TN: Pegau dinner in Baltimore

[DavidG]

I came up for air long enough to attend a nice Pegau dinner in Baltimore at Corks, organized by Tom Maskell. Here's the lineup with very brief impressions.

Starters
1990 Krug Champagne great complete nose with nutty yeasty notes, then apples and citrus on the palate, fabulous
1996 Pol Roger Blanc de Noirs Champagne excellent with more earthy and Pinot-y notes, overshadowed by the Krug
2009 Pegau blanc honeysuckle, savory notes, nice, not awesome

First Flight
1989 Pegau Laurence beautiful funky nose, great on palate, outstanding
1989 Pegau Reservee can see the connection, but the Laurence is the one to drink now

Second Flight
1994 Pegau Reservee very nice, interesting minty/tangy notes
1995 Pegau Reservee big disappointment, not much going on on the nose or palate
1998 Pegau Reservee (Magnum) wine of the flight and for me the wine of the night, everything just right, great nose, palate feel, balance, finish
1998 Pegau Laurence better than the Reservee out of the gate with killer nose, but faded within 20-30 minutes

Third Flight
2000 Pegau Capo - CORKED!
2001 Pegau Reservee beautiful mix of fresh fruity, earthy notes, barnyard, lavender, wine of the flight and candidate for wine of the night, this may overtake the '98 Reservee with time
2001 Pegau Laurence - CORKED!
2003 Pegau Reservee - excellent cherries, chewy full bodied, not a match for the '01s, but not roasted/over-ripe either. Others say they have had bothe better and worse examples
2004 Pegau Reservee some animal notes like the '01 Reservee but not as complete

After the Fall/Cheese Course/Dessert
2007 Pegau Reservee - all the components are there for a best-of Pegau, but too young for me
1985 Warres Porto - drinking really well, adolescent stage with emerging fig notes
2001 JJ Christoffel Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese** (AP 2602 091 009 02) - great delineation and balance, I loved this, others said austere, it generated a great debate over where the sugar goes as Rieslings age
2007 Bella Foreign Affair Cab Sauv Eiswein (Ontario) sweet tea, raisiny, nice balance

Major kudos to Jerry Pellegrino and his staff at Corks for putting together a fabulous menu to match the wines (TRUFFLES!), arranging the flights on-the-spot, keeping us supplied with fresh glasses, and contributing to the spirited debates. This guy can do it all.

[Blanquito]

Interesting notes, David. I am intrigued that the Christoffel was considered austere!?! We had a bottle recently of the 2001 UW Spatlese, and if anything it was over sweet for the pradkit and a youngster still.

I bought a few bottles of the 07 Pegau Reservee, so your notes makes me glad (for the future).

[DavidG]

I did not think the Christoffel was austere. I thought it was mouth-fillingly complete, and though it was on the sweet side, it was not very sweet, and it was perfectly balanced. Actually, it was Jay Miller who thought it austere, and I think he was in the minority.

[Jay Winton]

Thanks David. Looks like a nice dinner and a excellent lineup. I bought a couple of 2007 Pegau Reservee for the long haul (pls push my wheelchair). I got an excellent deal on the 06 Pegau Reservee and bought 6. I wonder in the end will the 07 be twice as good or just twice the price of the 06?

[dstgolf]

Great lineup David. Not surprised about the 98 showing as well as it did. It was a great year in the Rhone and they are sure showing well now! I've had Chapoutier Sizerranne recently and it was special. Can't say that I've had the 98 Pegau. The last Pegau was last winter with the 1990 and it was firing on all cylinders.

Did I see CORKED a number of times. Are you sure? This isn't supposed to happen according to the BD.

Thanks for the notes,

Danny

[Ramon_NYC]

1989 Pegau Laurence beautiful funky nose, great on palate, outstanding
1989 Pegau Reservee can see the connection, but the Laurence is the one to drink now

This is my kind of tasting ... and thanks for the notes David.

I have a lone holdout of a bottle of the 89 Pegau Reservee, and so, is there more time left to keep it un-opened? I was hoping to open it for a 25th year milestone celebration with a couple of buddies.

