Domaine du Pegau Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Reservee 2019

RP-96

As I wrote previously, the 2019 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Réservée looks set to rival the best examples of this bottling. Made up of approximately 80% Grenache, with 6% Syrah, 4% Mourvèdre and smaller amounts of other permitted varieties, it’s impressively complex on the nose, with scents of black cherries, blackberries and black olives, plus mysterious wafts of violets and garrigue. Full-bodied, rich and concentrated, it finishes long and velvety, a sure-fire bet for cellaring. It’s gratifying to see wines evolve as expected during their élevage and make it into bottle just as remembered.

As always when visiting Laurence Feraud, there are multiple cuvées and appellations to sample. In this write-up, I’ve concentrated on the home estate’s wines from Chateauneuf du Pape, but readers shouldn’t overlook the Côte du Rhône wines from the sister property, Château du Pegau, the négociant offerings under the Selection Laurence Feraud label, or her children’s (Justine and Maxim) newly acquired, certified organic estate, Domaine Porte Rouge.

According to Feraud, with 2021, “We’re back to an old style of vintage. For me, Châteauneuf du Pape is spicy, a bit rustic but not a big, fat, jammy wine.”

This report includes reviews of a number of special cuvées—the regular releases of 2020 da Capo, 2021 à Tempo and 2018 Laurence—but also a couple of new ones. The POL, named for Laurence’s parent’s (Paul and Odette) and herself, is roughly half Cinsault and half Grenache from a sandy portion of la Crau, with a year of time in barriques. The Ella, a one-off to commemorate Laurence’s first grandchild, is a richer, more Grenache-heavy wine, also matured in barriques.

I expect the multiple special cuvées reviewed here will attract much of the hype, but that’s not really fair. The quality of the regular bottling (the Cuvée Reservée) is as good or better than ever, produced in much larger volumes, and is the wine most of us will actually be able to find, afford to buy and drink. There’s certainly no shame in that.