2012 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Imperiale
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Tasting notes
My favorite of the lineup, and one of the top Châteauneufs in the vintage, the 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape Imperiale is 95% Grenache (5% other varieties) that comes from 100-year-old vines and the pure sand soils of the Piallon (near Rayas) and Girardette (near Charbonnière) lieux-dits. It offers awesome black and blue fruits, violets, licorice and crushed rock-like minerality in its full-bodied, balanced, pure and elegant profile. Impressively concentrated, inky colored and with sweet tannin, it’s capable of evolving for 12-15 years or more.
Critic scores
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Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate
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About the producer
Domaine Raymond Usseglio is one of the leading producers of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, producing a number of different red and white cuvées from the appellation. The domaine’s most famous wine is their Châteauneuf-du-Pape Impériale, which comes exclusively from vines that are over 100 years old.
Product details
Grenache/ Garnacha , Syrah / Shiraz, Mourvedre/Monastrell/Mataro, Cinsault, Counoise
Red
Dry