Domaine du Pégau is one of the top Châteauneuf-du-Pape producers and always among the top 3 in France’s Revue du Vin, Wine Advocate and other important magazines.
The visit of Pégau consisted of a seated tasting with 6 wines and a tour of the cellar. Different from the previous visit, we did not have a chance to take to Owner/ Winemaker Laurence Féraud or Winemaker Andreas Lenzenwöger, as both were out of town.
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine du Pégau in 2018, with Owner/ Winemaker Laurence Féraud and Winemaker Andreas Lenzenwöger
Pictures: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine du Pégau in Châteauneuf du Pape, with Owner/ Winemaker Laurence Féraud and Winemaker Andreas Lenzenwöger - Rhône Valley Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France
Domaine du Pégau
There is evidence that the Féraud family cultivated vines as early as 1733. However Domaine du Pégau only came into existence in 1987 when Paul Féraud and his daughter Laurence created the estate with initially 17.5 acres of vineyard holdings.
Today the domaine has a total of 51 acres in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation with a small percentage (about 4 acres) of white grapes; 67 acres of the Côte du Rhône Village appellation, 5 acres of Côte de Rhône, and 53 acres VSIG (vins sans identité géographique – vin de France).
Pégau produces two special Châteauneuf-du-Pape red cuvées: one is the ‘Cuvée da Capo’ made most years and coming from a plot in La Crau. The lieu dit ‘La Crau’ is a very special plot in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape vineyard sites and the most famous one. It is the area towards Courthézon and particularily rich in the galets roulés, round rocks or pebbles covering the clay soil, and perfect for retaining the heat.
Domaine du Pégau
SommSelect.com: They may only be in their third decade, but Pégau has already topped restaurant and critics’ lists time after time. Like the illustrious Château Beaucastel, Pégau utilizes all 13 authorized grape varieties in their cuvée and extended aging always occurs in neutral foudres (king-sized oak barrels). The end result is dark, delicious, and remarkably fresh, with profound layers of minerality and spice. No heat, no syrup, just astounding depth, texture, and gorgeous aromatics. Should you be on the lookout for top examples of southern Rhône, Domaine du Pégau is a sure bet, and their “rags to riches” story only adds to the appeal. Once you taste "Cuvée Réservée," you’ll understand why they attract so much fame—their wine is classic, way underpriced, and genuinely ageworthy. We were lucky to get enough to offer six bottles per customer today—bottles any serious collector would be happy to have in his or her cellar.
Daughter-Father team Laurence and Paul Féraud have a grape-growing lineage in southern Rhône that dates to the 1600s and evidence of winemaking from 1733. Still, Domaine du Pégau didn’t formally exist until 1987. At the time, Laurence was living in Paris and returned home to help her father, Paul, farm the family’s 10 acres of vines. The following year, their first vintage was crafted in a roofless winery—it was still under construction. In an interview with the wine blog Vinography, Laurence recalled the bare-bones operation during their inaugural vintage: "We threw the bunches of grapes into the vats and then after 15 or 20 days I got in and took the [grape] must out with a pitchfork. It was my father, me, and one employee."
Money was tight in the beginning years and French wine critic Michel Bettane was their saving grace: He stumbled upon them and penned an article that resulted in much-needed exposure. Soon after, a businessman interested in importing their wines approached them. Upon tasting a few barrel samples, he requested their business, but the Férauds didn’t even have the finances to bottle their wines, so he fronted them cash in order to do so. At the time, Laurence was hand-applying every label—over 800 a day. As years passed, new cuvées were birthed, more vineyards were acquired, and their exports wildly grew. Today, Domaine du Pégau is considered not just one of the great estates of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but the world.
Laurence Féraud, along with her father—still working in his late 70s—and a small team, farm 14 family-owned parcels around the region. Their vines, some reaching the century mark in age, are situated in various soils, mostly of clay and sand. Other parcels lie atop the classic heat-absorbing galets (round stones) of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Laurence’s holdings are predominately Grenache, but she utilizes all 13 permitted grape varieties of the appellation, both in the vineyard and her "Cuvée Réservée.” They practice sustainable farming and all grapes are harvested by hand. In the winery, a spontaneous ‘whole-cluster’ fermentation occurs in cement tanks, followed by a twice-daily pump over. After completion, aging takes place in large, neutral foudres—never new oak—for 18-24 months. It is always bottled unfiltered.
Region: Southern Rhône
Sub-Region: Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Variety: Grenache 80%, Syrah 10%, Mourvèdre 6%, All Other Permitted Varieties 4%
Alcohol: 14%
Oak: Large Neutral Foudres
Soil: Clay, Chalk, & Sand Beneath Galets
Farming: Sustainable
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Cellar Tour
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