Pierre Usseglio & Fils 'Cuvée de Mon Aïeul' Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône Valley, France 2019

The Usseglio family story begins with an act of emigration and determination. Francis Usseglio left Italy in 1931 and arrived in Châteauneuf-du-Pape to work as a farmhand. By 1948 he had acquired his own vines and founded the domaine, producing his first bottles in 1949. His son Pierre extended the estate and built its reputation across the following decades, and today the domaine is directed by Pierre's sons Jean-Pierre and Thierry Usseglio. With 39 hectares under vine — 24 in Châteauneuf-du-Pape rouge, plus parcels in Lirac and Côtes-du-Rhône — approximately half the estate's vines are 65 years old or older, a legacy of generational stewardship across some of the appellation's finest terroirs. The 'Cuvée de Mon Aïeul' (Cuvée of My Ancestor) is the estate's prestige selection, named in honor of the founder Francis and made exclusively from the oldest parcels — 75 to 90-year-old Grenache drawn from three distinct terroir types: La Crau (large rounded galets), Bédines (clay), and Serres (sand and limestone). Only 5,000 bottles produced.

• Winemaker: Thierry Usseglio and Jean-Pierre Usseglio
• Farming: Sustainable. Meticulous parcel selection; only vines aged 75–90 years qualify for this cuvée. Hand harvested.
• Variety: Grenache 100%
• Terroir: Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC, Southern Rhône, France. Three distinct lieux-dits in parcel selection: La Crau (deep beds of galets roulés — the iconic rounded river stones that retain heat and reflect light), Bédines (clay-dominated soils promoting richness and structure), and Serres (sandy and stony limestone soils offering freshness and lift). The diversity of terroirs, combined with the extreme vine age, gives the wine its simultaneously powerful and multidimensional character.
• Vinification: 50% destemmed, 50% whole cluster. Fermentation in temperature-controlled concrete vats with indigenous yeasts; extended vatting of 30–40 days with pump-overs and submerged cap maceration for maximum extraction and phenolic integration.
• Aging: Aged in older demi-muids (large-format French oak barrels). The wines remain in concrete vats for a portion of élevage to preserve expressive fruitiness before transfer to demi-muids.
• Tasting Notes: Deep, near-opaque black-red. Extraordinary perfume of ripe black raspberries, strawberries, flowery incense, Provençal garrigue, and crème de cassis, with layers of cured meat, licorice, and crushed stone. The palate is full-bodied, round, and expansive — silken tannins, 15.5% alcohol beautifully integrated, and a blockbuster finish of uncommon length and precision. Drink 2024–2045.
• Food Pairings: Roast lamb with herbes de Provence, braised short rib, wild boar daube, aged Comté or Époisses, and duck confit.
• Scores: 96 Wine Advocate (Joe Czerwinski) | 95 Vinous (Nicolas Greinacher)