2004 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Mon Aieul

There was no Reserve des Deux Frères made in 2004, so the 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de Mon Aieul received all of the top grapes. Still youthful and lively, with less density and depth than the '03, it offers classic notes of garrigue, mushrooms, olives, dried spice, kirsch and blackberry. Full-bodied and concentrated, especially in the vintage, it has plenty of sweet fruit, fine tannin and a great finish. There's a lot of similarities here to the '99, and I expect it will evolve similarly.

Drinking beautifully, the 2004 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul is silky and perfumed with kirsch, garrigue, licorice and wild flower aromatics. These lead to a medium to full bodied wine that possesses sweet fruit, fresh acidity and a classy, elegant demeanor. Delicious, this will no doubt continue to drink well over the next 10 years. I purchased this bottle on release.

Explosively floral aromas of raspberry and wild strawberry complicated by mineral and lavender notes. Concentrated and deep, with sweet but nicely focused red fruit and bitter cherry flavors accompanied by exotic smoked meat and black walnut tones. An impressively rich, powerful wine, offering serious palate coverage and a long, very sweet finish.