2023 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, Pure Clairette, Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils, Rhône

50% Clairette Rose, 50% Clairette. Aged for 8 months, 60% in foudres and 40% in demi-muids. Certified organic and biodynamic.

Tasted blind. A fine and linear palate with a sense of fresh minerality and lovely texture. Ripe but not heavy and with a saline note on the finish. Really engaging, refreshing and enticing. Superb.

Drink 2027 - 2036

Vivid honeysuckle, green apple, and lemon flesh aromatics introduce the 2023 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Pure Clairette. Medium-bodied and well-balanced by bright acidity, the 2023 is a promising white with excellent precision. It blends equal parts Clairette Rose and Clairette Blanche.

Drink 2024 - 2030

Crafted from equal parts Clairette and Clairette Rose planted on safres or sandy soils, the 2023 Chateauneuf du Pape Pure Clairette is a textbook wine for Clairette in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Evoking a lively, vibrant bouquet of ripe orchard fruits, spring flowers, jasmine and iodine, it’s medium to full-bodied, elegant and tense with an incisive mid-palate that’s open and expressive, concluding with a saline, ethereal finish. Vinified and matured for eight months, 60% in wooden tanks and 40% in large barrels, this wine would benefit greatly from 3-4 years of cellaring to refine its texture.

Drink 2027 - 2034

An elegant and creamy white Chateauneuf with very good concentration and charming lemon notes, everything from blossoms to candied fruit. The salty minerality makes the long, supple finish bright and uplifting. From biodynamically grown grapes. Fermented and matured in demi-muids and Stockinger Fuder.

Drink or hold

A very full-bodied, rich and textural style of Châteauneuf, this has real power and a mineral undertow. The alcohol is a little raised, but the oak is well-integrated—long finish. It feels quite closed for now, so give this a year or two to settle. Grown on sandy soils, fermented, then aged for eight months in larger-format oak barrels.

Drink 2026 - 2043

350 cases made.

A blend of equal parts Clairette and Clairette Rose, the 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape Pure Clairette is light gold-hued and offers a gorgeous nose of ripe citrus, honeyed apples, and crushed stone, with just a kiss of background minerality. With just about flawless overall balance, integrated acidity, and a gorgeous finish, this is Clairette done at a level you don’t find very often. Don’t miss it if you have a chance.