Winemaker Notes
Recommended pairings include grilled red meats, lamb shoulder with thyme and dishes like tapas and curry.
Blend: 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 6% Mourvedre, 4% Other Permitted Varieties
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Still not yet bottled, the 2013 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee checks in as a final blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 6% Mourvedre and the rest other permitted grapes. Always fermented with 100% whole clusters and seeing upwards of 18-24 months in old foudre, it sports an excellent deep ruby color to go with lots of lavender, peppery herbs, black cherries and leather. Medium-bodied, nicely concentrated and forward with ripe tannin, it makes the most of this difficult vintage, but I suspect it is best consumed in its first 10-12 years of life. Range: 90-92
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Wine Spectator
Steeped plum and blackberry paste flavors form the core, lined with smoldering charcoal and tobacco leaf notes. Reveals a light tarry edge on the finish, which pulls together nicely. A solid effort in this Grenache-hampered vintage. Drink now through 2025.
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Wine & Spirits
Laurence Féraud farms 52 acres of vines spread throughout Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the oldest bearing for more than 100 years. She uses all 13 permitted grape varieties in this wine, fermenting them with their stems and without added yeasts or temperature control, then ages the juice for two years in large, old oak barrels. Her strategy makes for a savory, earthy wine, more redolent of bacon and black olives than fruit. Fine tannins hold the wine firm, even as it heads into gamier territory. Pour it with venison.Hand Picked Selections, Warrenton, VA
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.