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 Vintage2003 Label 1 of 491 
TypeRed
ProducerDomaine du Pégau (web)
VarietyRed Rhone Blend
DesignationCuvée Réservée
Vineyardn/a
CountryFrance
RegionRhône
SubRegionSouthern Rhône
AppellationChâteauneuf-du-Pape
UPC Code(s)089610901112, 091882451486, 097871001571, 3576480001235, 873922007439, 944944697332

Drinking Windows and Values
Drinking window: Drink between 2009 and 2026 (based on 139 user opinions)
Wine Market Journal quarterly auction price: See Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape (Cuvee Reservee) on the Wine Market Journal.

Community Tasting History

Community Tasting Notes (average 94.1 pts. and median of 94 pts. in 1065 notes) - hiding notes with no text

 Tasted by Art_Vandelay1 on 4/16/2024 & rated 95 points: Decanted for sediment and consumed over 2 hours. Tar, tobacco, black fruit, and spice on the palate. Quite smooth and tannins are fully integrated. Will enjoy my last bottle before the year’s end. (903 views)
 Tasted by acyso on 4/6/2024 & rated 88 points: Birthday party (Chicago, IL): From magnum. Not typically a fan of Pégau, but this is first, not dirty and bretty, and second, not overripe the way you would expect in 2003. It's definitely sweet and big, but there's no burned fruit here. Impressive for what it is, though it's definitely not my style of wine. (1407 views)
 Tasted by awitz78 on 4/6/2024 & rated 93 points: Fantastic. Some red fruit and structure. In a great place (924 views)
 Tasted by europat55 on 3/28/2024 & rated 90 points: Domaine Pegau 1995-2008 Vertical: Nose: 89+, Palate: 91
My #9, Group's #9. Tasted Blind. (1194 views)
 Tasted by oakville72 on 2/22/2024 & rated 91 points: Lacking fruit yet still austere at this point. Perhaps a bit unbalanced on the tannin/acid side? A bit beyond its prime but still enjoyable. (1524 views)
 Tasted by funderwood10 on 2/14/2024 & rated 89 points: Def a bit past peak w quite a bit of barnyard funk even couple hours after opening (maybe too much Brett). Quite jammy and fruit forward, mostly dried fruit / raisin aromas. Also get a lot of woody notes. To put it bluntly, jam smeared on slightly rotting wood. But the structure is impressive, good acid and alcohol balance w the subtle tannins. when at peak (or w less Brett) it was probably quite marvelous w the barnyard funk presumably substituted w complex forest floor aromas. (1534 views)
 Tasted by Eric on 2/10/2024: ESTG does Pegau-Palooza (Seattle, WA, USA): Oh wow, deep, powerful, SWEET, pure, impressively tannic, wow, wow, wow, such an intense palate and deep core of fruit. (1981 views)
 Tasted by rsbeck on 1/3/2024 & rated 95 points: Popped, poured, consumed over next 60 minutes. Singing from the first sip, but still improved in the glass. This was very good 8 years ago and it has developed very well in the cellar. (2000 views)
 Tasted by robmatic on 12/14/2023: Concentrated and intense, deep and gripping. Super fruit, bordering on over ripe. Lovely garrigue element, but in the end I was not compelled by this. (1897 views)
 Tasted by tomlee on 11/27/2023 & rated 97 points: Ruby red in color. 13.5% ABV. Breathtaking nose of red fruits, roasted herbs, iron and flowers. Medium body with exquisite acidity. Perfectly balanced and showing none of the roasted characteristics often associated with '03 CdP. Kirsch, raspberry liqueur, blood and cracked black pepper on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. For me this is the wine of the vintage. Best over the next 3-5 years. (2177 views)
 Tasted by Jeff Leve on 11/20/2023 & rated 97 points: The complex aromatics pop with smoked herbs, cherries, mint, potpourri, black pepper and Christmas spice. The palate is equal to the nose with its core of wild cherries, plums, herbs, and olives. There is depth, lift and length, along with fabulous textures on the palate. This is one of the best wines from the torrid 2003 vintage, which produced so many failing wines. Drink from 2023-2028. (3252 views)
 Tasted by JB_11 on 11/10/2023 & rated 97 points: Restaurant purchase. Pricey but worth it. Even at 20 years, colour was deep, impenetrable ruby red. Some fine sediment thrown, but miminal. Initial nose quite dry; mellowed somewhat, but remained dominated by leathery, smokey tones. Exceptional on the palate, smooth and round, with freshness remaining from the grenache. Strong - but very refined - tannins remained; lingering finish that was satisfying and moreish. Beastly CdP in the best way. Great spot for drinking now, probably approaching a peak, but certainly not sprinting downhill, I'm sure will comfortably last a bit longer still. 97 for mine. (2126 views)
 Tasted by MuddyBear on 10/12/2023 & rated 93 points: May be the age, but I’ve had substantial variation with these. Maybe 6-7 years ago this vintage was one of my favorite wines. In the last couple of years some bottles have been very good, others less so. This one was from the coravin. Nose is woody and leather. Very opaque wine with lots of sediment. On the palate red fruit and the tannins are still present though rounded and fading. The fruit is still live but a slight hint of stewed makes me think this is on the down side. Minor alcohol heat on the finish.

