"A brilliant, majestic, massive Chateauneuf du Pape"
2010 Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Prestige
For the Moment, Still an Extraordinary Value
"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." -Robert Parker
If you love Chateauneuf-du-Pape, the recent years have been good times indeed. The great vintages have been piling up at an alarming rate.
For the long-time Chateauneuf fan, the only issue is that prices have begun to float northward. Wines that clocked in at the mid-double digits only five years ago, often now flirt with, or even cross, the triple digit mark.
Today, we offer a Chateauneuf that's eluded this frustrating pricing trend, the 2010 Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Prestige.
This is a triumph of both quality and value and for anyone looking for a top example of Chateauneuf, to say nothing of the thrill of the 2010 vintage, this is a steal.
Parker's explanation for the pricing phenomenon here is simple: "Sabon’s wines have not yet been discovered by the masses, so prices are surprisingly reasonable."
This will change because the Sabons, andthe Cuvée Prestige specifically, have had a string of extraordinary vintages:2007, 2009 and now 2010.
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The 2010 Prestige is the obvious heir apparent here and when the final story is written, it very well be the 2010 that is king: The key is the energy, the acidity... the verve. In 2010, you have power and concentration married to elegance, ripeness allied with brightness and agility.
Sabon's 2010 Prestige is an extraordinary success; it was able to harness the vintage and channel it into the domaine's signature style: Prestige offers a palate-saturating melange of Provençal herbs, cassis and smoke all wrapped around a firm and vibrant structure.
By just about any measure, the 2010 Cuvée Prestige seems poised to be a modern-day classic.
The Sabons are one of the grand families of the Southern Rhône - father Seraphin Sabon was already domaine-bottling his wines in the 1920s! Roger Sabon founded his eponymous domaine in the 1950s and while the stable has always been very strong, the past few vintages have seen Sabon's star on the rise, fast becoming a "need-to-know" producer.
It seems like only a matter of time before Sabon's under-the-radar status, and gentle pricing, ends. For now, this is one of the great values of the vintage.
Stocking up is suggested - please give us your maximum order and we'll do our best. The potential here is big; Parker clocks its life span at three decades though it's a thrill to drink now.
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director of Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits