Domaine du Pégau

Domaine du Pégau's own history describes a Féraud family established in Châteauneuf-du-Pape for several generations before the estate was formally created. Paul Féraud became involved in the family's vineyard work from the age of fourteen, when the holding ran to roughly twenty hectares and most of the crop was sold in bulk to wine merchants. In 1964, wanting to express the identity of his own wines rather than sell them off in bulk, Paul began producing and marketing a cuvée under his own name, at a rate of about 2,000 bottles a year, a step the domaine's own site calls seminal. His daughter, Laurence Féraud, studied viticulture and winemaking and added business and marketing training in Paris before returning to Châteauneuf-du-Pape to work alongside her parents. In 1987 she proposed creating an independent family estate, and she, Paul, and her mother, Odette Féraud, registered the name Pégau on an initial 5 hectares. "Pégau" refers to a 14th-century Provençal pitcher used during the era of the popes' presence in nearby Avignon, a name the domaine chose to tie the estate's history to its terroir. Over the following years the family gradually acquired additional plots, including old vines, expanding and structuring the vineyard.

• Féraud family established in Châteauneuf-du-Pape for several generations before the domaine's founding, per the estate's own history page
• Paul Féraud worked the family vineyard from age 14, when it totaled around 20 hectares mostly sold in bulk to merchants
• 1964: Paul Féraud began bottling and marketing his own wine under his own name, about 2,000 bottles a year
• 1987: Laurence Féraud, with parents Paul and Odette Féraud, registered the independent Domaine du Pégau on an initial 5 hectares; name derived from a 14th-century Provençal pitcher tied to the papal era in Avignon

In January 2012, Domaine du Pégau added to its holdings with the purchase of a single-block 41-hectare property, which the family named Château Pegau. The property sits along the banks of the Rhône at Sorgues, between Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Avignon, on a terroir the domaine describes as exceptional and dotted with rolled pebbles. The estate's 1,200-square-meter building was formerly a boatmen's relay. The vineyard at Château Pegau sits within the Côtes-du-Rhône, Côtes-du-Rhône Villages, and Vin de France appellations, and wines released under the Château Pegau name include red Côtes-du-Rhône and Côtes-du-Rhône Villages cuvées as well as Vin de France bottlings such as a rosé (Pink Pegau) and Plan Pegau.

• January 2012: acquisition of a single 41-hectare block near Sorgues, between Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Avignon, along the Rhône
• The property's 1,200 m2 building was formerly a boatmen's relay; the domaine describes the surrounding terroir as exceptional, marked by rolled pebbles
• Wines produced under the Château Pegau name fall in the Côtes-du-Rhône, Côtes-du-Rhône Villages, and Vin de France appellations
• Château Pegau's current lineup per the domaine's own wines page includes Côtes-du-Rhône Cuvée Lône and Cuvée Maclura, Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Cuvée Sétier, and Vin de France bottlings Pink Pegau, Plan Pegau, and Pegovino

The domaine's own current figures put its holdings at 21 hectares of Châteauneuf-du-Pape red vines and 2 hectares of Châteauneuf-du-Pape white vines, alongside 5 hectares of Côtes-du-Rhône Villages red, 23 hectares of Côtes-du-Rhône red, 3 hectares of Côtes-du-Rhône white, and 17 hectares classified as Vin de France. The domaine's terroir page identifies three principal soil types across its Châteauneuf-du-Pape vineyard: rolled pebbles (quartz stones deposited by the ancient Rhône during the Quaternary era, prized for their heat retention and considered the ideal terrain for Grenache), sandy soils (which the domaine says yield finer, more elegant wines with softer tannins), and clay-and-sandstone soils rich in iron oxide (which the domaine associates with deep, complex wines). The vineyard's named plots include La Crau, Pignan, Les Bosquets, Le Grand Pierre, La Solitude, Les Relagnes/Coste Froide, Mount Pertuis, Font de Michelle, Cabanes Saint Jean, and Les Escondudes; The Wine Cellar Insider reports the Châteauneuf-du-Pape vineyard is divided across about 11 different parcels. Châteauneuf-du-Pape has a Mediterranean climate; the domaine describes its vineyards as sitting in the driest sector of the Côtes-du-Rhône, with frequent Mistral winds that the domaine credits with limiting vine disease, concentrating sugars ahead of harvest, and protecting against spring frost. Tradition dictates that Châteauneuf-du-Pape reds may blend up to thirteen grape varieties; the domaine continues the practice of interplanting (complantation) of all thirteen varieties on some historic plots, notably La Crau and Les Bosquets, a field-blend approach it calls the Symphony of the Thirteen Grape Varieties. Across the rest of the vineyard, Grenache noir accounts for close to 80% of plantings, complemented by Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Cinsault.

