Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils - Les Apôtres 2019

Bettane & Desseauve

About the domain :

A classic Châteauneuf estate, taken over by Raymond's son Stéphane in 2004, with vines scattered all over the estate, including very old Grenache on Pialons and Grand Pierre. The wines are as powerful and long-lasting as you'd expect. The cuvée de prestige, impériale, a small part of which is barrel-aged, is produced from old Grenache vines.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the wine:

The label depicts the Last Supper, with Jesus symbolizing Grenache, surrounded by his 12 apostles, the same number as Châteauneuf's "ancillary" grape varieties. The grapes are co-fermented, then macerated in amphorae for 4 months, before being aged for 18 months, again in amphorae. In the glass, a wine that doesn't say much on the nose, but is more talkative on the palate, with ample ripe cherry fruit tinged with sweet spices, fat, mellow tannins and a loose, fresh finish. A work of goldsmith.

About the domain :

Successive purchases have enabled Raymond Usseglio to increase the surface area of this Castelpapal estate, built up by his father Francis, who came from Italy in 1931 to work the land, to 33 hectares. Since 1999, the estate has been run by his only son, Stéphane. Organic and biodynamic certifications have been obtained.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

An extremely diverse blend of grape varieties - Grenache makes up the majority [...] macerated for four months on skins in amphorae and then aged in amphorae for a further 18 months, Châteauneuf du Pape Les Apôtres 2019 offers unique aromas of asphalt, mocha, celery seed, red raspberry and cherry. It's medium- to full-bodied, tight and structured, but not hard or even too firm, profiled on the palate and long on the finish. Tasted blind.

About the domain :

Stephan Usseglio has propelled this certified organic and biodynamic estate, which bears his father's name, into the top ranks of the region. In addition, he has continued to experiment, trying out different aging and fermentation tanks, single-varietal cuvées and blends outside the appellation boundaries to create innovative vins de France, which often offer considerable value. As part of his efforts to reduce alcohol levels, he plants clairette when he has to replace a dead grenache vine. "There's one or two degrees [of potential alcohol] less at harvest," explains Usseglio. The quality of the white wines has improved in recent vintages and has become one of the priorities of the estate, which now produces 25% white wines. There are top-of-the-range, limited-production versions of pure Clairette and Roussanne, but don't overlook the cuvée d'assemblage, which is also excellent. In 2021, Mr. Usseglio says, "We were lucky not to be hit by frost - only five hectares out of 25 were affected." Of course, he and his pickers had to avoid the same raindrops as everyone else during the harvest, but his 2021s turned out very well. In 2022, he says, "we had a good winter, then it was very dry, with small berries. With the cool nights, the vines didn't stop, and we already had some finesse at the end of August. Fermentations were rapid, malolactic was quick [and] the wines are accessible early, as in 2007". If the wines really do turn out like those of 2007, the 2022 vintage could be one of the greatest, and not just for this estate.

Wine Spectator

James Suckling

Jeb Dunnuck

About the wine:

A relatively new cuvée that encompasses all the appellation's authorized grape varieties and is aged in amphora, the 2019 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Apôtres offers a beautiful, fragrant bouquet of black raspberry and blackberry interwoven with plenty of aromas and flavors of spring flowers, white truffle, spice and dried garrigue. This marvel is harmonious, medium to full-bodied, and I'm betting this is the best vintage of this cuvée to date.