94-95

Josh Raynolds

Vinous

Shimmering magenta. A vibrant, mineral-accented nose evokes ripe red berries, garrigue, incense and exotic spices. Juicy, focused and seamless in texture, showing impressive clarity and spicy lift to the sweet raspberry liqueur, cherry cola, spicecake and lavender pastille flavors. Silky, even tannins add shape and grip to an impressively long, sweet, floral-driven finish that shows outstanding focus and tension. 12/2019

96+

Joe Czerwinski

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

Almost all Grenache from two old-vine parcels, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape le Secret de Sabon has morphed during its élevage in oak tank to reveal a darker side. While last year it was all red fruit and roses, this year it shows more plum, licorice, cola and cocoa. It remains wonderfully full-bodied yet light in feel, framed by firm tannins but also creamy and rich on the mid-palate, offering an array of conflicting sensations that emerge harmonious on the long finish. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes. This benchmark estate continues to turn out a stable of excellent wines under the stewardship of Didier Negron. "In '18, we had a very good September—no rain, 30 degrees—and the result is interesting," he said. In his opinion, the estate was lucky to have a small crop in 2017, as it was all the vines could sustain under the dry conditions of that summer. The key, said Negron, is "the need to adapt to vintage conditions. Sixteen, '17, '18, show it's not possible to have a recipe here. It's important to keep a good balance of acidity and freshness to avoid too high levels of alcohol." 08/2019

99

Jeb Dunnuck

Jeb Dunnuck

On another level, the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape Le Secret Des Sabon is stacked and packed and ranks with the top 2-3 wines in this great vintage. A huge nose of blackcurrants, melted licorice, graphite, garrigue and pepper gives way to an uber-full-bodied, concentrated, massively endowed wine that has an insane level of opulence and decadent, sweet tannins, and a huge finish. This is a tour de force in wine that readers need to taste to believe. Given its wealth of fruit and texture, it’s already approachable, yet a solid 4-5 years of bottle age are warranted, and it's going to keep for 25 years or more. Bravo! As always, this cuvée is a field blend that’s 95% Grenache, with the balance a mix of varieties, mostly from sandy soils, brought up in oak tronconique tanks. 08/2019