Wine Advisor
Pierre Usseglio, Chateauneuf Du Pape Reserve des Deux Freres 2007
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
There are 4,000 bottles of the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Deux Freres (which sports a new label). Another monumental example of Chateauneuf, this 100% Grenache reveals no evidence of makeup. It is about as natural an expression of old vine Grenache as one can find. Gorgeously long, blackberry, cassis, seaweed, licorice, cherry, and lavender scents explode from the glass. In the mouth, the wine is even fuller, richer, and denser than the Mon Aieul, and exhibits more tannin as well as a phenomenal finish that lasts over a minute. This is a prodigious wine of extraordinary singularity and intensity. It should evolve for 30+ years. What a superlative performance from proprietors Jean-Pierre and Thierry Usseglio. This is one of the few estates where the 2006s are so great that they eclipse their brilliant 2005s, and come very close to what was accomplished in 2007. 2007 is another stunning success from brothers Jean-Pierre and Thierry Usseglio. Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France, Mountainside, NJ; tel. (908) 654-6173
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The perfect 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Deux Freres is slightly more evolved and complex than the Mon Aieul, as odd as that seems. Having had it twice out of bottle, this wine (nearly 100% Grenache combined with a few dollops of Syrah) possesses an opaque ruby/purple color as well as a thrilling texture and monumental length (the finish lasts over 60 seconds). it's a blockbuster, but everything is in perfect balance, and, remarkably, it comes across as the most accessible Reserve des Deux Freres made to date. This wine's aging is completely different from its sibling-s. Sixty percent is aged in 1, 2, and 3-year-old Burgundy barrels, and the rest in small new oak barrels, but there is not a hint of new oak in the aromatics. The bouquet reveals plenty of blackberry, blueberry, and cassis fruit intertwined with notions of melted licorice, spring flowers, and that classic garrigue note that comes across as the seaweed wrapper used in sushi restaurants, nori. There is a certain smokiness that is probably attributable to the oak, and the wine has incredible depth and richness, as well as a finish that seems endless. This extraordinary Chateauneuf du Pape is another prodigious effort in this historic vintage. It should drink well for two decades or more. Brothers Jean-Pierre and Thierry Usseglio have been accomplishing amazing things To reiterate, the 2007s are the most profound wines Thierry and Jean-Pierre have ever produced. in Chateauneuf du Pape as evidenced by the 2007s, the greatest wines they have yet produced. Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France, Mountainside, NJ; tel. (908) 654-6173
Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck
One of the wines of this incredible vintage is unquestionably the 300-case 2007 Châteauneuf du Pape Reserve des Deux Freres from the Usseglio brothers. A big bruiser of a wine that has a huge core of cassis and black currant fruit, it gets more and more elegant with time in the glass and offers complex notes of roasted meats, garrigue, beef blood, licorice and truffle. Made from 100% Grenache aged mostly in new barrels, it’s absorbed every trace of its elevage and is just a sensational Chateauneuf du Pape to drink over the coming 10-15 years.
About the Producer
Château USSEGLIO is a family business. Its creation dates back to 1948, when grandfather Francis USSEGLIO left Italy to work as a wine worker at CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE. 1949 saw his first harvest come out of the oven. Later, his son Pierre took over the estate and expanded Château Pierre Usseglio. Today it covers 39 hectares, 24 hectares of Châteauneuf-du-Pape red, 1 hectare of Châteauneuf-du-Pape white, 6 hectares of Lillac red, 6 hectares of Côtes du Rhône and 2 hectares of French wines developed by Pierre's two sons. Jean-Pierre and Thierry Usseglio. The estate produces the traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape red wines. Half of the vines in the winery are over 65 years old and the other half are about 40 years old. The yields obtained are very low, around 20 to 25 hectolitres per hectare, depending on the vintage. Harvesting is always done by hand and sorting is selective. The grapes are destemmed and the winemaking process lasts 25 to 30 days, after which the wine is aged 50% in oak barrels for 12 days and 50% in concrete tanks. The result is a powerful, rounded wine with intense aromas of red fruit and spices. The wines of this estate are best consumed over a period of 5 to 10 years, depending on taste and vintage.
