Jakub Kalinowski

9.2

From a cool vintage, young, bright, enticing.
Ripe yellow apple, green apricot, some white peach but also camomile, white tea, and white flowery notes on some mineral undertone.
On the palate this is medium bodied, with bright fruity acidity, a bit oxidative, tenclode galore with a hint of herby bitterness.
The is is a gorgeous wine. Not obvious and not everyone’s cup of tea, but what a wine! — a year ago

Ed Chin

9.0

Modern compared to the Pegau in it’s fruit profile. Probably better if I had it on its own. — 2 years ago

Lars Miller

9.1

Wow, this is different. Fennel and...I can't even identify. Unique in a good way — 3 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Presented double-blind; cloudy in the glass, sediment?…almost opaque but not quite. Color a deep ruby with a slightly lighter rim. Aromas of red and dark fruits with baking spice and damp forest floor. On the palate, very generous black and red fruit with baking spice, earth and leather. Apparent use of some new French oak. Medium plus alcohol, medium acid. Tannins are soft and integrated. Long, immensely satisfying finish. Most thought it had 5-10 years of age on it; Napa or Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon. Some thought Southern Rhone…noting that it shared some similarities in profile to Pegau and Rayas (!!!). Everyone swooned with it was revealed to be 2007 Rafanelli Zinfandel. FWIW, this wine has many years ahead of it. — 3 years ago

Byron Hewett

9.1

Darker in color than the Charvin and Pegau. (More Syrah, Mourvèdre and some new oak) Tasty, but the oak detracts a bit. — 4 years ago

LM Segal

9.7

A standout that got better with every sip. Rich and velvety. Bacon fat and smoked meats. Seamless. For most of the group this edged out a punching-above-its-weight ‘04 Pegau. Perfect extraction and pronounced woodsy tannins suggest 10-20 more years of evolution. — 5 years ago

Weijie Shi (Jay)

8.9

Red fruits dominate, with a lot of game, bacon component and a crush of black pepper. Very different from the Pegau one I've had before. This is very approachable, gentler than Gigondas. 2010 vintage — 7 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

I had a few members of the Tasting Group crew join me in a sort of, "help me drink down my cellar" gathering. Everyone had an opportunity to dig through the cellar and select a bottle of their choosing; the identity of the wine was kept from everyone else and then presented double-blind though, since the bottles were being pulled from my cellar, it wasn't a true double-blind situation for me. This was poured into a decanter and served within two hours of opening. The wine poured a deep ruby, bordering garnet color and slightly turbid. On the nose, it was immediately apparent that this was a vinous wine with abundant ripe red and black fruits some of which came across bruised and desiccated. Along with the fruit was a striking smell of barnyard funk, pipe tobacco, leather, and exotic spices. On the palate, the wine was dry and the fruit set was more or less confirmed. The fruit was gorgeous, fully mature and the finish was long and savory. The tannins were pretty well integrated. Plenty of acid to keep everything afloat. I was headed to the Rhone based off the evidence, something with age and probably from a traditional producer in Chateauneuf du Pape. Due to the color, signs of sediment, abundance of dried fruit and the strong presence of secondary characteristics, I figured this was at least 15 years old from a warmer vintage. After thinking, I called 2005 Pegau. After drinking the 2005 Pegau later, I don't hate my call. This wine is singing and will likely last for at least another decade. — 2 years ago

romo

9.4

Equal parts GB, clairette, roussanne. Honeycomb forest, huge mid-palate. A rare bird straight from the Domaine. — 3 years ago

Timothy Hixson

9.0

2016 perfect — 4 years ago

Michael Phillips

9.3

Maybe on the down side. Some dried fruit some soft tannins — 4 years ago

Timothy Eustis

Wine Director, Red Lion Inn

9.8

My first case purchases were Dom Pegau and Beaucastel, ‘98s. I was a complete novitiate, but I loved Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This is the last of those. I was sure it wouldn’t show well. Boy was I wrong. This is elegant and gorgeous. Soft and delicate. Loads of tertiary development but not of that pruney too-old-you-should-have-opened-this-earlier stuff. As emotional a glass of wine as I’ve had. Brilliant. 98 for a ‘98. — 4 years ago

Michael Dierberg

9.3

This was the consensus favorite against Pegau Reservee same vintage. Both great and elegant. — 7 years ago

with JiaMin

Lars Miller

9.0

Slightly funky nose with some generic ripe red fruits on the nose. Medium tannins, but smooth with baking spices and coffee. Not as fruity. — 2 years ago

Rob N

9.1

Still zippy, red fruit, wet volcanic rock, fireworks. But this time I made the mistake of serving after a fuller-bodied Domaine du Pegau! I enjoy this pinot slightly more than the average Cristom but less than the average Radio Coteau. — 2 years ago

Jason Keefer

8.9

16-18, great broad backbone, definitely juicy followed by herbaceous. Very cost effective southern Rhône! — 2 years ago

with Natasha

Alex Lallos

Owner No Limit Fine Wines, Private Wine Consultant

8.9

Old world, backward, earthy and tannic to start.
Reminded me young cdp like pegau. Needed time to open up and once it did nite as singing with notes of coffee, sage, anise, and dark red fruits on the nose. — 3 years ago

Bryan Kesting

8.9

Some recent porch pounders — 4 years ago

Tegan Marriott

9.1

Brambleberry, sanguine, a little underbrush. This was better on the 2nd day. Flavors became more pronounced! — 4 years ago

Shawn R

9.5

From a mag and showing so well. 2000 was a big crop vintage, yet this wine shows precision and depth. Sweet fruit and ripe tannins that integrate well. Plum, jam jar and fig. Has another 15 years easy. — 6 years ago