| Score: |
100 RP.
"For the fourth time, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée da Capo has been produced, and for the fourth time, it has received a perfect score . . . . The 2003 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée da Capo has distanced itself ever so slightly from the 2003 Cuvée Réservée. Before bottling and immediately after bottling, these two wines’ differences were not as evident. At present the Capo reveals that extra level of flavor, power, complexity and richness. It is a big wine boasting a dark plum/garnet color as well as a stunning bouquet of aged beef intermixed with pepper, herbes de Provence, and steak au poivre. This unctuously textured, full-bodied Châteauneuf possesses enormous body, huge flavors and sweet, velvety tannins. Still youthful, it has not yet begun to close down, and I’m not sure it ever will given this unusual vintage. It is a modern day classic that should continue to provide provocative as well as compelling drinking for 20-30+ years. Always one of my favorite places to visit, Laurence Feraud and her father, Paul (a speed fanatic who raced in on a motorcycle during my visit), conducted a fascinating tasting in their cellars. As value hunters know, several of the low end offerings here are wonderful expressions of Provence that deserve to be taken seriously. Under the family’s negociant label, Selection Laurence Feraud, there are some noteworthy efforts that are well worth checking out. As for the Domaine du Pégau estate wines, I had not yet tasted the 2007 Cuvée Réservée or 2007 Cuvée da Capo from bottle, and when I did, they lived up to all my previous accolades. Here are some in-the-bottle reports on recent vintages of Domaine du Pégau's Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée, Cuvée Laurence and Cuvée da Capo. I have been buying the Cuvée Réservée since 1979 and the greatest examples include the 1981, 1983, 1985, 1989, 1990, 2003 and the 2007. Not that the other offerings are not high quality, but as Shakespeare said, 'Comparisons are odious.'" Wine Advocate # 191, Oct 2010 |