• Current estate figures per the domaine: 21 ha Châteauneuf-du-Pape red, 2 ha Châteauneuf-du-Pape white, 5 ha Côtes-du-Rhône Villages red, 23 ha Côtes-du-Rhône red, 3 ha Côtes-du-Rhône white, 17 ha Vin de France
• Three soil types in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape vineyard: rolled pebbles (linked to Grenache), sands (finer, more elegant wines), and iron-rich clays and sandstones (deep, complex wines)
• Named plots include La Crau, Pignan, Les Bosquets, Le Grand Pierre, La Solitude, Les Relagnes/Coste Froide, Mount Pertuis, Font de Michelle, Cabanes Saint Jean, and Les Escondudes; The Wine Cellar Insider counts about 11 parcels in total
• All thirteen Châteauneuf-du-Pape grape varieties are interplanted on select historic plots (La Crau, Les Bosquets); Grenache noir is close to 80% of plantings overall, with Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Cinsault

The domaine describes its cellar practice as a direct extension of its traditional approach in the vineyard. All wines, red, white, and rosé, and across every appellation the family produces, are vinified in whole bunches. The red Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines are fermented in concrete tanks, where the different grape varieties are co-fermented together from the start. The domaine's own current wine sheets for its two flagship reds describe manual harvesting, no destemming, native-yeast spontaneous fermentation in concrete tanks, and a 12-day vatting period. Cuvée Réservée and Cuvée Da Capo then age 2 years in large old oak foudres of 50 hectoliters; Cuvée Laurence, made from the same blend as Cuvée Réservée, ages 4 years in the same type of vessel. Across the estate, the foudres in use range in age from about twenty to more than a hundred years old. For the white and rosé wines, whole bunches are pressed directly on arrival at the cellar and fermented on the juice, then aged either in stainless steel tanks or, for the Cuvée A Tempo Blanc, in a combination of concrete and sandstone eggs with a portion of barrel aging.

• All wines (red, white, rosé, every appellation) are whole-bunch vinified; red Châteauneuf-du-Pape ferments in concrete tanks with co-fermented varieties
• Cuvée Réservée and Cuvée Da Capo: manual harvest, no destemming, native yeasts, concrete tank, 12-day vatting, 2 years in old 50-hectoliter oak foudres
• Cuvée Laurence: identical blend to Cuvée Réservée, aged 4 years (versus 2 years for Réservée) in the same style of old foudre
• Foudres in use range from about 20 to over 100 years old; whites and rosé are pressed directly and fermented on the juice, aged in stainless steel or, for Cuvée A Tempo, in concrete/sandstone eggs plus barrel

Cuvée Réservée Rouge is the domaine's flagship red: 80% Grenache, 6% Syrah, 4% Mourvèdre, and 10% other permitted varieties, grown on pebble and argilo-calcareous soils with iron and sand. The domaine's own tasting note describes a dark red, purple-tinged wine with ripe red-fruit, juniper, pepper, and garrigue aromas that evolve toward stone fruit, leather, and undergrowth; it recommends 5 to 20 years of cellaring. Cuvée Da Capo is a single-vineyard selection from La Crau, blended from 70% Grenache, 7% Syrah, 3% Mourvèdre, and 20% other varieties grown on Crau sands, pebbles, and red clay; the domaine calls it a rare gem released only in exceptional years and says it has been produced eight times, in 1998, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2016, and 2020. Cuvée Laurence Rouge shares the Cuvée Réservée blend but spends twice as long in foudre, developing notes the domaine describes as cinnamon, pepper, and cured meat; it suggests 5 to 15 years of cellaring. On the white side, Cuvée Réservée Blanc (60% Clairette, 20% Grenache Blanc, 10% Bourboulenc, 10% Roussanne, aged 8 months in stainless steel) is a small-production wine of about 4,000 bottles, while Cuvée A Tempo Blanc, described by the domaine as Da Capo's little sister, comes from biodynamically farmed parcels and blends equal parts Clairette, Roussanne, and Grenache Blanc, aged 18 months in concrete and sandstone eggs with a touch of barrel; it debuted with the 2014 vintage. Under the Château Pegau label, Plan Pegau is a Vin de France blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 20% Merlot, and 20% other varieties, drawn from three vintages aged in barrels of around five years.

