CDP Cuvee Imperiale 2016

Usseglio, Raymond

Units	Size	Case size	GBP Price:	Quantities	Buy

Tasting Notes
Brilliant ruby-red. A highly expressive bouquet evokes red fruit preserves, cherry cola, incense and spicecake, and a smoky mineral element contributes energetic lift. Velvety in texture and deeply concentrated, offering intense, spice-accented Chambord, cherry liqueur and candied lavender flavors firmed by a spine of juicy acidity. Concentrated but graceful in style. Finishes very long, spicy and precise, with youthfully firming tannins adding closing grip. 95% Grenache, from vines that were planted in 1901 and 1902; aged for 18 months in concrete vats. Score: 95 Josh Raynolds, Vinous.com Maturity: 2024 - 2034 01 December 2019
Almost entirely Grenache, from parcels planted in 1901 and 1902, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Imperiale is a stunner. Scents of roses, black tea and raspberries set the scene, while the palate is full-bodied but silky and nearly weightless, delivering an intricate, detailed interplay of red fruit, dried spices and orange zest. Despite what must be 15% alcohol or more, it shows absolutely no sign of heat. Score: 95 Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2018-2035 31 August 2018
The flagship is the Grenache-dominated 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Imperiale, which comes from vines planted in 1902 and was destemmed and aged in concrete tanks. Awesome notes of blackberries, blueberries, crushed rocks, violets, and graphite all emerge from this tight, full-bodied, concentrated and backward Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Possessing incredible purity of fruit, a concentrated yet fresh, structured profile, and a huge finish, it just needs time to shine. 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. Score: 97 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Maturity: 2023-2038 28 August 2018
Violets, spring flowers, cassis, plums, and incense notes all define the stunningly good 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Imperiale. Made from 100% Grenache from very old vines, it's full-bodied and powerful, yet also graceful, balanced and pure, with terrific freshness and purity. My money is on this flirting with perfection once bottled Score: 96 - 100 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com 19 October 2017

Tasting Notes

Brilliant ruby-red. A highly expressive bouquet evokes red fruit preserves, cherry cola, incense and spicecake, and a smoky mineral element contributes energetic lift. Velvety in texture and deeply concentrated, offering intense, spice-accented Chambord, cherry liqueur and candied lavender flavors firmed by a spine of juicy acidity. Concentrated but graceful in style. Finishes very long, spicy and precise, with youthfully firming tannins adding closing grip. 95% Grenache, from vines that were planted in 1901 and 1902; aged for 18 months in concrete vats.

Score: 95

Josh Raynolds, Vinous.com Maturity: 2024 - 2034 01 December 2019

Almost entirely Grenache, from parcels planted in 1901 and 1902, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Imperiale is a stunner. Scents of roses, black tea and raspberries set the scene, while the palate is full-bodied but silky and nearly weightless, delivering an intricate, detailed interplay of red fruit, dried spices and orange zest. Despite what must be 15% alcohol or more, it shows absolutely no sign of heat.

Score: 95

Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2018-2035 31 August 2018

The flagship is the Grenache-dominated 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Imperiale, which comes from vines planted in 1902 and was destemmed and aged in concrete tanks. Awesome notes of blackberries, blueberries, crushed rocks, violets, and graphite all emerge from this tight, full-bodied, concentrated and backward Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Possessing incredible purity of fruit, a concentrated yet fresh, structured profile, and a huge finish, it just needs time to shine. 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.

Score: 97

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Maturity: 2023-2038 28 August 2018

Violets, spring flowers, cassis, plums, and incense notes all define the stunningly good 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Imperiale. Made from 100% Grenache from very old vines, it's full-bodied and powerful, yet also graceful, balanced and pure, with terrific freshness and purity. My money is on this flirting with perfection once bottled

Score: 96 - 100

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com 19 October 2017

Your Lists & Checkout

New Arrivals

Advanced Search

wine regions

quick links

CDP Cuvee Imperiale 2016

Usseglio, Raymond

search wines

Full wine List

RSS feeds

wine regions

join our mailing list