Stephane Usseglio Les Amandiers Vin de France NV

This is what happens when a top-flight Chateauneuf-du-Pape winemaker decides to stop playing by the rules. Stéphane Usseglio runs Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils, a family estate in Chateauneuf where his grandfather Francis arrived from Italy in 1931. His father Raymond founded the current estate in 1964; Stéphane took over in 2004 and has been making some of the most coveted Chateauneufs on the market ever since.

So why is this bottle labeled Vin de France — France's most basic appellation — instead of something more prestigious?

Because Stéphane refused to color inside the lines. He blended fruit from his Chateauneuf-du-Pape plots with parcels in Lirac, the Côtes-du-Rhône, and a small site outside any AOC, and added a touch of Merlot — a grape that's not permitted in any of the Rhône appellations. The result is a wine that drinks like a baby Chateauneuf but costs a fraction of the price.

The fruit is 100% organically certified estate fruit — mostly Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, with that small dose of Merlot for suppleness and roundness.

Aged across cement tanks, large foudres, and a small portion of barriques. It's deliberately un-vintaged, because the goal is consistency: every bottle drinks the same, every time you open one.

If you've ever tasted a real Chateauneuf and wished you could afford to drink it, this is the bottle. Pull the cork for grilled lamb chops, or a slow-braised short rib. It's the most fun you can have with a Rhône red at this price.