One of two values from the Usseglio family is their 2010 Panorama, which is 80% Merlot and 20% Syrah. This vin de table is one of the better ones I have tasted, with notes of mocha, black cherry jam, and white chocolate in a plump, corpulent, slightly one-dimensional but richly fruity style meant to drink over the next 2-3 years.
One of the top estates in Chateauneuf du Pape is that of the two brothers Thierry and Jean-Pierre Usseglio. Their cellars are just north of the village, adjacent to the walls of the ruins of the pope’s palace. They have nearly 60 acres under vine, and make three cuvees of red wines in the top vintages. Their classic or traditional cuvee is made from a blend of mostly Grenache, with some Syrah, Cinsault and Mourvedre. Their mostly unoaked, tank-fermented and -aged Mon Aieul comes from very old vines (about 85 years of age) and tiny yields, while their cuvee Des Deux Freres leans in a slightly more modern direction for Chateauneuf du Pape, with 50% of it now aged in small barrels, 20% in tank, and 30% in 600-liter demi-muids.
Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France, Mountainside, NJ; tel. (908) 654-6173