Domaine du Pegau CdP Cuvee Da Capo 2020 (750ML)

98 JS / 96-98+ WA / 95-97 JD

A complex nose of dark cherries, damson plums, dried spices, dried thyme, leather, some bark and undergrowth as well. Full body with great volume. Structured and balanced with a creamy core of berries and hints of dark chocolate. Fine texture with plenty of spicy character on the palate. It’s complex and savory with leather and profound aromas developing towards the finish. Still a bit firm at this stage with a brain-rattling finish that almost knocks you off your chair! Majority grenache (70%), 7% syrah, 3% mourvedre and 20% of the other 13 grapes. Better after 2026.--Stuart Pigott, James Suckling

Lavender, bay leaf and purple raspberries stand out on the nose, while the palate is full-bodied, silky and elegant. It's perhaps slightly more concentrated, with more tannic grip on the finish and a firmer structure. One for the cellar. Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate

Another wine that showed better this go-round as well is the 2020 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Da Capo, and it's always a good sign when a wine gets better over the course of its élevage. Plenty of ripe black fruits, roasted garrigue, gamey meats, and flowers define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied on the palate, with plenty of mid-palate depth, a focused, more elegant mouthfeel, and building tannins. While I’m not convinced this matches previous vintages, it’s not far off, and certainly time will tell. It's unquestionably a gorgeous Châteauneuf-du-Pape.-Jeb Dunnuck