The Wines of This Week's Tasting:
In Person Laurence Feraud
May 12, 2025
White
2023 Chateau Pegau Cotes su Rhone Blanc Lone
Vinous “Well worth seeking out…mixes 40% Clairette with 30% Bourboulenc, 20% Grenache Blanc and 10% Ugni Blanc. Bottled in February 2024, it opens with vivid honeysuckle, ripe pear, green apple, and lemon flesh aromatics. Well-balanced and refreshing, the 2023 closes with good energy on the lively finish.” $24.99, Case $21
2023 Domaine Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc
Wine Advocate “Evoking aromas of herbs, fresh white fruits, spring flowers and jasmine, [it] possesses a medium to full-bodied, round and enveloping palate with bright acids and an incisive, elegant mid-palate that concludes with a long, ethereal, fruity finish. This fresh, vibrant white wine comprises 60% Clairette, 20% Grenache Blanc, 10% Bourboulenc and 10% Roussanne, all matured for eight months in stainless steel.”
Vinous “ Delicious. Linden blossom, wet stone, lemon flesh, and a suggestion of green apple are all pushed forward in this strait-laced, crisp, and focused white Châteauneuf. Medium- to full-bodied and refreshing, the 2023 closes with saline nuances.” $89, Case $76
Red
2020 Feraud Selection Cotes du Rhone;
From a fine Rhone vintage, this is Pegau winemaking at a bargain price
Color: medium red; Aroma: light fruit, bright and forward, mineral spice; Mouth: light, higher-toned, fine acid, over ripe fruit, long fine tannins on the finish; Very Good $18.99; Case, $15.99
Plan Pegau 18-19-20
Unique in the Rhone, Plan Pegau is a solera of the three fine vintages from 2018 to 2020 that spent one to five years in barrel. It blends Grenache, Syrah, and Merlot for breadth into a savory and broad spice.
Color: very dark red lavender edge; Aroma: heady and savory, deep and full, bright intense se; Mouth: bright and forward light on its feet, plummy an round, smooth textured of fine acid tannins, some herbal notes clean and fine, young; needs some air to open; Very Good Plus $21.99; Case, $18.99
2022 Ch. Pegau Cotes du Rhone Maclura
Maclura is a classic southern Rhone blend of Grenache (60%), Syrah (20%), Mourvèdre (10%), and Cinsault (10%) that reflects the full-fruited style of the Pegau Chateauneufs.
Color: very dark black hue; Aroma: primary bright full berry plum fruit very ripe and sweet, a savory edge; Mouth: rich and full, but light on its feet, plummy stick to the tongue finesse, fine acid edge, good now, will improve; Very Good Plus $21; Case, $17.99
2021 Domaine Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee
Wine Advocate “Scents of leather, violets, cherries and strawberries mark the nose of the 2021 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Réservée, tasted as a representative assemblage from several foudres. Medium to full-bodied, it's silky but firm, with a long, slightly tannic finish.”
Vinous “offers a distinctively elegant character marked by garrigue, red/black cherry, and undertones of meat and herbs. Round tannins gently structure this medium-bodied Cuvée Réservée that wraps up with a savory finish.” $99, Case $85
Laurence’s Weekday Case, 3 each of the Feraud and Ch Pegau wines $225
Or mix your own case, any 12 bottles or more at their case discounts
Not in the tasting
Offered in Limited Quantities’
2020 Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee magnum
Vinous “One of the strongest vintages for this wine in recent history. It is magnificent, soaring from the glass with pungent aromas of crème de cassis, ripe raspberry and strawberry, cured meat, tobacco, licorice, iodine, and garrigue. Full-bodied, vibrant to the core and offering a multidimensional profile, this wine is really, really good. The Féraud family and the entire team deserve a round of applause for this sublime Cuvée Réservée, which will still be kicking ass 20 years from now. $250, five bottles only
2020 Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Da Capo
The eighth time since 1998 that Laurence Féraud has chosen to vinify a Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Da Capo. 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. She did not make a 2022.
Wine Advocate “a massively concentrated effort that should ultimately rival the great 2016. The blackberries and blueberries are so vibrant and intense that the wine almost seems sweet, packed with ripe fruit, with hints of mocha and garrigue for savory complexity. Full-bodied, rich and velvety in texture, it finishes with tremendous length and presence.”
Vinous “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 will reward bottle age.
Special order only $485 net 9 bottles only
Order by phone at 617.367.8605, or reserve here: order@federalwine.com
Please pass this on to any friends who are wine enthusiasts!
- Len Rothenberg
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