Wine Advisor
Pierre Usseglio, Chateauneuf Du Pape Reserve des Deux Freres 2020
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Nicolas Greinacher
Composed of grapes coming from the two individual plots, Pignan and Les Esquirons, the 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Deux Frères is a single-varietal Grenache. It aged for 18 months in a combination of new and old French oak barriques and states 16% alcohol on the label. Swirling the glass reveals expressive aromas of very ripe red and black fruits intermingled with hints of dried herbs, mint, cloves, wood smoke, licorice and a pinch of vanilla. Full-bodied, deep and layered, it concludes with a touch of heat on the savory finish. Regular buyers of this cuvée are advised that there will be no Réserve des Deux Frères in 2021. Only 3,000 bottles were produced in 2020.
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.
