There was another TN here, but this wine needs its own thread. After a frenzied hunt up here this week to procure a few bottles, Vinaigre decided we needed to taste the spoils. Decanted and served. WOW! Huge nose of strawberry, raspberry and earth. Full bodied, tannic with lovely clean flavours of raspberry and spice and a finish that lingers for minutes. Awesome wine that will only improve. 95+ for now and I'm glad I have some of this. Killer QPR.

steve8: Damn. Sounds like I missed a great lunch. Thanks again for the invite. Hopefully next time. Meanwhile, I'll be on the lookout for this one....

Hiya Steve

I had one of those while in Chateauneuf last summer and I know how huge and good it is, couldn't find one here though, but I do have a Cuvee des cadettes 1997 if you care to partake

OOps it is actually a 1998.. not too shabby, hehe

steve8 what did you pay for this something along these lines???????

CDP

Fiend. It was $58 here.

Lovelandre, hold that '98 Cadettes for a few more years. I also have one in my cellar.

Steve, thanks for the notes on the wine tasting luncheon. I didn't post my notes(besides not taking any) because they match yours exactly and our points were almost identical except that I rated the brunello 92+ and the Barolo as 90 points.

Hiya Steve,
Have you tasted one yet? Pretty spectacular
Why don't we have a CDP tasting next time?

Though I do find the '03 Pégaü still a pretty amazing drink, it is starting to shut down, along with most of the top '03s. This is a great sign for the long haul, since their fruit was so exuberant right out of the gate.

JM, would you suggest an altered drinking window based on that observation? Like perhaps, "Drink After 2012"?

My official review said best from 2008 through 2030, and I'll stick with that. The idea being that if you like them older, this one can go the distance.

The drink windows we enter for our reviews have standard 'before' and 'after' year ranges, so they can't be perfect for those wines that have a tight period in the middle years. "Drink now through 2008, then hold for five years, then even better from 2012 through 2030"...I don't think that would work...we leave that kind of stuff for the tasting reports, vintage analysis articles and retrospective tastings to explain.

James,

I disagree. I think that would be a good way to give a drinking window. I enjoy your reviews. Thanks.

Derek

James, if the bottle we had was shut down, I can't imagine how good it will be when it opens up.

Steve8.

What do you do when the Quebec's Pegau runs out, go to Ontario Liquor Board?

quote:

Originally posted by lovelandre:
Steve8.

What do you do when the Quebec's Pegau runs out, go to Ontario Liquor Board?

No. We cry

I haven't seen this bottle in Ontario yet. It may come in or may not.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Mimik,

Am I right in assuming that once the first order of Pegau 2003's has arrived here in Quebec, there will be no more shipments?

Not necessarily, but don't hold your breath. There are 12 bottles in Trois Pistoles.

Luckily it's not Quatre-pistoles

quote:

Originally posted by lovelandre:
Luckily it's not Quatre-pistoles

At the next offline, Lovelandre, I will tell you what I had to go through to get the bottles.

Talk about one for team!!

James M,

Any thoughts on the 2004 Pegau? I'm thinking of this for cellaring for my sons birth year. Either this or the Clos Des Papes? Should Both of these hold up for 20-30 years?

My review on the '04 Clos des Papes has run already - 96 points with a drink window of now through 2030 (though the wine has tightened up already).

My review on Pegau recently ran in this Tasting Highlights. It's another monster wine, with a long life ahead of it.

Assuming your son grows up to like CdP, either would be a fine choice to go the distance (assuming proper storage of course).

quote:

Originally posted by James Molesworth:
Though I do find the '03 Pégaü still a pretty amazing drink, it is starting to shut down, along with most of the top '03s. This is a great sign for the long haul, since their fruit was so exuberant right out of the gate.

James, any thoughts on the alcohol level of the '03 and how it might affect the ageability? Not that I really noticed any heat and it wasn't out of balance. At 15.2% it is significantly higher than the other vintages I have in my cellar.

Yes, the alcohol could be considered high, but as long as it is in balance (with enough fruit and structure) then it shouldn't be a problem for aging. And for me, the wine is in balance.

quote:

Originally posted by mimik:

I will tell you what I had to go through to get the bottles.

Does it involve two dwarves, a bullwhip, a bodice, a smoking gun, a new moon, and a clock striking twelve?

Because if it doesn't, you may have to embellish it a bit.

Had this last night, amongst the 2002 Bodegas Lan, 2002 Merryvale Profile, 2003 Clio, acouple of other Syrahs and then a 1/2 bottle of Le Corton thrown in at then end.

If this is truly "closing down" then I cannot imagine what it is going to be like when it opens back up. This was the clear WOTN. It was decanted about 1 1/2 hours and just singing. I think that, for the first time, on top of an 'earthy' smell, I smelled a bit of tobacco. The nose was very full of red fruits, strawberry and raspberry, with that underlying earth smell that is just so attractive in CdPs, but not always in others (for me). The attack was fresh, forward and silky, and the transition from mid-palate (all silky fruit and mouthfeel), was seemless. The finish did go on for almost a minute.

I have 5 more of these and was hoping that this would be this good, and it was. This is easily a 95-96 point wine. Now I just don't know how I will hold off on the rest.

oh, and last, as to the comments about high alcohol, it was not apparent in any way on the nose, taste or finish; this wine is complex and well balance and integrated (can you tell that I liked it).

thanks, Dale