TN: 2015 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée

John_Glas · October 12, 2018, 11:21am

2015 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (10/11/2018)
The best young Pegau I have ever tasted and wine of the tasting. Garrique, funk, stones and rustic edges. This is a powerful wine but very balanced. Long finish and actually drinking great right now. If I had a six pack I would drink one every two years to see the evolution. 94-96. (94 pts.)

PhilippeCamps · October 12, 2018, 11:31am

Yes, a success vintage for Pegau! Recent vintages are much lighter and feminine…

Jeff_Vaughan · October 12, 2018, 3:37pm

Philippe, are you saying the 15 is in the lighter and feminine camp(s)? See what I did there?

I thought I saw where one of the professional reviewers used big and porty or port-like to describe this wine, but I could be wrong. That scared me away from it. I do enjoy the lighter, smaller scaled vintages of Pegau.

John_Glas · October 13, 2018, 12:37am

I could not find a review that was port like. It was big but certainly no port on this one.

Jeff_Vaughan · October 13, 2018, 11:35am

John, my bad. You are right. The reviews look pretty good on this one. It is the 2016 that Jeb Dunnuck calls “port-like.”

Gerhard_P · October 13, 2018, 8:44pm

The 2015 Pegau Reservée is simply a fabulous wine …
The 2016 is - hard to believe - still a bit more concentrated. but at the same time elegant and balanced, not jammy or portlike at all …

The 2017 is a wine for traditional purists: structured, high tannins, lively acidity, masculine and in need of cellaring … a bit like the 2005 …

Dan_Kravitz · October 14, 2018, 10:29pm

Commercial post: I import Pegau to the U.S.

The 2015 is a big, structured, classic vintage, reminds me a little of 2010.

The 2016 (to be bottled in the next few weeks) is softer, with greater density and concentration. Owner Laurence Feraud prefers the 2015. I prefer the 2016. She and I agree more than disagree about Pegau vintages, but this is not a big difference of opinion. 2016 reminds me a little of 2003 (Pegau had one of the few big successes) and 2007. Most of all it reminds me of 1989 and 1959.

The 2017 is more structured, higher in acidity, but still a very fine vintage. It reminds me a little of 2012, but I think it will be better than 2012.

I think that 30, 50 years from now 2016 will be a shining star, holding and improving after 2015 and 2017 have run their course. I had the 1959 about 10 years ago, one of the top 10 wines of my life. I think the 2016 will be in the same class in another half century.

Dan Kravitz

Peter_Panzica · October 15, 2018, 12:26am

Great to hear. Thanks for the report. Been buying 2016 CdPs for my son Henri’s birthyear and will need to get a case or two of it.
Just hope to source this locally at a reasonable price.

Jim_Stewart · October 15, 2018, 1:28am

The 2016 (to be bottled in the next few weeks) is softer, with greater density and concentration. Owner Laurence Feraud prefers the 2015. I prefer the 2016. She and I agree more than disagree about Pegau vintages, but this is not a big difference of opinion. 2016 reminds me a little of 2003 (Pegau had one of the few big successes) and 2007. Most of all it reminds me of 1989 and 1959.

I think that 30, 50 years from now 2016 will be a shining star, holding and improving after 2015 and 2017 have run their course. I had the 1959 about 10 years ago, one of the top 10 wines of my life. I think the 2016 will be in the same class in another half century.

Dan Kravitz

Great to hear. Thanks for the report. Been buying 2016 CdPs for my son Henri’s birthyear and will need to get a case or two of it.
Just hope to source this locally at a reasonable price.

Just a single word of advice from someone who has “been there, done that” . . . LOCK . . . Good luck. -Jim