2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Cuvee Reservee

Moving to the Domaine du Pégau releases, the 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée Blanc is a Burgundian styled effort that has lots of mineral nuances in its wet stone, lime, citrus peel, and white flower-like aromas and flavors. With vibrant acidity, beautiful balance, and a tight, vibrant style on the palate, it opens up nicely with time in the glass and is going to evolve nicely for 4-6 years. The quality of the whites at this estate has soared over the past 4-5 years. 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!

A blend of 60% Clairette, 20% Grenache Blanc and 10% each Bourboulenc and Roussanne, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Cuvee Reservee is the best example of this cuvée I can recall. It's medium to full-bodied, with a lush, creamy mouthfeel and ripe flavors of melon and citrus balanced by hints of anise and lime zest. It finishes with freshness, vibrancy and brightness. I've been deliberately conservative with the aging estimate, as I like wines like this young, but it's capable of aging for a decade or more.

A blend of 60% Clairette, 20% Grenache Blanc and 10% each Bourboulenc and Roussanne, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Cuvee Reservee is the best example of this cuvee I can recall. It's medium to full-bodied, with a lush, creamy mouthfeel and ripe flavors of melon and citrus balanced by hints of anise and lime zest. It finishes with freshness, vibrancy and brightness. I've been deliberately conservative with the aging estimate, as I like wines like this young, but it's capable of aging for a decade or more. Aug 2018, www.robertparker.com