Domaine Usseglio Châteauneuf du Pape

Cherry and pomegranate fruit are joined by hints of asphalt and cracked pepper on the nose of Usseglio's 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape. It's spicy and savory overall, with a silky feel to the medium to full-bodied palate. Not overly concentrated, it's nevertheless nicely balanced, with the delicious tension of just-ripe fruit and a bright, lingering finish.

Tasted blind. Powerful youthful bready nose. Dense palate with some good underlying freshness – the tannins are currently tight and chalky and pretty drying, but there is fruit to see this resolve over the years.

Smells just like dry clay on a summer’s day. There’s a good dried fruit character on the nose too, but it’s quite discreet. Excellent balance of healthy tannins, fruit and minerality of the medium to full-bodied palate. Long, warm and polished finish. Drink or hold.