From the Legendary "La Crau" Plateau—For Half the Price of Vieux Télégraphe
2020 Clos du Mont-Olivet Chateauneuf-du-Pape
In a region where many producers are arm-wrestling to see who can make the darkest, heaviest, highest-alcohol wine, Clos du Mont-Olivet simply refuses to play the game. The Sabon family has been farming these lands since 1932, and their winemaking philosophy is effectively a time capsule. While the rest of the world modernized, added new oak barrels, and pushed for maximum extraction, Mont-Olivet stayed the course: fermentation in concrete tanks, aging in massive, ancient wooden foudres, and a …
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The "Burgundy" of the South: 2020 was a vintage of freshness and balance. This wine avoids the "boozy" heat of modern Châteauneuf, delivering the kind of floral, savory elegance (lavender, white pepper, strawberries) that Pinot Noir lovers dream of
Old-School Authenticity: Aged in concrete and large ancient foudres—never new oak. This is Châteauneuf as it tasted 50 years ago: pure, unadorned, and soulful
Jeb Dunnuck: 95; James Suckling: 95
Retail
$50.00
Best Online
$48.00
$45.00
Our Price
$5 off
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Tasting notes
Aroma
A stunning, high-definition nose of wild strawberries, Provençal herbs (garrigue), crushed rocks, and a distinct note of fresh lavender
Palate
Silky, medium-to-full-bodied, and incredibly fresh. The fruit is vibrant and red-toned (raspberry, kirsch), supported by fine-grained tannins that give the wine structure without weight. The finish is long, savory, and mineral-driven
Red Wine Body Profile
Light
Bold
Body Profile
Structured
65/100 Intensity
Light
Bold
65.0/100
Feather-light
Delicate
Lifted
Structured
Deep
Grapes
78% Grenache, 11% Syrah, 8% Mourvedre, 3% Cinsault
ABV
15.0%
Serving
55–60°F
Window
2025–2036
In Detail
The Sabon family farms on the same famous stones that fuel the region's $100+ icons, but their 95-point 2020 remains the best value in the Southern Rhône
In a region where many producers are arm-wrestling to see who can make the darkest, heaviest, highest-alcohol wine, Clos du Mont-Olivet simply refuses to play the game.
The Sabon family has been farming these lands since 1932, and their winemaking philosophy is effectively a time capsule. While the rest of the world modernized, added new oak barrels, and pushed for maximum extraction, Mont-Olivet stayed the course: fermentation in concrete tanks, aging in massive, ancient wooden foudres, and a refusal to mask their fruit with vanilla or toast.
The result is a wine that stands as the "anti-fruit bomb." The 2020 vintage is the ultimate expression of this style. It is transparent, aromatic, and shockingly graceful. It doesn't hit you with a hammer; it seduces you with perfume. It is often called "the Burgundy drinker's Châteauneuf" because it prioritizes complexity (lavender, white pepper, tea leaf) over sheer weight. This is a wine that whispers rather than shouts—and in 2020, that whisper earned a massive 95-point score.
