Bottle Notes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

2008 Domaine du Pegau Cuvée Réservée – Bottle Notes

2008 Domaine du Pegau Cuvee Reservee

The family of Domaine du Pegau has roots in Châteauneuf-du-Pape dating back to the mid-17th century. The word Pegau refers to a wine jug discovered in the excavations of the 14th century Pope’s palace in Avignon. Today, the estate is run by the Paul Ferraud and his daughter Laurence.

2008 has been widely considered a poor vintage in the Southern Rhone. I contend there were some very good wines made, even if though they might fall short of the same wines made in recent vintages like 2007, ’09 and ’10.

The wine smells of juicy red fruits, band-aid and underbrush. Asian spice, garrigue, plums, iodine and kirsch dominate the palate. The finish is gorgeous. I believe this wine will age better than many critics suspect and I’ll drink mine over the next 5-7 years. For my money there is really no such thing as a bad bottle of Pegau, and the wine has a way of outperforming in mediocre vintages. This wine is no exception.

My rating: 92 points

Prices for this wine are all over the board. At one point Premier Cru sold it on a pre-arrival basis for $25. At retail I see this wine for upwards of $70 per bottle. As the ’08 vintage continues to get blown out at retail I recommend buying this wine at anything under $45.

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3 thoughts on “2008 Domaine du Pegau Cuvée Réservée – Bottle Notes

  1. I just found your blog a couple of days ago and have really enjoyed reading through your reviews and notes. Thank you for this note, I have just started to branch out to cdp and because 09 and 10 were such blockbusters it is nice to find some that are still available in my area in this price range.

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