2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Secret de Sabon

Spicy and perfumed, the 2005 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Le Secret des Sabon is forward and accessible for the vintage, yielding gorgeously complex aromas of spiced red fruits, garrigue, flowers, and licorice that give way to more masculine aromas of iron, and dried blood over the course of the evening. These characteristics carry over to the palate where the wine is medium to full bodied, possessing an elegant, silky texture, perfect balance, and a very long, classy finish where more depth and structure emerge. While drinking beautifully now (there’s no harm in opening bottles now), this has the structure and balance to allow it to age gracefully for 15 to 20 years.

The best showing yet from this cuvee (I rated in 96+ earlier this year), the 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Le Secret de Sabon is a brilliant success and easily in the top handful of wines in the vintage. Made from mostly Grenache (it’s a field blend and the exact blend is unknown) and aged 18 months in demi-muids, it offers a full-bodied, powerful, yet perfectly balanced feel on the palate to go with knockout notes of black raspberry, currants, garrigue, licorice and Provencal herbs. Still youthful, yet drinking spectacularly today, it will continue to knock your socks off for another decade or more. Feb 2015, www.robertparker.com