An Italian in Provence? Making French wine? Quick, call the village elders, it must never happen! And yet it has. And not just any wine either: Pierre Usseglio make Chateauneuf du Pape of such singular quality that many a French wine maker should take notice. Blending Italian panache with French savoir-faire, if you don’t already know him, Pierre Usseglio is worth remembering.

Leaving his native Italy, in 1931 to work in the French vineyards, Francis Usseglio spent 15 years learning the trade (literally from the ground up) prior to buying his own parcel of land in 1948. Producing his first bottle in 1949, the wine was well received, but it was really six years later when Francis’ son Pierre joined the ranks that the business began making waves on the international circuit (Francis has another son, Raymond, who runs his own eponymous estate). Building on their father’s vision, Pierre’s sons Thierry and Jean-Pierre (who now runs the winery) have followed in their father’s footsteps and have propelled the wine to be one of the best in the region.

Known for the quality of their Chateauneuf du Papes blends, Pierre Usseglio owns 39-hectares, made up of 24 hectares of Châteauneuf-du-Pape red, 1 hectare de Châteauneuf-du-Pape white, 6 hectares de Lirac red, 6 hectares de Côtes-du-Rhône and 2 hectares de Vin de France, planted to approximately 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre, and 5% Cinsault. These blends have made both oenologues and critics alike take note: the high alcohol content (up to 18% in some cuvees) is indicative of the age of the vine (half of his vines are 65 years old, the other half are 40). Eight separate wines are produced, notably the Cuvee de Mon Aieul (Cuvee for my Ancestors) Reserve des Deux Freres and the Not for You! Annual production is 3,500 cases annually.

This latter wine is the perfect benchmark for Chateauneuf du Pape - the wine has been climbing in popularity (and price) year on year. Among the highest-priced Southern Rhone Blends (Q2 2019 selling prices for the 2016 were approximately €350 a bottle, dropping from a peak of €460 in Q1 of the same year). Outside of Bordeaux, Pierre Usseglio, Chateauneuf Du Pape 2010 was the top wine traded by volume, while the Reserve des Deux Freres was given a 98/100 by Robert Parker for the 2006 vintage.