Review

91-93 Points - JD - The Rhone Report "Tasted from barrel, Laurence’s 2008 Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Reservee looks to be a resounding success for the vintage. The wine displays a healthy purple color as well as fresh, pure aromas of earthy dark fruits, licorice, stem and the expected Pegau notes of spiced meat, pepper, and garrigue. The palate is firm and edgy, showing ripe fruit that buffers the wine’s considerable structure, fresh acid and lengthy finish. This will most likely improve for a year or three in bottle and then drink well for a decade or more." "The 2008 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee was about to be bottled at the time of my visit, and it will certainly be one of the better wines of the vintage. By the standards of Pegau, it is not a massive wine nor will it be terribly long-lived. However, this estate has an incredible track record in off years, so I would not be surprised to see this wine exceeding readers' expectations in 10-12 years. Tasting through the three remaining lots that will be blended together, I rated them between 89 and 92. That makes it one of the better wines of the vintage. Medium to full-bodied, chewy and very evolved, the wine exhibits lots of earth, lavender and foresty/mossy notes intermixed with kirsch, peppery black currants and Christmas fruitcake spices. It should drink nicely for 10-12+ years. Laurence calls it a very 'traditional' style that she believes will be as good as their 2006." -89-91 points Robert Parker