Saturated ruby. A wild, highly expressive bouquet displays red and dark berries, Asian spice and musky garrigue, accented by smoke and game notes in the background. Juicy and precise, with sweet raspberry and cherry flavors that take a bitter turn with air. Tannins come on late and add grip to a long, sappy finish.

As for the Domaine du Pegau wines, the 2008 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee, which was harvested very late is a strong effort for the vintage. Tasting through four separate lots revealed that this wine should turn out as well as their 2004 or 2006. Plenty of pepper, roasted Provencal herb, lavender, licorice, and black fruit characteristics are present in this medium to full-bodied effort that is loaded with fruit. It should be surprisingly accessible for a wine from this estate in its exuberant youth, and is capable of lasting for 10-15 years, an unusually long time for a 2008 Chateauneuf du Pape. Laurence told me the Cuvee Reservee will be bottled in November, 2009.

The 2008 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee was about to be bottled at the time of my visit, and it will certainly be one of the better wines of the vintage. By the standards of Pegau, it is not a massive wine nor will it be terribly long-lived. However, this estate has an incredible track record in off years, so I would not be surprised to see this wine exceeding readers’ expectations in 10-12 years. Tasting through the three remaining lots that will be blended together, I rated them between 89 and 92. That makes it one of the better wines of the vintage. Medium to full-bodied, chewy and very evolved, the wine exhibits lots of earth, lavender and foresty/mossy notes intermixed with kirsch, peppery black currants and Christmas fruitcake spices. It should drink nicely for 10-12+ years. Laurence calls it a very “traditional” style that she believes will be as good as their 2006. (Not yet released) Always one of my favorite places to visit, Laurence Feraud and her father, Paul (a speed fanatic who raced in on a motorcycle during my visit), conducted a fascinating tasting in their cellars. As value hunters know, several of the low end offerings here are wonderful expressions of Provence that deserve to be taken seriously. Under the family’s negociant label, Selection Laurence Feraud, there are some noteworthy efforts that are well worth checking out. As for the Domaine du Pegau estate wines, I had not yet tasted the 2007 Cuvee Reservee or 2007 Cuvee da Capo from bottle, and when I did, they lived up to all my previous accolades. Here are some in-the-bottle reports on recent vintages of Domaine du Pegau’s Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee, Cuvee Laurence and Cuvee da Capo. I have been buying the Cuvee Reservees since 1979 and the greatest examples include the 1981, 1983, 1985, 1989, 1990, 2003 and the 2007. Not that the other offerings are not high quality, but as Shakespeare said, “Comparisons are odious.” Importers: Dan Kravitz, Hand Picked Selections, Warrenton, VA; tel. (540) 347-9400; Martine’s Wine, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400; and J & R Selections, Lansing, MI; tel. (517) 393-4441