Domaine Pierre Usseglio et Fils Chateauneuf-du-Pape Mon Aieul 1998
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
A borderline perfect wine, the 1998 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul shows plenty of southern Rhône typicity but is jacked up with amazingly concentrated fruit and serious structure. The nose shows beautiful garrigue, raspberry, earth, spice and licorice notes and with air, this picked up a darker, richer profile. The palate is full bodied, perfectly balanced and possesses huge fruit and a blockbuster, tannic finish.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The first vintage, the 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de Mon Aieul is still drinking gorgeously today. Made from roughly 80% old-vine Grenache, 10% Syrah, and 10% Cinsault and aged in the oldest foudre in the cellar at that time, it sports a fully mature, amber/ruby color to go with classic notes of olive tapenade, tobacco leaf, cured meats, figs, sweet kirsch and assorted darker fruit on the nose.
-
Wine Spectator
Very ripe, with prune and plum. Full-bodied and soft, this traditional Châteauneuf offers leather, wet earth and roasted chestnuts. Well made and flavorful.
Other Vintages
2012-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Spectator
Wine
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Famous for its full-bodied, seductive and spicy reds with flavor and aroma characteristics reminiscent of black cherry, baked raspberry, garrigue, olive tapenade, lavender and baking spice, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the leading sub-appellation of the southern Rhône River Valley. Large pebbles resembling river rocks, called "galets" in French, dominate most of the terrain. The stones hold heat and reflect it back up to the low-lying gobelet-trained vines. Though the galets are typical, they are not prominent in every vineyard. Chateau Rayas is the most obvious deviation with very sandy soil.
According to law, eighteen grape varieties are allowed in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and most wines are blends of some mix of these. For reds, Grenache is the star player with Mourvedre and Syrah coming typically second. Others used include Cinsault, Counoise and occasionally Muscardin, Vaccarèse, Picquepoul Noir and Terret Noir.
Only about 6-7% of wine from Châteauneuf-du-Pape is white wine. Blends and single-varietal bottlings are typically based on the soft and floral Grenache Blanc but Clairette, Bourboulenc and Roussanne are grown with some significance.
The wine of Chateauneuf-du-Pape takes its name from the relocation of the papal court to Avignon. The lore says that after moving in 1309, Pope Clément V (after whom Chateau Pape-Clément in Pessac-Léognan is named) ordered that vines were planted. But it was actually his successor, John XXII, who established the vineyards. The name however, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, translated as "the pope's new castle," didn’t really stick until the 19th century.