Description

A bright ruby colour. The nose shows smokey notes along with leather and garrigue. The palate is built around ripe tannins with very ripe black cherry.

The Sabon family is an ancient and well-regarded name in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, first mentioned in documents dating to 1540. Eminently respectable and continually garnering new fans. A visit to the Domaine in January 2025 cemented this position.

Since 2001 Didier Negron has made the wines at Domaine Roger Sabon, but recently began to move away from demi-muids and barriques in favour of ageing 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 in a more delicate style of Châteauneuf, Didier's changes in the cellar have amplified these qualities and the wines have never been more engaging and lovely.

Made from the youngest vines on the property with an average age of 50 years, Les Olivets is the largest production Châteauneuf-du-Pape at Domaine Roger Sabon. This Grenache dominant cuvée also includes about 10% each of Syrah and Cinsault and it is aged entirely in foudres and concrete tanks.

90-92 points: Jeb Dunnuck (October 2024)