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1999 Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee | Sort: |
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Winetex  
Austin, Texas
Master of Wine
Posts: 11025
 | | 08-29-2003 07:45 PM |
| $35; Winetex 92; WA 92; WS 94
We were not disappointed by this wine. As RP notes this vintage may be early maturing so we opened the wine to smell outstanding aromas of garrigue, earth and dark fruits. More dark fruits in the middle with some bitter chocolate and a touch of licorice. The finish was 20+ seconds. It was very complex and evolved beautifully over the course of an hour. There is still acid and tannins so this one is going to continue to evolve. I saved a taste for the next day and it was still going strong.
This wine simply kicked the pants off of many of the wines I’ve had in the last few months. At this quality and price point you can’t lose. Try one if you have a few. We decanted it for 45 minutes and kept it cool during the decant.
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Randy Sloan
St. Helena
Wine Labeler
Posts: 3993
| | 08-30-2003 03:22 PM |
| Thanks for the TN. I bought 3 of these and was wondering when to open the first. Looks like I can try the one any time and be rewarded.
By the way, what is "garrigue"? | | Randy Sloan
Match Vineyards | |
| Seaquam
Barrel Filler
Posts: 1141
| | 08-30-2003 05:22 PM |
| The scent of herbs, such as thyme, lavender, rosemary, sage, etc., that commonly grow in and around many of the Southern Rhone vineyards. The grapes pick up echoes of the herbs' aromas and they're passed on to the bouquet of some of wines from the regions.
You find them growing wild over many of the southern regions of France. When they're dried and mixed together--or sometimes bound together as a fresh bouquet--and used in cooking, they're called herbes de Provence, which is a generic term for any mix of these herbs (there are quite a few more than I mentioned, but those were the ones that quickly came to mind for me).
I quite like the floral/herbal characteristic of many wines from the Rhone, Languedoc, Provence, etc. regions, but I have friend who very much dislikes what he calls the "herbal edge" of these wines. To each his own.
Hope this helped. | | | |
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Seek
Upstate NY
Wine Thief
Posts: 2772
| | 08-30-2003 07:28 PM |
| | I keep reading about this wine (1999). I bought plenty of the 2000 in which I really enjoy, but I may have to pick up one of the cases my retailer has. | | | |
| Winetex
Austin, Texas
Master of Wine
Posts: 11025
| | 08-30-2003 08:01 PM |
| Since the wine was so accessible I went back and bought a few more bottles.
I guess I truly am the "Pegau Pimp" of the Southwest. 
Seaquam - great explanation of the term. I have some dried "herbs de Provence". If you take a whiff of it or something similar you have "garrigue". It is not identifiable as any one herb and can be a horrible characteristic in bad wines. Some people think "weeds" when they smell it. | | | |
| Seaquam
Barrel Filler
Posts: 1141
| | 08-30-2003 08:29 PM |
| I've had wines that smelled "weedy" (the '91 Groth Cab was a prime example) and I think of it as the overwhelmingly green and earthy scent you might find in entering a swampy area; not necessarily unpleasant to me unless it overwhelms the wine, though like other vegetal elements, everyone seems to have a different tolerance to it. Garrigue, on the other hand, I relate more to gastronomic delight, a nice blend of floral (from the lavender) and savory (from rosemary and thyme) which are the scents that stand out for me in herbes de Provence. I think most people like it in Chateauneufs or Cotes du Rhones.
