98pts James Suckling - #27 James Suckling Top 100 Wines of the World 2025

What a great 2023 Chateauneuf-du-Pape this is. Enormously deep and concentrated but also refined, with a slew of floral aromas alongside perfectly ripe red fruit. Then comes the breathtaking finish in which structure and delicacy are precisely matched, and it just doesn’t want to stop. 92% grenache from vines planted in 1901 and 1902, with a small amount of white grape varieties inter-planted. Matured exclusively in concrete tanks. Bottled unfiltered. Drinkable now, but best from 2026.

94pts Wine Advocate

Mainly Grenache Noir (95%), complemented by other permitted varieties, the 2023 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Imperiale is superb, opening with a complex, spicy bouquet of dark cherries, rose, violet and licorice. Medium- to full-bodied, concentrated and layered, it delivers a fleshy core of fruit framed by fine-grained tannins, concluding with a long, energetic finish. Vinification and élevage took place entirely in concrete tanks.

Winemaker Notes

La Cuvée Imperiale is from Domaine Raymond Usseglio's oldest vines, most of them 100 years old (planted in 1901-1902). Extremely low yields (16-18 h/h) guarantee a wine that is dense and profound. The ancient Grenache vines bring to this cuvee their finesse and elegance. Will age for dozens of years. To be carafed during the first years. Because it is bottled without any filtration, some sediment – natural and beneficial to the aging process – is possible.