2019 Domaine Pierre Usseglio Not for You Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone

A wine you don’t see often - there’s only one barrel made! Flat-out awesome, and Grenache doesn't get any better. Coming from 100-year-old vines in the Les Serres lieu-dit, in the southern end of the appellation, it was not destemmed and was brought up in a single new demi-muid. Incredible aromatics of darker berries, Provençal garrigue, ground pepper, lavender, and leather are just some of its nuances, and this beauty hits the palate with a deep, layered, opulent mouthfeel, full-bodied richness, ripe tannins, and a great, great finish. While this is a massive wine by any measure, it's not over the top, stays perfectly balanced, has ripe tannins, and is an incredibly singular wine. Unfortunately, it will be just about impossible to find in the market. If you're lucky enough to find a bottle, it should be at its best from 2026-2041.

100 points Jeb Dunnuck

From the oldest vines of the estate, and not made every vintage (it was bottled previously in 2007, 2009 and 2016), the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Not For You was still in demi-muids at the time of my visit (it spends two full years in oak). Despite the wood influence, floral elements shine through the cedary notes, adding welcome nuance to the flavors of black cherries, plums and milk chocolate. It's full-bodied and supple, with crisper acids than I would've expected, finishing clean and bright.

This domaine, located in the village of Châteauneuf du Pape, has built a solid reputation over the years as producing rich, ripe red wines, so it's interesting to see that Thierry Usseglio and his son, Gregory, are experimenting with the use of whole bunches and an entirely new wine style that combines a large proportion of white grapes and use of amphorae. One of the nice things about the 2020s at this estate is that there is a clear delineation of quality throughout the range, a distinction that has been blurred somewhat in past vintages. I'm not sure if it's a deliberate attempt at this on their part or just a product of the vintage, but it is a welcome development. And fans of the rich, ripe style here need not worry about the wines' taking a different tack, they just come across as a bit more refined and elegant than in the past.

96-98 points Joe Czerwinski for The Wine Advocate