Update: after 3 glasses from the coravin I opened it up. Significant difference. The stewed notes blew off and this is drinking similar to some of the previous good bottles. Updated rating from 87 to 93. I have 2 left and will drink them up soon. (2182 views)
 Tasted by beatles on 10/2/2023 & rated 95 points: Cork looked terrible, but the fill was perfect, very impressive - and so is the wine. This has a core of iron and minerals, it's turning towards a more elegant feel. Plenty of sweet Grenache in the background,m perfectly balanced and no sign of the 2003 heat. Loving it once again.
#podcast (2622 views)
 Tasted by Nothung on 9/16/2023 & rated 94 points: In a great place right now, but but no rush; plenty of life left. Just a great CDP. Opened about 7 hours before and then decanted immediately before drinking. That should have been plenty given my experience with the last bottle but it needed more. Still a bit closed when we started drinking but opened up beautifully in the decanter and in the glass. (1846 views)
 Tasted by dbkitc on 6/10/2023 & rated 97 points: Been way too long since I have had one of these. My bad. What a wine. Mature brick red color. Wild nose of sweet dark fruit, garrique, spring flowers and worchestershire. Wow! Totally mature Sweet, full but not heavy, great finish. I have a number of these left and will drink over next few years. Great CdP. (97) (2806 views)
 Tasted by Discobiscuits42 on 4/5/2023 & rated 95 points: Similar to last bottle if a little more subtle and more forestry. Just so good. (2951 views)
 Tasted by MuddyBear on 3/27/2023 & rated 94 points: From the coravin. Significantly better than the last bottle. Aging well but I would guess at or near peak. Light color, nice fruit still, tanins are still grippy but really nice balance. (2737 views)
 Tasted by cubswinws on 3/24/2023 & rated 96 points: From magnum. Really just amazing. Still quite vibrant but everything has mellowed into just a perfect example of why I love these wines.
Sadly my last bottle. (2838 views)
 Tasted by DanielAVTL on 3/18/2023 & rated 94 points: Wow, a complete stunner. Popped and poured the '03 Pegau and served alongside a rustic pasta with chicken hearts, thyme and sage.

Immediately, upon first-pour, the wine presented a dark, vibrant color with a slight garnet core. On the nose, an explosion of licorice, valrhona, espresso, dark cherries and herbs, with subtle notes of garrigue. A truly memorable nose that I suspect will stick with me for years.

In the mouth, equally impressive, deep and complex, with tannins integrated to perfection, medium to full bodied and beautifully balanced. Matching the nose - the wine revealed gorgeous dark cherry, herbs and chocolate, setting up a long and sumptuous finish.

A peak expression of CDP, at the perfect moment in it's drinking window. Could probably hold well for another 5-7 years, but now is really the time to drink these beauties.

