B-21 Top Recommendation
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"What a great 2023 Chateauneuf-du-Pape this is. Enormously deep and concentrated but also refined." - James Suckling
The name Usseglio is no secret to lovers of top-flight Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but it's typically PIerre that comes to mind for many. However, that's all changing in recent years, as Domaine Raymond Usseglio is stepping into the limelight under the hand of the highly talented Stephan Usseglio. Having been in charge here since 1999 at the ripe age of 22, Stéphane straddles that wonderful line between youthful vision, something he's held onto even as his career has entered a new stage of accomplishment and accolades, and respect for his family's traditions, including their exceptional vine holdings.
The Cuvee Imperiale is his tête de cuvée Grenache from vines planted in 1902 on sandy soils. Usseglio ferments and ages the Imperiale entirely in concrete to preserve freshness and purity of the old-vine fruit, which in turn also reflects the vintage conditions with absolute clarity. The sunny, forward 2023 growing season comes through in spades in this 98-point gem of a Châteauneuf, which is, as Jeb Dunnuck remarks, "very much in the ripe yet elegant style of the vintage."
The 2023 is a quintessentially versatile Châteauneuf in that it can provide immense, youthful enjoyment right now, where more structured, concentrated vintages like 2022 and 2020 might need time, and yet it will cruise for a long while in the cellar, taking on the full measure of its serious pedigree after a decade or so. | 
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