Domaine Roger Sabon
"Prestige" 2019
AOC Chateauneuf du Pape

Presse / Kritik
J. Dunnuck: 96 / 100 Punkte
"Slightly more straight, focused, and elegant, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Prestige is a brilliant 2019 in every way. Pure blackberries, black cherries, graphite, crushed stone, and peppery herb notes define the nose, and it's medium to full-bodied, with remarkable purity and a blockbuster of a finish. This is one classy, seamless, elegant Châteauneuf du Pape that will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and have 25 years of overall longevity."
Wine Advocate: 97 / 100 Punkte
"One of the top vintages for this cuvée, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Prestige features intense aromas of black cherries and purple raspberries, without the dark chocolate nuances that appear in the other 2019s at this address. It's full-bodied, dense and concentrated, big but also silky and fine, with a long, elegant finish. It's a Grenache-led assemblage of lots from the lieux-dits of les Brusquières and Cabrières. Technical director Didier Negron is refreshingly candid when speaking about his vintages at Domaine Roger Sabon, and on this occasion, we traveled back in time as far as his first vintage with the estate, which was 2001, which he referred to as being very homogenous. At age 20, those wines are fully mature, and there's nothing further to be gained from additional cellaring. The 2011 Prestige, from a vintage Negron called early-drinking, should also be consumed in the near term, but the standout 2011 Secret should easily see out this decade. Turning to recent vintages, Negron is clearly a fan of the 2019s. "It's easy to make a great wine in 2019," he said. "But I hope people put [them] in the cellar and wait. Like 2016, it's necessary to wait a little bit." The 2020s, according to Negron, "have a little less concentration and alcohol, but the balance and the freshness is interesting."
Decanter: 95 / 100 Punkte
"A very deep and brooding style but with great freshness underneath. Deep tannic weave, with remarkable textural wealth. Just leaning slightly to the overripe in terms of fruit, but ends dry and savoury. A punchy, intense, muscular style. Grown on mixed soils, mostly galets roulés and sand, in the lieux-dits of Les Brusquières and Cabrières. Fermented half in stainless steel, half in concrete tanks, then aged in large barrels of different shapes and sizes. Drinking Window: 2022-2037"
Wine Spectator: 94 / 100 Punkte
"Sleek, dark and winey, with nice flow and cut to the raspberry and blackberry puree flavors, infused with dark tea and carried by a graphite edge. Lingering anise and fruitcake notes sparkle through the finish. Beautifully done. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Counoise and Vaccarèse. Drink now through 2036."
Vinous: 94 / 100 Punkte
"Full, bright-rimmed ruby. Pungent black and blue fruits, potpourri, licorice and Moroccan spices on the deeply perfumed nose. Stains the palate with sweet boysenberry, bitter cherry and lavender pastille flavors, which are sharpened by building mineral and spice flourishes. Shows impressive depth and power but comes off surprisingly lively, delivering solid floral thrust on the long, youthfully gripping finish."

Das Weingut
Der Name Sabon ist bereits seit dem 16. Jh. mit dem Weinbau an der südlichen Rhone verbunden. Und so zählt Roger Sabon zu den großen Traditionalisten der Region, die die althergebrachten Methoden pflegen, wie z.B. die Verwendung von Fudern (also keine Barriques). Wenn allerdings Verbesserungen möglich sind, ist man stets aufgeschlossen, sinnvolle und behutsame Änderungen vorzunehmen. So werden seit Neuem die Trauben vor der Maische komplett entrappt, d.h. von Stielen und Stengeln befreit, um so weitaus weniger „sperrige“, sondern viel weicherer, seidigere Weine zu erzeugen, ohne dabei an Komplexität und Charakter zu verlieren.