Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Réservée 2003

Parker: Starting with the 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reserve, this wine showed spectacularly on release, closed down for a few years, and has now emerged, at close to full maturity, and is straight-up fabulous. Out of the entire tasting, it remained my favorite. Giving up gorgeous blackberry, currants, garrigue, pepper and beef blood, it hits the palate with a massive, full-bodied texture that carries layers of sweet fruit, awesome concentration and blockbuster length. Tasting like the essence of both this estate and the terroir, it’s an incredible wine that I’m happy to taste/drink anytime. It will continue to evolve gracefully, but I see no reason to delay gratification. Created in 1987 (although there were some earlier bottling released) Domaine du Pegau is run today by the father/daughter team of Paul and Laurence Feraud. When setting up this retrospective, I was shocked when Laurence Feraud told me she had never done a vertical tasting like this. While I know they drink their older cuvees often, I think the idea of opening so many wines for one tasting could be seen as wasteful, and in reality, it is. However, it’s also incredibly educational, and as Laurence commented, shows the story of the domaine. I was thrilled to take part in this tasting, which also included Laurence’s parents, Paul and Odette. 98/100

Jeff Leve: This majestic Chateauneuf du Pape gets better each time I taste it. With a perfume that pops the moment the wine hits your glass, jammy black raspberries, licorice, fresh earth, spice, kirsch and garrigue aromas are in full force. The texture is fat, lush, rich and full, ending with a long sensation of fresh, ripe, spice, dark, red berries. This wine of pleasure drinks great today. If you have some in your cellar, pop a cork and see for yourself. 97/100