Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Rhone Wine, Complete Guide

Learn everything about Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape with wine tasting notes, wine, and food pairing tips, best vintages, a history of the property, and information on the vineyards and winemaking. If you want to read about other important wineries and winemakers from the Rhone valley: Links to all Rhone Valley Wine Producer Profiles

Domaine du Pegau History, Overview

Domaine du Pegau is an old name in Chateauneuf du Pape. The Feraud family is able to trace their roots all the way back to the middle of the 17th century in the Southern Rhone Valley. That is when the ancestors of the Feraud family first planted grapevines next to their olive trees and other assorted fruit trees in Chateauneuf du Pape.

The great, grandparents of Laurence Feraud were responsible for entering the family into the wine business with their initial purchases of vines. After their death, the vineyards were divided between their 4 children.

It was Paul Feraud, the father of Laurence Feraud that brought Domaine Pegau into the modern age when he began to bottle his own wine from the production of a small 5-hectare parcel of vines that he inherited in Chateauneuf du Pape. Prior to that date, the production was sold to negociants.

Domaine du Pegau The Modern Age

The next big step in the development of Pegau took place in 1987 when Laurence Feraud joined her father Paul Feraud at Domaine du Pegau. Under Paul Feraud and Laurence Feraud, the family was slowly able to continue increasing their vineyard holdings in size, in fact, by 1987, the family-owned 7 hectares of vines.

At the time, the wine was still be bottled under the name Domaine Feraud. They changed the name to Domaine du Pegau. “Pegau” is an old Provencal term for an ancient jug used for wine discovered during the excavations of the 14th century, at Avignon Pope’s Palace.

If you’ve wondered how to say Pegau, the daughter Laurence Feraud, who took over managing the property starting with the 2005 vintage, pronounces the name as Pay-Go. The father says it differently, Puh-Gow. That debate makes for a fun dinner conversation.

In 2012, Domaine Pegau added 60 hectares of land, including 40 planted hectares of vines in the Cotes du Rhone and Cotes du Rhone Villages appellations, with the best terroir located close to Sorgues.

The new wines will all be produced as coming from Chateau Pegau. Starting in 2012, they added a rose’ to their portfolio, Pink Pegau. They also introduced a new white Cotes du Rhone, Cuvee Lone with the 2012 vintage.

The following year, in 2013, they changed the label for their Plan Pegau wine. The new label sports the image of a clock on the neck, with arrows pointing to different numbers, which represent the different years from which the wine was produced.

As Plan Pegau is sold as a Vin de France, the wine cannot by law, list the vintage. So this is going to be a helpful and fun way to inform consumers about the wine.

Starting in 2014, Domaine Pegau added a new, Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc to their portfolio, Cuvee A Tempo. Pegau Cuvee A Tempo.

Domaine du Pegau Vineyards, Wines, Winemaking

Domaine du Pegau owns 21 hectares of vines in Chateauneuf du Pape. 19.5 hectares are used for red wine grapes. 1.5 hectares of vines are reserved for growing white wine grapes. Due to the small size of the parcels used for the white wine grapes at Domaine Pegau, those grapes are farmed using 100% biodynamic farming techniques. The red wine grapes are not farmed biodynamically.

The vineyards for Domaine du Pegau are located in different areas of Chateauneuf du Pape in a total 11 different parcels. The best vines of Domaine du Pegau are located on the plateau of La Crau. They have old vines. Their oldest vines were planted in 1902.

They have a terroir of rocks, stones, clay, and limestone soils. They also own 5 hectares of vines in the Cotes du Rhone appellation, 20 hectares of vines in the Cotes du Rhone Villages, and 19 hectares of vines that are classified as Vin de France.

The best vintages of Domaine du Pegau are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2007, 2005, 2003, 2001, 2000, 1998, 1990 and 1989.

Domaine du Pegau produces 4 red Chateauneuf du Pape wines and 2 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc wines.

Domaine du Pegau Reserve is produced from 85% Grenache, 9% Syrah, and 4% Mourvedre, Counoise, and other varieties. Previous vintages had a bit more Syrah in the blend. To produce the wine of Domaine Pegau reserve, the grapes are not destemmed. Only natural yeasts are used.

The grapes are whole-cluster fermented in traditional, cement vats. The wine is aged on average for an average of 24 months in old foudres. At Pegau, they use a wide range of different old wood foudres.

The oldest is close to 90 years of age and was made from wood imported from Russia. The vessels come from a myriad of regions ranging from Eastern Europe to France, they range in size from 27 hectoliters to 60 hectoliters.

On average, close to 6,500 cases are produced of Domaine du Pegau each vintage. Older vintage of Pegau Reserve was often bottled at various times, due to their ability to bottle large quantities of wine at a fast pace, as well as wines could be bottled to order.

Vintages from 1990 and older could have three different bottling dates that were almost one year apart. That discrepancy has created bottle variations, and there is no way to know which bottling you have. Even the 2003 vintage was bottled over a 6 month period. Today, that is not the case as bottling dates have become more standardized.

Domaine du Pegau Cuvee Laurence is produced from the same blend as the reservee, 85% Grenache, 9% Syrah and 4% Mourvedre, Counoise, and other varieties. Previously, Cuvee Laurence was made from a specific barrel selection. Today, that is not the case. The wine is now the same as the Reserve, except it has been aged in barrel for a longer period of time.

