Price: $53 per bottle or Special 6-Pack Discount $300 SOLD OUT
On the edge of the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, on the road to Courthézon, is where you’ll find La Crau — one of the most renowned lieux-dits in the appellation of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Out of this stony plateau, particularly highly regarded for Grenache, grows vines planted in the years 1901 and 1902. These are the old vines which bear the fruit that Raymond Usseglio‘s son, Stéphane, with his oenologist, Xavier Vignon, transform into the intense and elegant Cuvée Impériale “Vignes Centenaires”.
Composed of 90% Grenache and the rest a field blend of other authorized varietals, it’s a magnificently concentrated wine with abundant herb and flower aromas and a structure that is muscular but not over-ripe.
Kingmaker Robert Parker bequeathed a 99 point status on the 2010 vintage of Cuvée Impériale calling it “a candidate for perfection”. Of course, prices soared for that vintage. Fortunately for us wine drinkers, the 2011 Cuvée Impériale is back to a more reasonable cost (even though Parker still declares it “one of the stars of the vintage”).
Please join us this Saturday at the shop to sample this delightfully classic Châteauneuf-du-Pape. We’ll be offering special pricing on a very limited number of cases. Six cases were allocated to Michigan by the the national importer, all at our shop.
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Posted on 2013.10.04 in France, Saturday Sips Wines, Southern Rhone