Anyone had the 2011 Pegau Cuvée Reservee? Thanks.
Nope, but judging on past performance, the off vintages are typically much better (at least for my tastes, read: restrained and elegant) than the more celebrated vintages.
Not my take … the great vintages are better still than the lesser ones, but Pegau has a fine track record with sucessful wines in minor vintages.
The 2011 is an excellent effort in a good but not great vintage. Superior to the 2008, full of typical Southern Provencial herbs, quite meaty, with good structure, fine balance and a long satisfying finish. Can be enjoyed now (spare your 2009/10), but will certainly improve for 10-12+ years. Reminds me a bit on a blend of 2004 and 2006 …
I’m a Pegau fan and have tasted most vintages going back to 1990. One thing to keep in mind is that tasting Pegau this early might not yield much insight into the 7+ year drinking experience. For example, the '03 and '07 drank very poorly early on for my taste, but are both drinking fantastic now. That said, it the good-but-not-heralded vintages, my experience is that it’s trajectory a bit more predictable.
It is also worth noting that I haven’t liked much of anything from '11 in southern rhone and will largely pass on the vintage.
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2011 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (11/1/2013)
I knew this was going to be a science experiment going in given the vintage. This bottle has a mute yet typical nose of plum and ash. It was dominated by coriander seed on the palate, with plenty of acid moving through to the medium finish with fine grained tannin.
This is a hypothetical combination of '04 and '08. Too young to judge how this will unwind, but like '08 I will probably pass on this vintage. For me, it lacks the sheer drink-ability of the '08 at a similar stage. I think they made the best of the material they had to work with, but it just isn’t quite enough to make me believe this will come around. (87 pts.)
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To my mind, a hypothetical combination of 2004 and 2008 would be a really nice wine.
I had the 1981 Pegau a couple of weeks ago and it was sublime. I have enjoyed a lot of Pegau from every vintage from 1985 forward and have also had the 1981 and 1983. My take is that the cooler vintages such as 2004 and 2006 drink well at an earlier stage (around 5 to 10 years old). However, the warmer and more acclaimed vintages such as 1998, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2010 will need more time (around 10 to 25 years) to calm down and show the Provencal garrigue and balance that most on this board desire.
Indeed, to each their own. The aspects of the '11 that I liked I associate with the '04 (e.g. acidity) which was a vintage I would rate as good to very good, but the green note I associate with the '08 which as I mentioned I passed on completely.
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I’ll probably wait and see. I never planned on buying any 08 but couldn’t help myself when it was offered for high $20s. I bet the 11 will trend down in price as did the 08. But, given how much I bought of 07, 09 and 10, I wouldn’t mind taking a vintage off…
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I bought a case and a half of the '08 @ $29 each. To me, it was practically like stealing. I’ve been through about a case so far, have never detected any green note. I like the '04 even better, but also had to pay more. Both vintages very enjoyable to my palate.
My thoughts exactly. I, too, bought a case and a half of 08, from 2 or 3 different sources, and never noted any green. I think the 04 is also terrific and has been open for business for several years. I’ve been drinking 04 waiting on the 03 and later vintages to settle down.
I haven’t noticed a green note on the 08 - found them to be a nice drink for the much reduced price but would have been disappointed for the $50-60 that Pegau usually sells for.
The 04 on the other hand is a big step up - two bottles in the last 3-4 months have been terrific.
Maybe green is not the best descriptor on the '08. I used coriander seed because it had a slight herb/citrus note which I found out of balance.
I did like the '04, but only have one bottle left. My notes seem to indicate that I did not think it was going to continue to improve.
I agree about holding the '07 and '10, but the last bottle of '03 I had was flat out stunning.
FWIW I enjoyed my sample of the '11 earlier this year at the Domaine:
Very nicely done. Nose is very smokey, with pipe tobacco and plenty of fruit via cherry and spice. Long rustic finish of old wood and tobacco. Could easily come around and improve with time. 92 Pts.
Clearly not the in the same league at the '10 (I was 95 Pts there), but enjoyable and followed the house style.
Full report with pictures:
http://thewinenerds.ca/a-visit-to-chateau-pegau-june-11-2013/
On discount at PC now for about $32.50.
I thought about it at that price, but I picked up some 2012 for just a few $ more - right around $40 - during one of PC’s weekly sales a month ago. I haven’t tried either one, but based on the reviews I’ve read, I’ll prefer the '12. Now if the price of the '11 drops into the $20s …
Was very excited to get in on the 08 at such a great price but so far the first three went down the drain due to brett. 
I didn’t pull the trigger on either one. Just not buying these days, but I was tempted by the '12 a few weeks ago. Pretty variable opinions about the '11 and I suspect I would need to try before buying those.
Pair with a shit sandwich, should tame down the wine. ![[snort.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/bdc3944606213c4dca6c1169cf0a166c8bc4f8c9.gif "snort.gif"){kind=small}
In reality, I have been about 70% good and 30% brett bomb on 08s. For the $20 I paid I can live with that rate.
I was tempted by a very nice price here in Austin, TX recently. It turned out to be an excellent bet. While this still has a lot of upside there was a lot going on already. Lovely nose of 5 spice, sandalwood, tea, hints of smokiness. Very juicy in the mouthfeel and coated the palate. Nice medium weight and good length. An excellent food wine. I will be buying more for near term drinking…out to about three to five years probably.
Cheers, Bob
My one experience with the 08 was the Brett bomb variety.