2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de Capo

First vintage 1998. This is the seventh vintage. 70% Grenache. Peppery and vibrant with equisite, powerful black fruit and dark chocolate. Strong mint, herb and leather aromas. Very savoury, but the tannin is entirely accessible . Strong medicinal note to finish. Should age extensively. (RH)

The tiny production 2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Da Capo is a powerhouse and unquestionably one of the top wines in the vintage. Compared to the 2010 by Laurence, it offers a stacked, full-bodied, incredibly concentrated feel as well as a blockbuster bouquet of blackcurrants, tapenade, cured meats, garrigue, and assorted Provençal street market-like aromas and flavors. It doesn’t have the sheer volume or flamboyant character of the 2016 (which I think is a better wine) but is deep, straight, and as classic as it gets. Hide bottles for 3-4 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy them over the following 2-3 decades. I’ve included the Château Pégau and the Selection Laurence Feraud here as well as the normal Domaine du Pégau releases. Looking at the vintages reviewed here, I was only able to taste the 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée from the 2017 vintage, so I’m not sure if there will be a Cuvée Da Capo, although I would be surprised not to see one, given the quality of the vintage. The two 2016s are still in foudre and barrel, but this is an undeniably great vintage for this estate, and the wines will surpass what was achieved in 2015, which are great wines in their own right. The 2015s showed beautifully from bottle, and this is a vintage compared to 2010 by Laurence, although I don’t completely share that belief. There’s a firmness in the 2015s that’s nor far off the 2005s, but both the Cuvée Réservée and Cuvée Da Capo are incredibly concentrated and will be very long lived. There are two vintages of the Cuvée Laurence reviewed as well, and as I’ve written in the past, this is the same wine as the Cuvée Réservée only aged longer, which normally gives the wine a more evolved, rounded style. In short, this is an undeniable reference point for traditionally made Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and life is too short not to drink copious quantities of Pégau!

As I reported last year, the 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee da Capo is impressive. While it's less flamboyantly aromatic than the Cuvée Réservée, it's more powerful and concentrated. Full-bodied and rich, it's loaded with potent raspberry fruit and silky tannins and boasts a finish that won't stop. Hints of roasted meat, lavender and thyme add complexity to the waves of fruit, which wash gently across the palate, exhibiting a lovely soft touch.