94 points on the night, superb. (2866 views)
 Tasted by Eric on 3/11/2023 & rated 97 points: This bottle was fantastic, ripe, spicy and savage; drinking exceptionally well. Nothing overripe or tired in this bottle. (2997 views)
 Tasted by Ary on 3/6/2023 & rated 94 points: Great Pegau, consistent with my review in 2019. Great complex nose with notes of barnyard, iron and ripe black fruits. But based on this bottle I would finish drinking this vintage in the coming 5 years. Light orange-brick translucent colour. Smooth and silky on the palate, medium long finish. (2083 views)
 Tasted by Brain Capers on 3/2/2023: Found a bottle that had a tiny amount of leakage in the shipping box, a bit stuck to the styrofoam. Removed capsule and the cork was slightly depressed, but came out in two pieces. Smelled great, left open for two hours before dinner. WOW, just drinking perfectly, and will probably last for some time. Amazing stuff, if you like CDP, and Pegau. Yum. Another wine from Premier Cru, when they were legitimate. (2118 views)
 Tasted by Brolawa on 3/2/2023: Tried again bf UW game. Sunken cork. Borderline D4. Could be evh with more air. (2043 views)
 Tasted by jeffmudd on 2/26/2023 & rated 96 points: So bummed only 1 more bottle. Drinking superbly right now. 2 hour decant and it was open and ready to go. (2193 views)
 Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine...

Professional 'Channels'
By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Up From The Cellar No. 21 & Misc. New Releases (5/22/2023)
(Domaine Du Pegau Chateauneuf Du Pape Cuvee Reservee) Login and sign up and see review text.
By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Issue #14 (12/18/2012)
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By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Bonus Reviews (11/2/2008)
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JebDunnuck.com, Bonus Reviews (6/15/2008)
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JebDunnuck.com, Bonus Reviews (12/14/2007)
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JebDunnuck.com, Bonus Reviews (9/30/2007)
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JebDunnuck.com, Bonus Reviews (4/8/2007)
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JebDunnuck.com, Bonus Reviews (2/16/2007)
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JebDunnuck.com, Bonus Reviews (11/13/2006)
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JebDunnuck.com, Bonus Reviews (10/10/2006)
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JebDunnuck.com, Bonus Reviews (7/2/2006)
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By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, January/February 2006, IWC Issue #124
(Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee) Subscribe to see review text.
By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (4/8/2011)
(Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée) Medium dark red violet color with pale meniscus; intense, garrigue, dried berry, charcoal nose; rich, tight, dried berry, charcoal, garrigue, beets palate, needs 3-plus years yet; long finish 96+ points  96 points
By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (2/23/2011)
(Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée) Slightly bricking dark red violet color; brett, garrigue, dried berry nose; rich, concentrated, dried berry, garrigue, licorice palate; medium-plus finish 94+ points  94 points
By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (7/10/2010)
(Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée) Garrigue, lavender, rich berry, plum nose; very tasty, rich, berry, ripe plum, currant, garrigue, black fruit palate; medium-plus finish  94 points
By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (3/20/2009)
(Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée) Medium dark garnet red color with pale meniscus; brett, bacon fat, roses, tart black fruit, roasted meat nose; touch of TCA on palate, charcoal, black fruit, sweet roasted meat, sage and bay leaf palate; medium-plus finish 93+ pts.  93 points
By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (1/21/2007)
(Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée) Nice plum, raisin and black fruit palate; long finish  95 points
By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (4/15/2006)
(Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée) Tight nose; lovely, rich, smoky, tar, ripe cherry palate; long finish  94 points
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JebDunnuck.com and Vinous and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels)

CellarTracker Wiki Articles (login to edit | view all articles)

Domaine du Pégau

Producer website - Read more about Domaine du Pegau

U.S. Importer (Addt'l Info)

Source: VinConnect (VinConnect.com)
Domaine du Pégau is a beloved icon of traditionalism in Châteauneuf du Pape, crafting wines that dually epitomize the Châteauneuf style of the Southern Rhône while being unmistakably Pégau. Long owned by the Féraud family, the estate is run by the charming Laurence, a Parker Wine Advocate Wine Personality of the Year who was exceptionally well-schooled by her father Paul. Despite receiving six 100-point scores in less than 10 years, Domaine du Pégau is a down to earth specimen of Southern France hospitality.

Pégau produces three high-end Châteauneuf-du-Pape cuvées: the traditional Cuvée Reservée, the special Cuvée Laurence, and the incredible Cuvée da Capo (made from the best grapes in only the best years). These wines are aged in large old oak foudres for at least 18 months in the case of the Reservée, and much longer for Laurence and Capo.

