Carmelo Anthony Launches a Châteauneuf-du-Pape With Stéphane Usseglio
Wine Spectator|September 30, 2022
It’s official: Carmelo Anthony is in the wine game.
SHAWN ZYLBERBERG
Carmelo Anthony Launches a Châteauneuf-du-Pape With Stéphane Usseglio

The 10-time NBA All-Star, current Los Angeles Laker, and host of wine-themed podcast What’s in Your Glass? has launched his own wine brand, VII(N) The Seventh Estate, in partnership with third-generation Rhône Valley winemaker Stéphane Usseglio.

It all started in March 2019, when Usseglio (son of Raymond Usseglio) came across an article about Michael Wijnen, a music industry professional who pivoted to a career promoting French wines to celebrities. Usseglio tracked down Wijnen, lamenting the dearth of celebrity star power in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. A month later, Wijnen was meeting with Anthony in New York and brought up the possibility of collaborating with Usseglio in the Southern Rhône. By June, Anthony was on a plane to France.

Three years later, Anthony and Usseglio are releasing their debut wine: VII(N) Châteauneuf-du-Pape Oath of Fidelity 2017 ($NA, 200 cases made). The blend of 90% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre is sourced largely from 80-year-old vines in the Le Mourre du Gaud vineyard, adjacent to the famed La Crau plateau. The wine was fermented in concrete vats with native yeast and aged for two years in a combination of concrete and oak casks.

“When Carmelo came in June 2019, we spent a while visiting the vineyard together, understanding the different terroirs of Châteauneuf, and then sitting in the cellars and working on the blend,”

Usseglio told Wine Spectator.

Esta historia es de la edición September 30, 2022 de Wine Spectator.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición September 30, 2022 de Wine Spectator.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE WINE SPECTATORVer todo
Shipwrecked Champagne Hoard Discovered Near Sweden
Wine Spectator

Shipwrecked Champagne Hoard Discovered Near Sweden

It sometimes feels like wine has a habit of falling into the briny deep. On July 23, Polish wreck diver and underwater photographer Tomasz Stachura announced that he and his Baltictech team had discovered the wreck of a 19th-century sailing ship near Öland, an island off the coast of Sweden—and it was crammed with bottles of Champagne and mineral water.

time-read
2 minutos  |
December 15, 2024
Openings: The Latest in Napa Tasting
Wine Spectator

Openings: The Latest in Napa Tasting

Several new tasting options have opened in Napa Valley, particularly in downtown Napa where wineries are launching satellite tasting rooms. Standing out from the crowd means trying new approaches. Here are some highlights:

time-read
1 min  |
December 15, 2024
War in Middle East Affects Vintners
Wine Spectator

War in Middle East Affects Vintners

The 2024 harvest at Israel’s Dalton Winery was punctuated by nonstop rocket and drone attacks launched from just across the border in Hezbollah-controlled southern Lebanon.

time-read
2 minutos  |
December 15, 2024
Wineries Sue Napa County in Federal Court
Wine Spectator

Wineries Sue Napa County in Federal Court

Three Napa wineries filed a joint lawsuit in federal court in September alleging that Napa County officials violated their constitutional rights.

time-read
1 min  |
December 15, 2024
Savoring Persimmon Season
Wine Spectator

Savoring Persimmon Season

For many, persimmons are an enigma ingredient. Chef David Nayfeld of Award of Excellence-winning Che Fico in San Francisco and its Best of Award of Excellence sibling dangling persimmons off the tree with a stick at a childhood friend's house before realizing what they were. \"I remember his parents saying, 'Hey, don't hit the persimmons, those are food!\"\"

time-read
2 minutos  |
December 15, 2024
Tasting Plate: A German Six-Pack
Wine Spectator

Tasting Plate: A German Six-Pack

Though it boasts Western Europe’s largest population and biggest economy, Germany is nowhere near the cheese juggernaut its neighbors Switzerland and France are. That said, the Germans love their fine cheeses, and they do turn out some excellent ones, fortunately including more than a handful that are currently available here in the U.S.

time-read
2 minutos  |
December 15, 2024
Gigondas Blanc Est Arrivé!
Wine Spectator

Gigondas Blanc Est Arrivé!

Ask winemakers in the Southern Rhône to name the most exciting white grape in their region and you will hear a growing number of them say \"Clairette.\"

time-read
3 minutos  |
December 15, 2024
Kistler's DARKER SIDE
Wine Spectator

Kistler's DARKER SIDE

Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ups the ante at the house that Chardonnay built

time-read
6 minutos  |
December 15, 2024
THE SPLENDOR OF CHAMPAGNE
Wine Spectator

THE SPLENDOR OF CHAMPAGNE

THE REGION'S LEADING PRODUCERS DELIVER HIGH QUALITY AMID A DIVERSE RANGE OF STYLES

time-read
9 minutos  |
December 15, 2024
MICHAEL BATTERBERRY: 1932-2010 Gourmet, Journalist, Gentleman
Wine Spectator

MICHAEL BATTERBERRY: 1932-2010 Gourmet, Journalist, Gentleman

Before Food Network, Top Chef or Yelp ... before the term “foodie\" ... before tomatoes were heirloom and sushi was fast food... back when fancy restaurants were always French... Michael Batterberry and his wife, Ariane, were working to celebrate and elevate the status of American chefs and international cuisine. Julie Mautner, Food Arts' former executive editor, looks at the life and legacy of her late mentor, affectionately known as The Bat.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
December 15, 2024