2020 Chateauneuf du Pape

The classic 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape is outstanding, revealing textbook aromatics of darker berry fruits, pepper, and some garrigue. This medium-bodied, balanced, utterly delicious effort should put a smile on any Southern Rhône lover out there. It should develop more complexity with 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for 10-12 years. I found the 2020 reds from Raymond Usseglio to be a little lifted and difficult to read. These will hopefully come together with a year or two in bottle and justify the lofty barrel reviews. The same can’t be said about the white, however. These showed brilliantly, with the 2021 Châteauneuf Du Pape Pure Roussanne unquestionably one of the top whites in the vintage.

90% Grenache, 10% blend of oldest vines including Counoise, Cinsault, Terret Noir and Clairette Blanche. Full, fleshy, rounded and succulent wine with some juicy fruit, strawberry and raspberry. Some heat on the finish. Bright acidity. A Châteauneuf with impeccable balance between ripeness, freshness and structure. Finishes with a mineral twang. (AWH)