Robert Parker of The Wine Advocate summarizes the house style as follows: “This superb estate fashions an old style, massive, unbelievably rich, rustic Châteauneuf du Pape. If you want to taste what the old style Châteauneuf du Pape of the forties, fifties, and early sixties tasted like, buy a bottle of Domaine du Pégau. They are rich, rustic, sometimes massive Châteauneuf du Papes made with no concession to modern-day tastes.” Furthermore, he continues “I have long been a huge fan of this estate, and have put my money where my mouth is, having purchased all of Pégau’s vintages since 1979.” Heady praise indeed from the world’s leading wine critic.

Domaine du Pégau’s wine have developed a cult-like following among savvy consumers, who adore their expressive style, unique personality and still-affordable prices for the quality and experience they deliver.

“There is a secret in the knowledge transmitted over generations.” — Laurence Féraud

Domaine du Pegau is run by Laurence Feraud and her father Paul.

Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée

https://pegau.com/wines/domaine-du-pegau-en/cuvee-reservee-rouge/?lang=en

RAPE VARIETIES
Grenache 80%
Syrah 6%
Mourvèdre 4%
Other varieties 10%

SOIL
Mainly covered with pebbles, clay and limestone mixture tends to iron and sand.

WINEMAKING / BREEDING
Manual grape harvesting
No destemming
Natural yeasts, spontaneous fermentation
Concrete tank, maceration 12 days
Aging: 50 hL old oak cask/2 years.

COLOR
Dark red with a purple body.

NOSE
Black ripe fruits like morello cherries and raspberries, juniper berries, black pepper and garrigue. After several years aging, the aromas will be characterized by plums, dried stone fruits, leaher, fur and sandalwood.

MOUTH
Round, rich and powerful with soft tannins. With time, I twill involve into a more complex and spicy wine.

STORAGE / DRINKABLE
This wine should be able to age from 5 to 20 years.
Red grilled meat, lamb shoulder with thyme and dishes of tapas and curry, serve at 16°C.

Red Rhone Blend

Read about the different grapes used to produce red and white Rhone wines
On CellarTracker, Red Rhone Blend is the term for a wine consisting of two or more of the traditional 13 Southern Rhone grape varieties. Typically it's the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre or Cinsault grapes, but can also contain the Muscardin, Counoise, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, Roussanne, Terret Noir, Picardan or Vaccarese grapes.

A 'food' wine. Lacking pretension and intended for local consumption with local cuisine. Lacks the 'high' notes on a Bordeaux, more earthy and sharper so often a better partner to meat dishes with a sauce.

France

Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)

Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings

2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.com

Rhône

Guide to the wines, wineries and appellations in the Rhone Valley The Rhône Valley/Le Vins de la Vallée du Rhône (Comité Interprofession des vins AOC Côtes et vallée du Rhône)

### Wine Scholar Guild's Rhône valley vintage charts & ratings ###

Southern Rhône

Guide to the wines, wineries and appellations in the Southern Rhone Valley

Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Appellation - Read more about Chateauneuf du Pape

Another site on this appellation
Vineyards on weinlagen-info

"As I have written many times in the past, the sweet spot for drinking Châteauneuf du Papes is usually the first 5-6 years after the vintage. Then they seem to go through an adolescent, awkward, and sometimes dormant stage, only to re-emerge around year 10-12, where the majority of wines are often fully mature. The best of them will continue to hold on to life (but rarely improving) beyond 15-20 years. It is only the exceptional Châteauneuf du Papes that will evolve for 20-25+ years, and those are indeed a rarity. However, things may be improving dramatically in terms of the longevity of Châteauneuf du Pape, although Grenache-dominated wines, the vast majority of wines produced in the appellation, are wines that do not have the polyphenol (extract and tannin) content of top Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlots, or Syrah-based wines. Nevertheless, the younger generation in Châteauneuf du Pape has taken seriously the farming in the vineyards. There are more organic and biodynamically run vineyards here than in any other appellation of France. The yields, which were already low, are even lower today (20-35 hectoliters per hectare), and of course, the proliferation of top luxury and/or old-vine cuvées gives a significant boost to the number of wines that will evolve past 25 or 30 years. The advantage of these wines is their broad window of drinkability." - Robert Parker

Vintage Chart 1978 to Today


 
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