Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils - Châteauneuf-du-Pape Impériale rouge 2021

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

A classic Châteauneuf estate, taken over in 2004 by Stéphane, Raymond's son, with vines scattered throughout the region, including very old Grenache vines in Pialons and Grand Pierre. The wines have the power and length on the palate that one would expect. The prestigious Imperial cuvée, a small portion of which is aged in barrels, is produced from old Grenache vines.

Decanter

About wine:

A beautiful sensation of purity and clarity reminiscent of wild berries, with a hint of smoke on the nose. Medium-bodied to full-bodied, with lots of fruit concentration, expressive blueberry and blackberry intermingling. Long finish, ending cleanly and precisely. It has a good dose of fine tannins, so give it time. The soils are mainly sandy in the Farguerol Nord and Pied Long areas. Fermented and aged in concrete.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the estate:

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

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the estate:

Stephan Usseglio has propelled this certified organic and biodynamic estate, named after his father, to the top of the region. In addition, he has continued to experiment, trying different aging and fermentation tanks, single-varietal cuvées, and blends outside the appellation's boundaries to create innovative French wines that 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 are one or two degrees [of potential alcohol] less at harvest," explains Mr. Usseglio. The quality of the white wines has improved over recent vintages and has become one of the estate's priorities, with white wines now accounting for 25% of production. There are limited-production, high-end versions of pure Clairette and Roussanne, but the blended cuvée, which is also excellent, should not be overlooked. In 2021, Mr. Usseglio said, "We were lucky not to be frozen—only five hectares out of 25 were affected." Of course, he and his harvesters had to dodge 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 growing, and we already had finesse at the end of August. Fermentation was rapid, malolactic fermentation was rapid [and] the wines are accessible early, as in 2007." If the wines really turn out to be like those of 2007, the 2022 vintage could be one of the greatest, and not just for this estate.

James Suckling

Jeb Dunnuck