2016 Domaine Raymond Usseglio Châteauneuf-du-Pape Girard

The 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Girard is blended exclusively for American importer Peter Weygandt and is bottled unfiltered. It's about 90% Grenache and delivers a compelling mix of fragrant raspberries and savory, earthy spices. It's full-bodied and plush, with a long, complex finish that suggests it will age well for a decade or more. It's powerful and concentrated yet feels fresh and lively.

The 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Girard is a custom cuvée made by the importer that includes slightly older vines. It’s similar to the traditional cuvée only slightly darker, more mineral-laced and full-bodied. It will also be longer lived. While the domaine of Raymond Usseglio has sat in the shadow of Domaine Pierre Usseglio in the past, that is changing under the helm of the young Stéphane Usseglio and the estate is making singular, world-class wines today. They have a new state of the art cellar located on the northern edge of the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and pull from around 45 acres of vines, mostly in the center and northern part of the appellation. From this, they produce a number of cuvées, yet the core is the traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape, based on 80-90% Grenache and the balance Mourvèdre, the La Parte des Anges, based primarily on Mourvèdre, and the Cuvée Imperiale, based on tank-aged old vine Grenache. They have a Cuvée Girard which is basically a tweaked version of the traditional cuvée and have introduced a new Les Apotres cuvée, an amphora-raised blend of all the permitted varieties. Bottom line, the estate is making beautiful wines.