Also, regarding the 1995 Reservee - I recall my last couple of tastes, about 2 years ago, were great experiences and that the wines can keep going good for a few more years. Do you think this vintage is done with?

Ramon

[DavidG]

Jay, I missed the '06, have a few of the '07. Parker says the '07 will be ready to drink by '12. I'm not gonna open one for 10 years. Just keep drinking red wine and you wont need that wheelchair.

Danny, the '00 Capo was so f'ing corked it would have made a good teaching tool. It was as bad as the pure TCA I bought from the chemical supply house years ago just to see what it was really like. I made the call on the '01 Laurence. A few agreed and a few demurred. Fifteen minutes later and it was pretty obvious. A shame that a pair of aces crapped out. I guess they were the Game 1 Lee and Lincecum of our Pegau Series.

Ramon, I am the eternal optimist, and would bet on the '89 Pegau for that 25th anniversary. '89 is a special year for us - our daughter's birth year, and we have a few Beaucastel (fortunately, non-leakers) in reserve for special birthdays.

[JimHow]

Danny, I don't doubt a herd of wine drinkers, in its groupthink, BELIEVED there were so many corked wines. Especially a group from Maryland, I mean after all, Maryland's most famous wine "expert" <rolls eyes> thought that Hardy Rodenstock's wines were real.

Great report, David, I've been thinking of buying a couple bottles of the '07 Pegau Reservee, it seems to be available in the $75 range. The 2007 Les Cailloux and 2007 Paul Autard Cote Ronde we had at the party at my house last week has whetted my appetite for more '07 Chateauneuf du Pape in my cellar.

[Jay Winton]

It was as bad as the pure TCA I bought from the chemical supply house years ago just to see what it was really like.

I'm sure you didn't inhale . Seriously, I loaded up on a variety of mid price 07 CNDPs thinking I would enjoy having a few more bottles of each to track their evolution in a wine geeky way. Incredibly, I'm finally loading my wine into cellartracker so members can see my stock. It really is easy but even with my small cellar, the value CT shows does make me think I may need an insurance rider.

[Harry C.]

David, Thanks for the notes. I suspect the 2001 Christoffel is still closed and would be better in 5-10 years. The 2001 Spatlesen are just starting to arrive IMO.

[JimHow]

Is Cuvee Laurence generally considered to be better than La Reservee?

[DavidG]

The Laurence is different. Some like it better. Some prefer the Reservee. I haven't had enough side-by-side to have a solid opinion. The Laurence is produced in much smaller quantities and last night was the first I'd had a chance to try them. Sometimes I wonder if preference for the Laurence may be based on its scarcity.

I believe that the only difference between the two cuvees is that the Laurence is kept in old wood for a few years longer than the Reservee before bottling. They are not from different vineyard sites and I don't think they are specially selected lots. The wood is old enough that it does not make the Laurence oaky.

I preferred the '89 Laurence to the Reservee last night, and I think many others did too. The comparison in '98 was less clear: the Laurence had the better nose by far to start, but it faded and the Reservee was drinking better most of the night. Could there also have been an ageing differential due to the magnum? The Laurence, from the regular bottle, didn't taste or smell oxidized, but it did fall off a cliff fairly quickly. A '98 shouldn't be over the hill.

Unfortunately, we couldn't make the comparison between the '01s because Robert Parker (through Jay Miller, no doubt) was controlling our minds and had us all brainwashed that the '01 Laurence was corked. Next time I'm with Jim and come across a really badly, obviously corked bottle, I may just keep my mouth shut and nonchalantly hand him a pour to see if he notices anything awry. Or maybe I'll order another sample of TCA and spike one of his glasses. Harumph!

[Blanquito]

Nothing too funky, David? That's good.

I've only had a Pegau CDP a three times (if memory serves), and twice it smelled like a fresh cowpie or an uncleaned horse's stall. The third time was a bit stinky, but not in a bad way and it was a great bottle.

[DavidG]

Patrick, the '01 Reservee had some barnyard but to all of us there it was a positive. I have a few friends who would have literally turned up their noses at it.

[Houndsong]

2007 Pegau Reservee being flogged by K&L for $80.