wines under the family name in 1921, as well as fathering three sons who each later founded their own domaine here. One of them was Roger Sabon whose estate is now run aby numerous family members including his two sons, his son-in-law, and his niece. The family have 18 hectares in northeastern Chateauneuf-du-Pape where the excellent sandy and limestone soils are perfect for premium winemaking. The terroir here tends to produce a more elegant and delicate style of Chateauneuf-du-Pape which has become Roger Sabon’s signature style. Le Secret des Sabon is one of their flagship wines, a magnificent cuvee made from 100-year old vines and aged in large oak foudres. The family is notoriously reticent about exactly how their "secret" wine is made, but the result is so impressive that it doesn’t really matter. On the nose there are enchanting notes of sour cherries, crushed dark berries and plums along with hints of sunbaked earth, polished leather, and undergrowth. The handsome flavour profile and firm tannins will help this wine age beautifully in the cellar, or it can be enjoyed now with hearty red meat dishes.