Carmelo Anthony Launches a Châteauneuf-du-Pape With Stéphane Usseglio

It’s official: Carmelo Anthony is in the wine game.

- SHAWN ZYLBERBERG

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