Saturday, December 10, 2011

2001 Pierre Usseglio Cuvee Mon Aieul



This came highly recommended from Parker and it is quite a treat. Blackberry, vanilla, very silky and totally mature. Color is brick on the rim and light purple in the center. There is a bit of alcohol on the nose but not unpleasantly. Some wood sap, pine too, and maybe lavender. This is mostly grenache, and it is reminiscent of the big Aussie grenaches I like. With time more of a cherry aroma. A great balance of fruit, acid and very sweet silky tannin. 95-96 points.

Parker 97 points: The 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de Mon Aieul (85% Grenache and equal parts Syrah, Mourvedre, and Cinsault) tips the scales at a prodigious 15.8% alcohol. Half of the wine is aged in neutral wood foudres and the other half in tank prior to being bottled unfined and unfiltered. The sources for Mon Aieul are three vineyard parcels with vines averaging between 75 and 87 years of age. The 2001 is much more structured and backward than the 2000, 1999, or 1998. The color is a dense purple, and the bouquet offers sweet but reserved aromas of blackberries, raspberries, crushed rocks, and kirsch liqueur. It possesses superb texture, enormous body, and tremendous purity as well as overall symmetry. The tannin is high, but it is largely concealed by the wealth of fruit and extract. Give it 3-4 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 15-18. This fabulous 2001 will provide fascinating comparisons when tasted alongside the 2000, 1999, and 1998 over the next 10-15 years.

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