While we wait for the 2020 vintage of Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée from Domaine du Pegau to arrive, we brought in more of the excellent 2018. We never seem to have enough of this wine, and the 2019 vintage also sold out very swiftly last year. The 2018 we have on offer today is the last of what Laurence Feraud (pictured above in 2022 in one of her vineyards) could offer us. There isn’t much, so don’t mull this one over for too long. Châteauneuf-du-Pape from a producer of this repute and at just under R800 a bottle is simply a must-buy.
Dear Reader,
Old vines, hard work and respect for nature and tradition are what makes the wines of Laurence Feraud’s Domaine du Pegau so special. The Domaine’s plots of 80-plus-year-old vines are planted in some of Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s most treasured terroirs, including La Crau, Montpertuis, Les Bosquets and Pignan.
The flagship red, the Cuvée Réservée, is mostly Grenache noir blend with Syrah and Mourvèdre and the balance made up of other permitted varietals (there are thirteen in total in the appellation). The fruit that goes into this wine comes from vineyards growing on varied lieux-dits around the appellation on a mix of soil types. The 2018 vintage was fermented, 100% whole-bunch, in concrete then aged for 24 months in foudre.
Laurence Feraud’s flagship Cuvée Reservée bottling sits comfortably among the best of the appellation and may deliver the best value of all Châteauneufs. Both the 2018 and 2017 are among the standouts of the vintage.
Josh Raynolds for Vinous (September 2021) Eben Sadie|July 2020
”…Very full-bodied and concentrated, savoury despite the oak, with bay leaf and thyme…well balanced…It will be fantastic in time…”
96 points | Matt Walls for Decanter
(part of Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2018 in bottle: the top 50 wines – February 2021)
”Smoky, mineral-tinged aromas of raspberry, cherry preserves, garrigue and exotic spices show excellent clarity…rich and energetic in character…Shows fine definition and finishes gently, spicy and impressively long, with repeating florality and steadily building tannins.”
95 points | Josh Raynolds for Vinous
”Violets and garrigue…cherries and raspberries…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.”
94 points | Joe Czerwinski for Wine Advocate
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R 795
per bottle
