Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee da Capo 2020

Famous for its full-bodied, seductive and spicy reds with flavor and aroma characteristics reminiscent of black cherry, baked raspberry, garrigue, olive tapenade, lavender and baking spice, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the leading sub-appellation of the southern Rhône River Valley. Large pebbles resembling river rocks, called "galets" in French, dominate most of the terrain. The stones hold heat and reflect it back up to the low-lying gobelet-trained vines. Though the galets are typical, they are not prominent in every vineyard. Chateau Rayas is the most obvious deviation with very sandy soil.

Critical Acclaim

99 James Suckling

Incredibly complex leather and forest-floor character, as well as great wild-blackberry fruit, make this enormously concentrated and powerful Chateauneuf du Pape irresistible. So graceful and silky at the super-long finish. With every swirl of the glass, the aromas expand!

98 Wine Advocate

Based on this showing, I couldn't definitely say that the 2020 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée da Capo will turn out better than the hugely impressive Cuvée Réservée. Lavender, bay leaf and purple raspberries stand out on the nose, while the palate is full-bodied, silky and elegant. It's perhaps slightly more concentrated, with more tannic grip on the finish and a firmer structure. One for the cellar. My tastings during my evening visit to Domaine du Pegau included a number of other wines, both from Chateau Pegau and Selection Laurence Feraud. Those will be included in my follow-up coverage of other appellations of the Southern Rhône. For this report, I've focused on the current and upcoming releases from the property itself.

97 Vinous

Two thousand twenty marks the eighth time that Laurence Féraud has chosen to vinify a Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Da Capo, which made its debut in the 1998 vintage. A vineyard selection from parcels in La Crau, Escondudes and Monpertuis, all harvested a little bit later than the grapes destined to go into the Cuvée Réservée, this year’s blend is 70% Grenache, 7% Syrah, 3% Mourvèdre and the rest split among other permitted varieties. Aged in foudre for two years and achieving 15.8% alcohol, it soars from the glass with expressive aromas of dried rose petals, slightly cooked red and black fruits, licorice, dried herbs, tobacco, cured meat and white pepper. Full-bodied, concentrated and built like a brick wall, it will reward bottle age. 

97 Jeb Dunnuck

Another wine that showed better this go-round as well is the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Da Capo, and it's always a good sign when a wine gets better over the course of its élevage. Plenty of ripe black fruits, roasted garrigue, gamey meats, and flowers define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied on the palate, with plenty of mid-palate depth, a focused, more elegant mouthfeel, and building tannins. While I’m not convinced this matches previous vintages, it’s not far off, and certainly time will tell. It's unquestionably a gorgeous Châteauneuf du Pape. It’s always a great tasting with Laurence Féraud, and the quality at this address remains sky-high, both with their reds and their whites. I was thrilled to see the 2020s show better this go-round, and this will certainly be a solid vintage.