2022 Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee
“it looks to be a near-carbon copy of the stunning, cellar-worthy 2019.”
Year in and year out, this is our best selling Chateauneuf du Pape. Not only is it priced well amongst its peers, it also delivers quality that never seems to disappoint. 2022 is another excellent example of why so many love this wine. Ripe, dark fruited with plenty of delicious spice and southern Rhone funk - this is a Pegau bottling that is going to rival some of the best wines the Domaine has ever produced. Pick up some of this one today at what is the best price in the country!
A quick assemblage from foudres of the 2022 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Réservée reveals a dark-fruited, spicy style, enlivened by hints of violets and garrigue. Full-bodied, rich and densely concentrated, with a long, silky finish, it looks to be a near-carbon copy of the stunning, cellar-worthy 2019.
- Wine Advocate, 95-97
The 2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée showcases ripe red and black fruits amid spice box, crushed violet and licorice aromatics. Concentrated and layered, the grippy tannins demand at least five more years to integrate into the wine. That said, I don't think it will be able to match the more complete 2020, but the ultimate test awaits after bottling. Readers should note that there will be no Cuvée Da Capo in 2022, mainly due to crop-reducing hail damage.
- Vinous Media 93-95
Showing a solid step up over last year, the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Reservée is a ripe, sexy, incredibly complex Pégau that's just about overflowing with red and black fruits, herbes de Provence, pepper, and leather-like aromatics. Reminding me slightly of a more elegant, less concentrated example of the 2009, it has full-bodied richness, a broad, layered mouthfeel, and a great finish. It's already hard to resist yet should evolve nicely for 15-20 years if well stored.
- Jeb Dunnuck, 94-96
STORY
Depending on your angle, the story starts in the 17 th century, or the 20 th . Apparently the family were local olive and cherry farmers. Others will say they were winemakers for centuries, boasting family culture deeply rooted in the southern Rhone Valley with its myriad of grape varieties and blending traditions. It’s clear the story of heritage is money, but perhaps the real story here is of the remarkable women.
Laurence Féraud (pronounced “Fay-row”), an entrepreneurial Tuscan native, came to the Rhone seeking work and began accumulating vineyards. Upon her death, she had also accumulated a husband and two children, Paul and Laurence (a daughter of the same name) as well as 54 hectares. Her husband received a quarter of this land. Meanwhile, young namesake Laurence went off to study business and her brother Paul diverted from producing for other famed wineries, to bottling in 1964. The two had grand aspirations!
With the help of their parents, a seven hectare domain was created in 1987, adopting the name Domaine Pegau. With rave reviews from Robert Parker, Pegau’s well-deserved renown grew rapidly.
Pegau screams Chateauneuf du Pape in all its glory, with each element precisely planned. This is intentional tradition, but with a modernist feminist twist and young Laurence’s finger print all over it. “I wanted to continue in my grandmother's footsteps,” said Laurence in an interview. Having a determined Italian homeschooled winemaker as a mother means imprinting. “I grew up with its aroma, and the smell of the winery. When I was very young she would ask me to taste the wine,” she recalled. Her goal at Pegau was to preserve the distinct family heritage while also expressing the vinous core of her grandmother’s adopted home. “I wanted to make her style, which is a little bit bigger, more powerful and traditional than my father's, which has more fruit aroma and is a bit more wild, more rustic.” This meant using up to 13 local varietals, often fermenting with whole bunches. Laurence wants wines that will last for decades, producing memories.
