One of the finest 2008 Chateauneuf du Papes money can buy is Pierre Usseglio’s offering (the only 2008 they made). Composed of 80% Grenache and the rest Syrah, Mourvedre, and Cinsault, it possesses a dark ruby/purple color, surprisingly intense fruit, lots of garrigue, pepper and spice box, a medium to full-bodied texture and a heady finish. Performing better out of bottle than it did last year in the cellars, it should be consumed during its first 5-6 years of life. Restaurants take note!
One of my favorite stops on my trips to the southern Rhone is at Domaine Pierre Usseglio where brothers Jean-Pierre and Thierry Usseglio have accomplished special things. A new state-of-the-art tasting room has been added, somewhat unusual in Chateauneuf du Pape where little has changed in the three decades I have been tasting there. However, the small, discrete Usseglio tasting room would never be compared with tasting rooms that exist in Bordeaux and California.
Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France, Mountainside, NJ; tel. (908) 654-6173