Winemaker Notes
The flagship of the Domaine du Pegau, the Cuvée Réservée represents the Domaine over the years. A blend of 13 grape varieties, mainly Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, the Cuvée Réservée reveals the typical characteristics of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape soils.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
After tasting the 2005 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée two separate times from varying casks and barrels at the domaine, this was my first taste from bottle and I certainly wasn't disappointed. Surprisingly, this doesn't possess the same meaty and burly Pegau aromas but showed a pure, clean and precise character. Bright raspberry, cherry and mineral aromas shows up at first but with air, more earthy, peppery and tar laced aromas show up. The palate is awesome with beautiful balance, tension and texture that lead into a long, tannic finish. It wasn't until the last sip that this showed more of the subtle meat and leather aromas that I'm use to getting from these wines. Outstanding.
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Wine Spectator
Shows gutsy blackberry and fig fruit up front, with notes of pepper, licorice, Turkish coffee and garrigue. The super long finish lets roasted herb and beef notes check in, while gaining even more depth as this airs. Not quite as much range as 2003 and 2004, but has the intense grip of the vintage and should cruise in the cellar for two decades.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee (normally a blend of approximately 80% Grenache and the rest Syrah and Mourvedre) exhibits a deep ruby/plum/garnet hue along with lots of grilled meat juices, roasted Provencal herbs, tar, blackberries and black currants. The wine is medium to full-bodied, still firm and tannic. It is those tannins that make the 2005 somewhat reminiscent of a tight, more austere-styled vintage such as 1995. The 2005 needs at least another 4-5 years of cellaring, and should last for 20 years or more.
Ancestors of father and daughter team Paul and Laurence Féraud farmed olives, cherries and grapes in Chateauneuf-du-Pape dating back to the 17th century. The methods established centuries ago carry on in the current vintages, creating robust, concentrated, traditional red and white wines. For many years the winery was known as Domaine Feraud fils and they made traditional Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
In 1987 Domaine du Pegau was formed as we know it today, when Laurence Feraud returned from her winemaking studies and she teamed up with her father Paul to create the winery. Complementing each other they have conserved the authenticity and quality of their Chateauneuf-du-Pape whilst bringing it to the attention of wine lovers around the world.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Famous for its full-bodied, seductive and spicy reds with flavor and aroma characteristics reminiscent of black cherry, baked raspberry, garrigue, olive tapenade, lavender and baking spice, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the leading sub-appellation of the southern Rhône River Valley. Large pebbles resembling river rocks, called "galets" in French, dominate most of the terrain. The stones hold heat and reflect it back up to the low-lying gobelet-trained vines. Though the galets are typical, they are not prominent in every vineyard. Chateau Rayas is the most obvious deviation with very sandy soil.
According to law, eighteen grape varieties are allowed in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and most wines are blends of some mix of these. For reds, Grenache is the star player with Mourvedre and Syrah coming typically second. Others used include Cinsault, Counoise and occasionally Muscardin, Vaccarèse, Picquepoul Noir and Terret Noir.
Only about 6-7% of wine from Châteauneuf-du-Pape is white wine. Blends and single-varietal bottlings are typically based on the soft and floral Grenache Blanc but Clairette, Bourboulenc and Roussanne are grown with some significance.
The wine of Chateauneuf-du-Pape takes its name from the relocation of the papal court to Avignon. The lore says that after moving in 1309, Pope Clément V (after whom Chateau Pape-Clément in Pessac-Léognan is named) ordered that vines were planted. But it was actually his successor, John XXII, who established the vineyards. The name however, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, translated as "the pope's new castle," didn’t really stick until the 19th century.