Good early drinking vintage of Pegau. Very nice elegance and expression.
2013 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée- France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (1/8/2021)
Decanted two-hours. Full ruby with light ruby edges. Aromatically expressive red fruit, damp earth and savory spices. Notes throughout of black cherry & ripe strawberry, dried lavender, sous-bois earth, tea & paprika, and hints of saddle leather. Drinks with fresh and ripe red & black fruit, dried floral herbs and earth & crush rock secondary notes. Medium bodied, very elegant. Very nice lift to the flavors through the mid-palate, nice brightness to the acidity, with round overall structure that finishes with medium rounded tannins and moderate depth, clean and crisp. This wouldn’t have the intensity through the finish that you’d see in vintages of greater acclaim, but has plenty of pretty expression and elegance. __
Larry, Melissa and I were enjoying it too much to leave any for tomorrow. But I know you might be interested, I bought this bottle at the Domaine, so it never went through logistics other than me schlepping it around for the rest of my vacation.
commercial post: I import Pegau to most of the US.
My comments on the ‘Cuvee Reservee’ of the vintages mentioned: Please note that I have a vested interest and that my opinion is worth what it costs you, ie, nothing.
2013 - A vintage I like, but find very atypical. The percentage of Syrah is the same as always, a little under 10%, but from the flavor profile, I would have guessed quite a bit higher. There is a brightness and freshness to this vintage that is not characteristic of most Pegau Cuvee Reservee at any age. I don’t doubt that this has at least another five years, but I really like it now for its vivacity. I find it hard to judge how it will age as it is so different from any other vintage I’ve had.
2011 - A classic, under-the-radar vintage in a line with 2006 and 1999. Approaching a decade, it has rounded out and has the deep, mellow, savory character of the best mid-weight vintages of this bottling. This is approaching peak, will hold it for at least another five years and may gain additional subtlety and depth. I am not sure that it will age as well as 1999 and 2004, but it’s a beauty right now.
2014 - Still young, this has just started to show some secondary character over the last year. Built along the same lines as 2011 and 2006, I would not drink this right now. It is just beginning to knit and gain depth and breadth, will certainly improve for close to a decade and only begin to really show its stuff in another 3 - 5 years. While it will provide some pleasure today, there is far more to gain from holding than drinking.
I would not recommend holding any of these three vintages to 20 years (although I’ve been wrong on this before!). No issues with 2011 and 2014 to 15+ years of age, but would monitor 2013 every year or so, just because I find it so outside the Pegau mainstream.
Thanks for the check-in Matt. I’ve got a bunch of these and wasn’t planning on checking in until 2023, but sounds like maybe now is a good time to crack one.
I had a 1999 two weeks ago, perfectly mature, just a tiny hint of brett that adds to the depth, will not improve but drink well for another 5 years (when perfectly stored as my bottles are).
Got around to popping one and following it over this past weekend. Nice to drink now but I’d still wait a few years to drink my next one.
2013 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée- France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (3/18/2021)
Perfumed and dark- Mourvèdre seems way more prominent than the stated 6%. Medium bodied, with Sappy black cherry fruit, charcoal and smoke, black pepper, a couple drops of peychaud bitters, and edgy acid that could use a few more years to integrate, although the tannins are already in a good place. Florals linger on the persistent finish. Not a blockbuster CdP by any stretch, which is a good thing… Nary a trace of brett, should I be disappointed?? 91 with plenty of upside.
Enjoyed over 4 nights - shedding rusticity and savory stemmy notes coming to the fore. (91 pts.)