Domaine du Pegau - Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe Cuvée Reservée 2018

Bacchus Magazine

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

Earthy, robust, animalistic, meaty, fruity and fresh, this is already a delight. The ripe berries are accompanied by layers of herbs, pepper, spice and garrigue. Full-bodied with layers of ripe plums and cherries, the wine is long, fresh and intense, with the ability to age and evolve for years. This is not a vintage that will require years of cellaring. Just a few years will add a lot to the wine. The wine is a blend of 80% Grenache and various other AOC allowed grape varieties. Because no Cuvee da Capo was produced in 2018, those grapes were added to flesh out the Reservee.

Falstaff

Dark ruby, gentle ochre glints, subtle brightening at the rim. Hints of tobacco and nutty undertones of dark forest fruit, a hint of plum, some licorice, attractive bouquet. Juicy, complex, fresh acidity, gentle animalistic notes of Mourvèdre, chocolatey note, elegant and persistent, definite ageing potential, always one of the best value wines in this class.

Wine Enthusiast

The Cuvée Réservée is Pegau's crown jewel, a profoundly ripe yet deeply nuanced wine made from a Grenache-dominant blend of 13 regional red grape varieties. Vinified entirely in whole bunches and matured in large 2-year-old oak casks, its black plum and cherry are sonorous and piercing, accented by whiffs of black pepper, leather and sage. While it drinks beautifully young, it will improve through 2040 at least.

Jeb Dunnuck

The 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Réservée is a total charmer and already impossible to resist. Lots of red and black fruits, ground pepper, saddle leather, and spicy, floral notes define the nose, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a lush, round mouthfeel, beautiful elegance, and outstanding length. It doesn’t have the concentration or depth of a truly great Pégau, but it’s one heck of a great drink today. Enjoy bottles over the coming 10-15 years or so.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Don't discount the 2018 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Réservée based on overall perceptions of the vintage; Laurence Feraud claims it reminds her of the 2014, which savvy consumers will know was one of the appellation's standouts that year. Violets and garrigue appear on the nose, joined by cherries and raspberries. In the mouth, it's medium to full-bodied, silky and tannic, but the tannins are ripe and not overly prominent. It may need another year or two to soften but should then drink well for a decade or more.

My tastings during my evening visit to Domaine du Pegau included a number of other wines, both from Chateau Pegau and Selection Laurence Feraud. Those will be included in my follow-up coverage of other appellations of the Southern Rhône. For this report, I've focused on the current and upcoming releases from the property itself.