Winemaker Notes
Le Secret des Sabon began as an experimental cuvée, which has evolved into one of the top wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. There isn't much to go around, with only about a single demi-muid or a small truncated vat produced yearly from their oldest vines with their correspondingly minuscule yields. It is quite startling to taste Secret after Prestige, as one typically expects the "top" wine of the estate to be the biggest, but this is a red herring. While there is an unmistakable glyceryl weight to Le Secret, it is more high-toned than you would initially expect. Red fruit predominates with stony and herbal accents, lively acidity, and refined tannins that hint at a long life ahead.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Virtually all Grenache, the 2021 Chateauneuf du Pape le Secret de Sabon offers up stunning aromas of pencil shavings and dark berries, plus hints of brighter, redder fruit as well—cherries and raspberries come to mind. Full-bodied and slightly open-knit, it's mouthwateringly juicy on the palate, with fine, silky tannins framing the lingering finish.
-
Wine Spectator
A flattering beam of juicy dark plum and fresh blackberry shows a structured profile on the palate, with formidable black tea tannins and iron underpinnings adding to the power. Singed thyme and black peppercorn details line the very dry, saline-licked finish. A serious, big-boned wine that needs time. Best from 2025 through 2032.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
A beautiful ruby/purple color, the 2021 Châteauneuf Du Pape Le Secret Des Sabon offers appealing darker berries, violets, pepper, and meaty black cherries on the nose. It's medium to full-bodied and beautifully balanced, with a pure, layered, elegant mouthfeel that shows terrific finesse.
-
James Suckling
For the 2021 vintage this Chateauneuf has impressively ripe aromas. Plenty of wild blackberry with delicate wild herb and summer flower notes. Plenty of fine tannins and a good concentration of fruit are wrapped around them. Long, elegant finish.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Famous for its full-bodied, seductive and spicy reds with flavor and aroma characteristics reminiscent of black cherry, baked raspberry, garrigue, olive tapenade, lavender and baking spice, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the leading sub-appellation of the southern Rhône River Valley. Large pebbles resembling river rocks, called "galets" in French, dominate most of the terrain. The stones hold heat and reflect it back up to the low-lying gobelet-trained vines. Though the galets are typical, they are not prominent in every vineyard. Chateau Rayas is the most obvious deviation with very sandy soil.
According to law, eighteen grape varieties are allowed in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and most wines are blends of some mix of these. For reds, Grenache is the star player with Mourvedre and Syrah coming typically second. Others used include Cinsault, Counoise and occasionally Muscardin, Vaccarèse, Picquepoul Noir and Terret Noir.
Only about 6-7% of wine from Châteauneuf-du-Pape is white wine. Blends and single-varietal bottlings are typically based on the soft and floral Grenache Blanc but Clairette, Bourboulenc and Roussanne are grown with some significance.
The wine of Chateauneuf-du-Pape takes its name from the relocation of the papal court to Avignon. The lore says that after moving in 1309, Pope Clément V (after whom Chateau Pape-Clément in Pessac-Léognan is named) ordered that vines were planted. But it was actually his successor, John XXII, who established the vineyards. The name however, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, translated as "the pope's new castle," didn’t really stick until the 19th century.