CDP Cuvee Imperiale 2015

Usseglio, Raymond

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60 75cl Bottle Case 6 £190 per Case Cases [Add to shopping basket]
Tasting Notes

The 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Imperiale is a big, super ripe wine, loaded with plummy, chocolaty fruit. It's almost entirely Grenache from sandy sites, made and aged in concrete. At 16% alcohol by volume, it's full-bodied and the tannins are ripe, creamy and supple, but the alcoholic heat isn't particularly noticeable. Give the bit of green stemminess from some whole-cluster inclusion a year or two in bottle to merge with the rest of the wine and drink it young, before the fruit fades.

Score: 94

Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2019-2025 31 October 2017

The 2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Imperiale is undeniably one of the big successes in the vintage. A blend of 95% Grenache and 5% other permitted varieties, partially destemmed and aged all in concrete, its deep ruby color is followed by awesome notes of blackberry jam, crushed rocks, graphite, and garrigue. A big, rich, unctuous wine, it has beautiful purity, integrated acidity, building tannin, and a great, great finish. I wouldn’t touch bottles for another 4-5 years, but it’s a tour de force in Grenache I wish every reader could taste!

Score: 98

Jeb Dunnuck, - 19 October 2017

What could end of up being a true blockbuster, the 2015 Châteauneuf du Pape Imperiale is mostly Grenache, from primarily sandy soils, that was fermented with some whole clusters and aged all in concrete tanks. It offers notes of blueberries, blackberries, crushed pepper and liquid violets to go with a full-bodied, beautifully pure and silky style on the palate. It’s a big wine at 16% natural alcohol, but it’s graceful, elegant and perfectly balanced, with fine tannin and a great finish. It will evolve for 15 years or more.

Score: 91 - 94

Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 28 October 2016

Tasted blind. Purple colour, with some buttery notes on the nose. Big and round on the palate. Just a little savage in terms of tannins and the sourness of the fruit on the finish. But it’s attention-grabbing. Needs time for those tannins to mellow. (16.5+ Points)

Score: 16 - 17

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2025-2035 18 October 2016