Robert Parker''s Wine Advocate 31/10/2011 One of my favorites was already the 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Chaupin (which is always aged in foudres and 600-liter demi-muids, two-thirds in the former and one-third in the latter) and this wine has really put on richness and intensity since I tasted it last year. An absolutely magnificent wine, it scored a good four points higher this year, and it is unusual for me to vary that much from one tasting to the next. Tipping the scales at 15% natural alcohol, this dense purple wine has noble sweetness and an extraordinary concentration of lavender, black cherry liqueur, licorice, and minerality. Full-bodied, with silky tannins, a multi-dimensional, unctuously textured, voluptuous palate and a stunning finish, this wine is outrageously delicious and a phenomenal expression of old-vine Grenache. It should drink well for up to 20+ years. This impeccably run estate, in the capable hands of Christophe Sabon, his sister Isabelle, and their father, is one of the superstars of the southern Rhone Valley. Over the last 12-15 years, the quality of the wines has gone from strength to strength, with brilliant wines being produced in all price categories. They make sumptuous, complex, world-class red, white and rose Cotes du Rhones, and year-in and year-out, their Chateauneuf du Papes are among the top three or four wines of the vintage. Tasting two great vintages (2009 and 2010) from the Sabons was one of the most thrilling tastings I have had this year. My tasting began with some unbelievable Cotes du Rhones. The 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Chaupin is aged in foudre (2/3) and 600-liter demi-muids (1/3). It may not reach the heights of the sensational 2007, but it is a gorgeous effort that represents Grenache at its finest. Intense black cherry liqueur notes intermixed with lavender, licorice, crushed rock and floral characteristics cascade from the glass of this unctuously textured, full-bodied wine with silky tannins and low acidity. Fleshy and full, it is a terrific example of Grenache from a great terroir. Drink it over the next 10-15 years. (92-94)