Domaine Raymond Usseglio, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Imperiale 2015

The 2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Imperiale is undeniably one of the big successes in the vintage. A blend of 95% Grenache and 5% other permitted varieties, partially destemmed and aged all in concrete, its deep ruby color is followed by awesome notes of blackberry jam, crushed rocks, graphite, and garrigue. A big, rich, unctuous wine, it has beautiful purity, integrated acidity, building tannin, and a great, great finish. I wouldn’t touch bottles for another 4-5 years, but it’s a tour de force in Grenache I wish every reader could taste!

The 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Imperiale is a big, super ripe wine, loaded with plummy, chocolaty fruit. It's almost entirely Grenache from sandy sites, made and aged in concrete. At 16% alcohol by volume, it's full-bodied and the tannins are ripe, creamy and supple, but the alcoholic heat isn't particularly noticeable. Give the bit of green stemminess from some whole-cluster inclusion a year or two in bottle to merge with the rest of the wine and drink it young, before the fruit fades.