1998 Chateauneuf du Pape

The 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape was made from 70-80% Grenache, 10% Syrah and the rest Cinsault and Mourvedre that was fermented with 100% whole clusters and aged all in old foudres. It sports a fully mature, amber color (Thierry said it was the "color of the old foudre") to go with classic game, blackberries, figs, spice and dried garrigue. Layered, full-bodied, ripe and evolved, it's a beautiful, fully mature Chateauneuf du Pape to drink over the coming couple of years. As almost all high-quality Chateauneufs can, it will evolve for longer, but there's no upside here.

Downright fruit driven (still), the 1998 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape displays a youthful character with loads of spicy red and black fruits, fennel, licorice, and wild herb aromatics on the nose. It fleshes out beautifully in the glass and delivers a round, voluptuous texture, loads of fruit, and an excellent finish. I like this a lot now, and wouldn’t hesitate to open bottles over the coming 2-4 years.

The 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape was made from 70-80% Grenache, 10% Syrah and the rest Cinsault and Mourvedre that was fermented with 100% whole clusters and aged all in old foudres. It sports a fully mature, amber color (Thierry said it was the "color of the old foudre") to go with classic game, blackberries, figs, spice and dried garrigue. Layered, full-bodied, ripe and evolved, it's a beautiful, fully mature Chateauneuf du Pape to drink over the coming couple of years. As almost all high-quality Chateauneufs can, it will evolve for longer, but there's no upside here. Aug 2015, www.robertparker.com