On a slightly related note, one very memorable meal for me was in Aix-en-Provence, where I ate in a restaurant that was roasting chickens over charcoal on which they kept placing branches (some of them were pretty thick, and about 3 feet long!) of rosemary and lavender, as well a few other herbs. The chicken skin had previously been rubbed with lemon and honey, but the white meat took on the garrigue flavors, and was wonderfully moist. I don't usually think of chicken as gourmet dining, but that was certainly a most memorable dish--had it over 10 years ago, and in my mind I can still taste it. Guess it's time to go back there for seconds!  | | | |
| ChangeMe
Barrel Filler
Posts: 1210
| | 09-03-2003 10:31 PM |
| | I have some of the 98 and 2K, but I should probably dial up some of the 99 while I am waiting for those. The 98 blew me away and along with the 98 VT, hooked me on CDP. | | | |
| Eric White
San Ramon, CA
Advanced Sommelier
Posts: 9430
| | 09-09-2003 01:40 AM |
| From the Sept. BAWE dinner @ Oliveto in Oakland...
Very dark purple with bluish edges, the nose displays terrific concentration of dense fruit, leather, and peppery spice. Bright acidity and firmly tannic, this is truly in need of further aging to develop into it’s full potential. 92+, drink 2006-2012. | | | 2008: the end of an error | |
| Pool Boy
Laurl, MD (DC suburb)
Master of Wine
Posts: 13767
| | 04-30-2004 03:27 AM |
| I *think* this is the wine we had at the DC Crü offline at Butterfield 9 on 4/27/04.
1999 Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee
This was, I must admit, the first time I have actually tasted a Chateauneuf-du-Papes. I have several, but have been terrified of opening any of them since everything I've read has indicated that these are generally wines to age. So this was quite nice to taste and check out.
The nose on this was wild. Wild as, uh, charcoalized dino poo. I braved it and drank this, how could I not? Plenty of nice fruit there and a tad of charcoal to keep the brimmingness of the fruit in check (jammy?). It had the finish of a lousy cigarette, which actually surprised me how much I didn't dislike that piece of it. I'd love to see what this wine is like in 3-5 years as a point of reference.
Worth maybe 89-90 TJ points presently, but I have no frame of reference just yet so take this into consideration when reading this. | | | www.roguefood.com -- www.cellartracker.com | |
| Eric LeVine
Grape Sorter
Posts: 384
| | 04-30-2004 06:22 AM |
| I LOVE this wine!
- 1999 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée [Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhône, Rhône, France] 93 pts. (4/17/2004)
Tasted from magnum. The nose is gorgeous and high-pitched with lots of pine resin showing. This is so pure and approachable, very pretty and earthy with a gorgeous mouthful of provencale herbs.
- 1999 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée [Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhône, Rhône, France] 92 pts. (2/27/2004)
Seattle Tasting Group at Susan's house. This wine generated the controversy for the evening with 6 of 8 tasters claiming it was corked. I was just about alone in finding this wine enjoyable (Roy thought it was OK), but trust me, it was fine. Needless to say, my score was the high water mark, as I believe the wine was just showing a bit strangely. The funky nose shows iron, iodine, black olive and earthy depth. On the palate this was initally very prickly, but fortunately this passed quickly. This shows grenache notes typical of CNDP with a drying finish. Delicious is what I say!
- 1999 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée [Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhône, Rhône, France] 94 pts. (12/27/2003)
When I opened this to decant it was bursting with licorice and intense animal scents, very black on the palate, pure and powerful. Wow! After 90 minutes of decanting (I left the decanter in the cellar, and the whole room was amazingly floral) we dipped in, and the wine had barely budged. However, over the course of two hours it finally started to relent. The nose gained remarkably floral notes with provencale herbs. On the palate this moved from black to sweet and dusty with garrigue that just keeps spreading across your palate. This stuff is amazingly powerful, layered and complex for what is supposed to be a lighter vintage. This wine continues to amaze me. Gorgeous!
- 1999 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée [Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhône, Rhône, France] 93 pts. (7/9/2003)
I had a bottle of this wine last summer and didn't understand what the fuss was about at the time. I think it was either a bad bottle or I had no idea what I was dealing with. This stuff is UNBELIEVABLE! A stunning nose of garrigue, some kirsch, and a dusty bit of fennel. The entry on this wine is so sweet, sappy almost resinous but with amazing texture, power and depth on the palate. The finish is powerful and slightly drying, but with time this is getting longer and smoother. This is a youngster, but this is just so luscious right now. I need to find more! (DAY 2) I saved half a bottle. This wine is still lovely, although the nose has died down in complexity. The palate and finish are still amazing. This has really turned more dark and animal as the Grenache seems to have died down and the Mourvedre is picking up quite a bit. Still a 90+ bottle of wine on the leftovers. Thank goodness I found a few more bottles today.
