2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Imperiale

The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Imperiale is another more lifted, perfumed, almost exotic wine, and while it’s certainly a terrific wine, it’s a step back from the all-time greats from this address. Red and black fruits, candied strawberries, Asian spices, and peppery notes give way to a medium to full-bodied Châteauneuf du Pape with good mid-palate depth, ripe tannins, and outstanding length. It’s young and a little gangly at the moment, so give bottles 3-4 years in the cellar. I found the 2020 reds from Raymond Usseglio to be a little lifted and difficult to read. These will hopefully come together with a year or two in bottle and justify the lofty barrel reviews. The same can’t be said about the white, however. These showed brilliantly, with the 2021 Châteauneuf Du Pape Pure Roussanne unquestionably one of the top whites in the vintage.

The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Impériale is also straight-up gorgeous. Based on very old vine Grenache, it reveals a dense purple hue to go with brilliant red and blue fruits as well as notes of violets, candied orange, spice, and a kiss of cracked pepper. Rich, medium to full-bodied, pure, and seamless on the palate, it has the vintage's fresh, focused texture and is going to deliver the goods over the coming 15-20 years.