2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Isabelle and Christophe Sabon reliably produce some of the most powerful, expressive Châteauneuf-du-Papes in any given vintage. The 2018s and 2017s are not going to let their fans down. The domaine was established by Hélène and Aimé Sabon in 1973 and initially comprised 15 hectares of vines. It has grown to over 90 hectares today, spread across Châteauneuf-du-Pape as well as Côtes-du-Rhône and IGP Principauté d’Orange. While Sabons’ wines are undoubtedly on the flashy, fruit-driven side when young, they have shown a fine ability to age effortlessly. All that showiness might fool some people into believing that they should be enjoyed over the short to mid-term. Based on my experience with the wines going back to the late 1980s, they can be cellared for quite some time.

Christophe Sabon, predictably, made some of the richest wines of the 2017 and 2016 vintages, which were, themselves, of the distinctly rich stripe. That being said, I was impressed by the energy that the wines displayed in both years, especially the Chaupin bottling, an all-Grenache wine that’s sourced from three parcels of vines on sandy soil that range from “about 80 to over 100 years old”, according to Sabon. The Vieilles Vignes is usually a more dramatic and lush wine than the Chaupin; however, for some time now, the two been very close to each other in terms of sheer quality, making the Chaupin a relative bargain as far as top-drawer Châteauneuf goes.