Posted from CellarTracker! | | | |
| ChangeMe
Grape Puncher
Posts: 986
| | 04-30-2004 11:40 AM |
| | Agreed Eric. This is my favorite "regular cuvee" Chateauneuf for drinking now. It's so much more open than any of the other recent Pegau vintages. Great stuff & still pretty widely available. | | | |
| ChangeMe
Master of Wine
Posts: 11169
| | 04-30-2004 12:34 PM |
| | TJ, if you have any of this, hold it. Even from an early maturing vintage like 1999, this wine needs more than a decade in the bottle. It may show something now, but the transformation will be worth the wait. I am truly amazed at the amount of wine consumed far too early on this and the WS sites. Sometimes, I read and just shake my head. Normally, I don't even read some of these infanticide threads, but I wanted to see what you had to say about a CdP. | | | |
| ChangeMe
Grape Puncher
Posts: 986
| | 04-30-2004 12:42 PM |
| Board_O
Infanticide isn't so bad when I have a ready supply. There will be enough to age for years and years.
The beauty of this wine is that for those of us who came to CNdP in the '98-'01 run of vintages it represents good drinkability right now. To open the '98, '00 or '01 would be true infanticide. | | | |
| ChangeMe
Master of Wine
Posts: 11169
| | 04-30-2004 12:52 PM |
| | I disagree. It may seem like it's drinking well now, but not in comparison with what it will be when mature. I've learned from past mistakes. Wines like Rhones and Pinot Noirs seem accessible in their youth due to the lack of overwhelming tannins. The transformation with age can be amazing. A 20 year old Beaucastel from a great vintage has unbelieveable fruit and balance. I actually laugh at some of the tasting notes with people proclaiming how wonderful these young Rhones are- that is, if I read them, which I normally don't. | | | |
| Winetex
Austin, Texas
Master of Wine
Posts: 11025
| | 04-30-2004 01:21 PM |
| | To each their own. This wine happens to be an early-maturing wine without huge tannins from Pegau. It is not a Beaucastel in scope by any means. It is easily available (right off the shelf) and I have a case in the cellar. I drink them along the way to enjoy their progress. | | | |
| ChangeMe
Master of Wine
Posts: 11169
| | 04-30-2004 01:25 PM |
| | There are no CdPs with "huge tannins." | | | |
| ChangeMe
Grape Puncher
Posts: 986
| | 04-30-2004 02:03 PM |
| Oops...forgot...Board_O is always right. Must remember that. | | | |
| Pool Boy
Laurl, MD (DC suburb)
Master of Wine
Posts: 13767
| | 04-30-2004 04:56 PM |
| | Hey all, I am not sure I'll be wanting to get any of this due to the 'Dino Poo' nose on this, but maybe I'll want some to hold and see what it develops in to. Is this still generally readily available? | | | www.roguefood.com -- www.cellartracker.com | |
| JonesWineNo1
Sommelier
Posts: 8568
| | 04-30-2004 05:22 PM |
| | You can get huge tannins in CdP wines particularly in reserve level cuvees from Domaine de la Mordoree, Beaucastel, Chateau de la Gardine, Tardieu-Laurent, etc. | | | |
| ChangeMe
Master of Wine
Posts: 11169
| | 04-30-2004 06:02 PM |
| | I've never found them, and I've had almost every vintage of Beaucastel back to the 1963. To me, young Rhones frequently taste ready to drink, but unremarkable. Those same young Rhones have been great wines at maturity. | | | |
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