For Domaine du Pegau Cuvee Laurence the grapes are not destemmed. The grapes are whole-cluster fermented in traditional, cement vats and aged in old, French oak barrels for an average of 40 months.

According to Laurence Feraud, the wine is aged to approximate what might happen with Pegau Reserve after ten years of aging. My personal preference is still for the Domaine du Pegau Reservee. On average, close to 650 cases are produced each vintage of Domaine du Pegau Cuvee Laurence.

Domaine du Pegau Cuvee da Capo is one of the most expensive and in-demand wines in the entire Rhone appellation! Pegau Cuvee da Capo is made from a blend of the estates oldest vine Grenache, which while it varies, as in some previous vintages it was close to about 90% of the blend.

Today, the Grenache is closer to 70% of the blend, along with Syrah, Mourvedre and the remainder comes from the various 13 other red grapes that are allowed to be planted in the Chateauneuf du Pape appellation.

For the wine of Pegau Cuvee da Capo, the grapes from mostly from old vines that are more than 100 years of age. The grapes are not destemmed. The wine is vinified in cement vats. Pegau Cuvee da Capo receives additional aging in old, large wood vats as the wine ages for on average between 24 to 26 months.

Pegau Cuvee da Capo is only made in the best vintages. So far, Pegau Cuvee da Capo wine has only been produced in 1998, 2000, 2003, 2007, and 2010. The wine is quite high in alcohol, often over 15%, but there is never any sensation of heat. The production of Pegau Cuvee da Capo is small, with an average of 500 cases produced each vintage.

Domaine du Pegau P.O.L.

The newest Cuvee from Pegau is P.O.L, produced in 2019. Cuvee POL comes from a blend that is roughly 50% old vine Grenache and 50% old vine Cinsault. Both grape varietals come from vines between 60-80 years of age which are planted in the sandy soils of La Crau. The grapes are whole bunch vinified. The wine is aged in used French oak barrels from Guigal for the initial 12 months. From there the wine rests in small fourdres for 4 months before the remainder of its aging which takes place in neutral oak barrels. The wine is still in barrel after 36 months. Very little of this gem is going to be produced. If you see it, buy it!

Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc is made from a blend of 60% Grenache Blanc, 20% Clairette, 10% Roussanne and 10% Bourboulenc. Aged in steel tanks, the production is close to 250 cases per year.

Domaine Pegau Cuvee A Tempo is made from a blend of equal parts, Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Roussanne. The wine comes from parcels that are farmed using 100% organic farming techniques. The wine made its debut with the 2014 vintage.

The wine is vinified in a combination of French oak barrels, stainless steel tanks, and cement egg-shaped vats. The production is quite small, with about 100 cases of wine being produced in total. For a fun fact, if you use your phone to read the barcode on the back label, you will hear the theme music written for the wine, that is A Tempo.

When to Drink Domaine du Pegau, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Domaine du Pegau can be enjoyed on the young side, but the wine is better with age and decanting. Young vintages can be decanted for about 1 -2 or 3 hours. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Domaine du Pegau is usually better with 5-7 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage. In the best vintages, the wine should be consumed within 7-25 years after the vintage.

Serving Domaine du Pegau with Wine, Food Pairing Tips

Domaine du Pegau is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. Young vintages can be popped and poured, or decanted for an hour so. Cuvée du Capo can be decanted 2-3 hours.

Domaine du Pegau is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, grilled meats, stewed dishes, sausage, barbecue, and cassoulet. Domaine du Pegau is also good with Asian dishes, and hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, cheese, pasta, eggplant, and tomatoes.

The white wine of Domaine de Pegau is best served with a myriad of different seafood dishes, shellfish, crab, lobster, sushi, sashimi, chicken, pork, and veal, as well as Asian cuisine.

Under the name of Chateau Pegau, the estate produces red Cotes du Rhone and white Cotes du Rhone as well as the value-priced, Plan Pegau, which is sold as a Vin de Table.

Laurence Feraud also entered into an agreement with Andre Brunel of Domaine Les Cailloux to produce wine from the Cotes du Rhone appellation that is sold under the name of Feraud Brunel. Pegau also produces an additional value, negociant wine, Selection Laurence Feraud.

Over the years. Domaine du Pegau has also produced a few one-off wines. A one-off wine is a wine that is only made in a single vintage. Two unique wines were produced in honor of their children, 1995 Maxime, and 1997 Justine. 1995 Domaine Pegau Cuvee Maxime and 1997 Domaine Pegau Cuvee Justine are made from a selection of the best lots, similar to what the estate does for the Cuvee da Capo.

In fact, in some ways, this can be seen as a precursor to the famous Pegau Domaine da Capo. The wines were vinified and aged using the same techniques the estate uses for the Domaine Pegau Reservee. The production is minuscule of both Maxime and Justine at close to 100 cases or less of each wine.

In 2003, 2010, and 2016, Domaine Pegau also produced a special Cuvee in magnum only, Pegau Inspiration. Pegau Inspiration is produced from a selection of the best barrels from their estate vineyards. Pegau Inspiration also receives a longer aging period in wood. Produced in minute quantities, each bottle is numbered as well. With a production of only 240 bottles, this is incredibly difficult to find.

https://pegau.com