• Cuvée Réservée Rouge: 80% Grenache, 6% Syrah, 4% Mourvèdre, 10% other; 2 years old-oak aging; domaine-recommended cellaring 5-20 years
• Cuvée Da Capo: 70% Grenache, 7% Syrah, 3% Mourvèdre, 20% other; single-vineyard La Crau selection; produced in 8 vintages to date (1998, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2020); domaine-recommended cellaring 10-25 years
• Cuvée Laurence Rouge: same blend as Cuvée Réservée, aged 4 years in foudre; domaine-recommended cellaring 5-15 years
• Whites: Cuvée Réservée Blanc (Clairette-led, about 4,000 bottles, stainless steel aged) and Cuvée A Tempo Blanc (biodynamic parcels, equal Clairette/Roussanne/Grenache Blanc, debuted 2014, concrete/sandstone egg and barrel aging)

Every Wine Advocate score published on the domaine's own Cuvée Da Capo page is 98 points or higher, and four vintages received a perfect 100: 2000, 2003, 2007, and 2010. Robert Parker called the 2000 Cuvée Da Capo "a monument to old vine Grenache as well as traditionally made Chateauneuf du Pape," and reviewing the 2003 he noted that it was, at that point, the fourth Cuvée Da Capo to receive a perfect score from him. The 1998, the cuvée's first vintage, scored 99 from Parker; the 2007 and 2010 both scored 100. The 2015 and 2016 vintages drew scores from multiple critics: Jeb Dunnuck rated 2015 at 98+ and 2016 at 100 ("traditional, classic Châteauneuf Du Pape doesn't get better," he wrote of the 2016), while Wine Advocate scored the same two vintages at 98 and 99, Wine Spectator scored the 2016 at 97, and Vinous scored it 95-97. The domaine's own Cuvée Réservée Rouge page carries Wine Advocate scores of 96 for the 2009, 98 for the 2010, and 93 for the 2011, with Parker praising the 2010 as "a brilliant vintage for Laurence" with a "blockbuster finish."

• Cuvée Da Capo: every published Wine Advocate score is 98 or higher; four vintages (2000, 2003, 2007, 2010) received a perfect 100 from Robert Parker
• 1998 Cuvée Da Capo (first vintage): 99/100, Wine Advocate (Robert Parker)
• 2015 and 2016 Cuvée Da Capo also scored well beyond Wine Advocate: Jeb Dunnuck 98+ and 100 respectively; Wine Spectator 97 and Vinous 95-97 for 2016
• Cuvée Réservée Rouge: Wine Advocate scores on the domaine's own site include 96 (2009), 98 (2010), and 93 (2011)

Primary sources (the domaine's own site, pegau.com): home, history, terroir, traditional know-how, our wines (index), and individual wine pages for Cuvée Réservée Rouge, Cuvée Da Capo, Cuvée Laurence Rouge, Cuvée Réservée Blanc, Cuvée A Tempo Blanc, and Plan Pegau. Secondary sources: en.chateauneuf.com (the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation body's own site, for appellation-level context and the domaine's listing) and The Wine Cellar Insider (producer profile, for production-volume figures and the count of vineyard parcels, where the domaine's own site is silent). Last verified 2026-09-14. Where the domaine's own site and a secondary source disagree, the domaine's own site governs; see conflicts.json.