2011 Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Generational shifts and typical French inheritance turmoil have forced this branch of the extended Sabon family to move operations into a new (for them) cellar across the road from the old family house. It has also caused the paring down of a number of Clos du Mont-Olivet's vineyards, "mostly from the Cotes-du-Rhone," Thierry Sabon told me in November. While the process was stressful, Thierry is relieved that by scaling back the politics he can now "be even more focused on the vines and cellar" than before. In his opinion, 2012 is a fruit vintage. "The wines have good but not too much structure so it's not necessary to drink them too young, but their biggest asset is fruit intensity, which will make them approachable early." He added that his 2011s have been a surprise: "they became richer as they got closer to bottling." While Sabon still thinks that they emphasize freshness, they also have the concentration and balance to allow at least five to seven years of positive development in the cellar.

Thierry Sabon sees his role as "making sure that the wine is representative of the vintage, in the best way, naturally, which means not imposing extreme winemaking practices to make a wine that's not-of-the-year." So that means that his 2011s are elegant and fresh and for drinking on the young side, "a lot like 2006" he said. His 2010s, on the other hand, "have freshness and power," ensuring a long, positive evolution ahead. Much of that power can be attributed to the naturally low yields (off by almost 25%) brought on by coulure. Sabon told me that as much as likes his 2005s, "the '10s have a better marriage of fruit to tannins, and the tannins aren't as strict as those of '05." (various importers, including North Berkeley Imports, www.northberkeleyimports.com and Michael Skurnik Wines, www.skurnikwines.com)