Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Full bodied, ripe fruit and excellent finish

Much better. Previous drunk wine was now obviously cork affected. Brighter fruit with texturally pleasant tannin.

Decantered for 2 hours. Fruit is dull, medium bodied, smooth with a shortish finish. Tannin is fine grained and peppery. I wonder if this was scalped by the cork or just going through a dull phase. I better crack another one soon...

balanced dark fruits, a bit of red berries, slight herbs, subtle oak. good but don't get the hype.

Black fruit, some cherry and kirsch. Nice wine, young with something left in the tank. 91-92+

6/24 Dinner w/ Friends : 3-hour double-decant, then consumed over 2+ hours. Strawberry, cherry, rose petal, and lavender on the nose. The notes are fresh, precise and distinct, not integrated and mixed like potpourri. Over the course of the evening, the wine fluctuated with each note playing a greater or lesser role. Fun to watch it evolve in the glass. 15.5% ABV on the label, but it appears much lighter on the palate with the alcohol balanced, not prominent. WOTN …

This is a sleeper wine - not widely distributed, very reasonably priced, and incredibly delicious. STANROCKS' mini-Rayas comparison is spot on. The 2019 is drinking best right now, but the 2020 is only a slight notch below and still a great buy if you can find it. Bought 3 cases when we visited the winery in May. In terms of viticulural style, this wine may as well come from Burgundy - nearly single varietal, small lieu dit, limited intervention, etc. …

Bright red fruit with some savoury earth and lots of pepper. Fine tannin and long finish. Very good

Raspberries, herbs, flowers, roasted red plums and peppery kirsch aromatics pop up easily. Medium-bodied, elegant, fresh and refined, the wine focuses on its purity and balance, leaving you with layers of sweet, spicy red berries and pit fruits. Drink it young, or age it a few years, this is a beauty. Drink from 2022 - 2033

(Imported by Girond Logistics, Napa CA). From a very good vintage in the southern Rhône. ___________ Color: Medium-dark ruby. Nose: Pretty nose of herbed dried cherry, black raspberry, with a kiss of garrigue spices. Palate: Med-full body, light on its feet. Good concentration and length. Nice, but not very complex. Moderate, dusty tannins. Slightly rustic in style. And a little tart and sour on the finish. 14.5% alc. Good Châteauneuf-du-Pape for the price. Organic/biodynamic viticulture. Demeter certified. 91 pts. (2022). …

Guys if you like Whole cluster refined Grenache, you absolutely need to get a hold on that. Loads of black berries, salivating, dense and umami at the end of the palate. ripe but never heavy. From the Rayas woods, on safres (sands of Chateauneuf), the tiny estate brings some of the most vibrating wines around... Just 92 + right now but this wine might show way better later in its aging Decanter for 2/3 hours if drinking soon