Wine Advocate # 179
Oct 2008
Robert Parker (95-99)
I have had so many terrific examples of the Chateauneuf du Pape Chaupin that it's hard to say the 2007 is the finest of all, but it is truly an amazing, old vine Grenache cuvee. Just under 20,000 bottles were produced from sand and clay soils. This inky/purple-colored wine reveals exquisite aromatic fireworks consisting of creme de cassis, black raspberries, licorice, incense, and spice, awesome fruit, major concentration, and a serious finish of close to a minute. For a wine of such enormous size, it is remarkable for its overall equilibrium and freshness.
Young Christophe Sabon, with his sister by his side and his father in the background, is doing as great a job turning out terrific wines as any vigneron in the world. With nearly 200 acres of vineyards, 45 of them old vines situated in Chateauneuf du Pape, there is enormous potential, all of it being exploited. The 1998s, 1999s, 2000s, and 2001s were all fabulous at this estate, the 2003s were slightly irregular as well as tannic, the 2005s were great, the 2006s are fabulous, and the 2007s may be the sine qua non of all his vintages. The white wines are not to be missed as they are some of the freshest, most perfumed, lively whites of Southern France. The value picks represent remarkable bargains. The bottled 2006 low end wines are all in the marketplace. While they are not quite at the level of the 2007s, there are some gorgeous choices for consumers. Janasse's 2007 Chateauneuf du Papes are outrageous, all of which performed brilliantly despite having just completed their malolactics after 11 months of fermentation. With all of the excitement over the 2007s, readers should not forget just how great Janasse's 2006s have turned out. They are performing as well as they did last year, perhaps even better.
Histoire du domaine
Un domaine familial
Si désormais Christophe SABON élabore des Côtes-du-Rhône de haut vol, c'est à Aimé qu'il le doit. Lorsqu'en 1967, Aimé SABON rentre de son service militaire, il reprend les vignes de son père, qui jusqu'ici apportait ses raisins à la cave coopérative. Puis il reprend aussi celles de son beau-père qui jusque-là vendait au négoce.
C'est donc en 1973 que le Domaine de la Janasse est créé. Il tient son nom d'une ferme familiale de Courthézon et d'un lieu-dit éponyme. L'ambition d'Aimé SABON se manifeste dans l'acquisition de terroirs, si bien qu'il triple la superficie du domaine, passant de 15 à 55 hectares.
Une fois formé à Beaune puis à Macon en œnologie, son fils Christophe SABON s'implique au domaine dès le début des années 90. Les Côtes-du-Rhône y sont très soignés et les Châteauneuf-du-Pape ont une réputation qui n'est plus à faire. Le domaine est toujours familial.
Aujourd'hui …
En 2017, la famille SABON annonce l'achat d'un nouveau domaine, le Clos Saint-Antonin, lui ouvrant également une nouvelle appellation, en Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Plan de Dieu (4,5 hectares). Pour accroître son portefeuille, le Clos Saint-Antonin récupère aussi un peu moins de 2 hectares en Châteauneuf-du-Pape issus du domaine de la Janasse (18 hectares au total dans cet AOC).