I have to agree with Dan (and disagree with Jonathan - sorry):
fwiw I opened the 2007 Pegau/Reservée 2007 yesterday for a comprehensive Rhone-tasting (2007 to 1981):
it showed beautifully and has nothing to do with 1995 or 2005, full of typical spicey fruit, but nothing hot about it, tannins are ripe and sweet, structure is there but not a hint of dryness to it - it was one of the 2-3 best wines in the tasting (of 24 bottles) … if at all you can compare it to a strong mix of 2001 and 2000 … no doubt the vintage will evolve beautifully.
Granted all bottles had been opened 5-6 h in advance - for their benefit.
(I might … or might not … write a report about the tasting - if I´m in the mood and have time at hand).
IMO the tough Pegau vintages like 1995 and 2005 need significant decanting. I would say an hour for the 1995, at least two hours for the 2005.
The mid-weight beauties like 2011 need less air time. I think the 2011 would have started singing a little earlier than 45 minutes with a decant. For the younger vintages of this type (2018, 2014…), I would give a splash decant and then go ahead. Older vintages of this type (2006, 1999) probably don’t need a decant. 2004 is a little different, friendlier than 2005 but burlier than 2006. I would splash decant.
2012 is another unusual one. There aren’t many vintages that are tough when young (like 2005 and 1995) but will clearly be great with time. I would decant for 1 - 4 hours.
2009 is probably good now with little or no decant. I would give 2010 a splash and go.
Well, I also disagree with Dan in liking the 2008 Pegau much more than he does. These things happen. I should say I haven’t tasted the 07 in a year. Maybe it has started to show I’m wrong this year. But if Dan and Gerhard liked it as much last year, well, once again, these things happen. I also don’t agree with those who find the 07 Pegau to have overripe, pruney, stewed tastes.
Gracias for all that info. We had the 2012 last Thursday in a blind line up of 2012 CdP and while it was excellent a few hours after pop and pour and time in the glass, I can see how it might have shown more with a good decant. I was surprised how “modern” the 2012s seemed, not just Pegau but all the others as well. Salut.
Good to see the thread revived. I’m doing a Pegau dinner tomorrow night at EVO in Portland (Maine). Nothing old, but we’ll do 2013 and 2012 Laurence side-by-side, along with lots of her Cotes du Rhones and a couple of younger vintages of Reservee.
Thanks for asking. This was my second Pegau dinner at EVO. I’m a little embarrassed to say that after a fine event there last year, I had not been back. I was involved in the planning of last year’s but not this time, which was just fine; the wines were not entirely what I expected. But this year’s dinner blew away the last one and included one of the finest wine and food pairings I’ve ever had.
Brief notes and no scores on the wines:
The ‘Autumn Salad’ - would have been fine any time of the year. Top quality, perfectly fresh ingredients, very simple. The white Pegau Cotes du Rhone ‘Lone’ was an excellent match, a throwback to the earthy traditional style of the Appellation, with a lovely texture that managed to be both solid and lacy. Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc and Ugni Blanc work fine, none of those new-fangled aromatic grapes like Roussanne, Marsanne or Viognier.
The charcuterie was outstanding, the house-made duck liver mousse whipped into toothsome delicacy, the country pate foursquare and forthright. Pegau’s top Cotes du Rhone ‘Setier’ was a perfect match, packed with black fruit, vivid and dense.
Halibut matched with a mid-weight, 8 year old Pegau didn’t seem obvious. The olive jus was an absolutely brilliant inspiration, binding the wine and fish seamlessly into a perfect savory joy. 2014 Pegau Chateauneuf ‘Cuvee Reservee’ is in the long tradition of beautiful mid-weight Pegau vintages that drink well from 2 - 20 years of age. The entire dinner was excellent, but this was the highlight.
From my own basement, I added 2012 Pegau Chateauneuf ‘Cuvee Laurence’ to the 2019 Pegau Chateauneuf ‘Cuvee Reservee’. The meat had excellent flavors, the accompaniments were classic. The room was divided between the two wines; good news for those who preferred the 2019 which is available and less expensive. I preferred the 2012, IMO one of the best ever bottlings of Cuvee Laurence. 2012 was a big, ripe but tannic vintage with lots of acidity and backbone. The 2012 Pegau Chateauneuf ‘Cuvee Reservee’ is just beginning to open up. The Laurence (multiple 96 point ratings) is so happy to be uncorked.
I don’t eat dessert, but my tablemates told me that that the Pavlova was great. I do drink Champagne and the Jean Laurent was also great. Disgorged in April 2022, it’s a blend of the 2018, 2017 and 2016 vintages, probably with a small percentage of reserve wine. The Aube district is best known for Pinot Noir, but Jean’s Blanc de Blanc offers tremendous purity and immediacy.
EVO is part of a small but outstanding group that includes the Chebeague Island Inn (seasonal), House Island (a private island for weddings and events), and most recently ‘Twelve’. This latter restaurant, founded by refugees from Eleven Madison Park and Per Se in New York, made the NYT list of the country’s Top 50 restaurants. I haven’t tried it yet (hard to get reservations), but I will be back to EVO sooner rather than later. The dinner was oversold (the upstairs room seats 28); we are talking about another (non-Pegau) dinner in March and another Pegau dinner in a year. The idea is to do the same dinner on back-to-back nights; the waiting list this time would have filled the room again.
I really enjoyed the 2011 Pegau. We have already consumed all six that we purchased. It is interesting that Dan is comparing the 2018 to it. I found the 2018 to be my least favorite vintage in the past 15 years or so. I loved the lighter, more restrained 2011, but found 2018 to be big and ripe with the alcohol out of balance. I have quite a few more so I hope I find the others to be better. I’ll probably work through our remaining 2014’s next, leaving the bigger vintages to age.
I like the 2019 Pegau Cuvee Reservee. It’s a little less structured than 2017, more like 2015. I prefer 2015, but they are pretty close. I don’t think 2019 will close down (it was beautifully open last night). It probably won’t be a potential 50 year wine like 2016 or 2010, but should drink very well up to mid-century. It’s very pretty and friendly, there’s nice breadth to it, but without the serious density of the biggest Pegau vintages.
I think this is the 3rd time I’ve tried this. I had initially pegged it as a lighter-bodied, drink soon wine. While I might finish them in the next several years, it’s definitely filled out and showing more power and energy. For my tastes, it’s a great wine to drink into 2030. Once the last bit of tannins finally resolve, watch out!
I was just about to see if I could go to your dinner Dan, when I realized you were talking about Portland Maine. More than the 6 hour drive to Portlandia.
I really loved 08 Pegau. I tasted the 07 in 2010 in the Pegau store and decided to pass. I bought 04 Laurence instead. I agree the 2011 has been stellar. I find the 13 to be a little less exciting.
Jason. It was (in 2010) a place with thousands of bottles of Pegau in wire bins for sale. It was just off the main square in the village of Chateauneuf du Pape.
There is a Pegau-caveau in the center of CdP for decades, left hand in the avenue Charles de Gaulle … for decades an uncle of the Féraud-family was in the shop, but after his passing there is an employee … they have the usual last releases available plus now and then larger formats and sometimes even some older vintages … at domaine prices. Recommended when the domaine is closed.
Yes, but,if you’ve traveled all that way, it’s probably worth it to make a RdV for the domaine, which is now a tasting room, run by employees and tastes the whole line-up of Pegau and Laurence Feraud wines–except the da Capo, of course,which you can buy. It’s not the kind of visit one had when Paul or Laurence used to do them, but it’s more extensive than the storefront they have in the town.
