Domaine Pierre Usseglio, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Reserve des 2 Freres 2020

The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Réserve Des Deux Freres is almost all Grenache but includes a tiny parcel of very old vine Serine Syrah from Charbonniere. This deep purple-hued effort boasts a killer nose of blackberries, cassis, spicy wood, graphite, and ground pepper, among other Provençal nuances. Pure, full-bodied, and flawlessly balanced, it has building yet perfectly ripe tannins, the vintage’s more elegant, streamlined style, and a great finish. It's beautifully done and will benefit from just a few years of bottle age and keep for 15 to 20 years.

The 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des 2 Freres raises the quality bar higher, offering scents of cedar, dried spices and black cherries. A blend of 85% Grenache and 15% Serine (Syrah), aged in new barrels, it's full-bodied, rich and plush in feel, finishing long and velvety. I've said this before, but it bears repeating—I'm not usually a fan of maturing Grenache in small-format new oak vessels, but it seems to work in this case, resulting in a wine that's somehow dessert-rich, yet savory and not overbearing, with a soft, almost pillowy impression on the palate.

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.