Domaine du Pegau Cuvee Reserve Branco 2022

Domaine du Pegau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée Branco 2022 is a complex, expressive white made in very limited quantities (about 4,000 bottles a year) in the prestigious southern Rhône Valley, France.

Although Domaine du Pegau is world-famous for its powerful reds, its whites stand out for their classic, fresh profile and excellent ageing capacity.

The Wine Advocate
RP 93

Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski

The tank-fermented 2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée Réservée is a blend of roughly 60% Clairette, 20% Grenache Blanc and 10% each of Bourboulenc and Roussanne. The nose shows notes of assorted citrus, pineapple, dried spice and even a hint of apricot, giving it a particularly exotic profile in this vintage. Medium- to full-bodied, it ends with a silky texture and a long, persistent finish.

As always on visits to Laurence Féraud, there are many cuvées and appellations to taste. In this article I focused on the wines of the main estate in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but readers shouldn't ignore the Côtes du Rhône wines from sister estate Château du Pégau, the négociant wines sold under the Sélection Laurence Féraud label, or the wines from her children Justine and Maxim's new estate, Domaine Porte Rouge, which is certified organic.

According to Féraud, on the 2021 vintage: “We're back to an older vintage style. For me, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is spicy, a bit rustic, but it's not a big, heavy, fat wine loaded with sweet fruit.”

This report includes reviews of several special cuvées — among them the familiar 2020 Capo, 2021 à Tempo and 2018 Laurence — but also some new ones. POL, named from the initials of Laurence's parents (Paul and Odette) and herself, is roughly half Cinsault and half Grenache, from a sandy area of La Crau, with a year in barrel. Ella, a one-off made to celebrate Laurence's first grandchild, is a richer wine with more Grenache, also matured in barrel.

Several of the special cuvées reviewed here are likely to draw most of the attention, but that wouldn't be quite fair. The quality of the regular bottling, the Cuvée Réservée, is as good as or better than ever, and it's made in much larger volumes. It's also the wine most of us will actually be able to find, buy at an affordable price and drink. And there's absolutely nothing to be ashamed of in that.

Published: 12 October 2023