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CDP Cuvée da Capo, Domaine de Pégau 2003

Tasting Notes

For the fourth time, the Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee da Capo has been produced, and for the fourth time, it has received a perfect score although I might back off the 2000's perfect score based on the fact that it seems to be more of an upper-ninety point wine than pure perfection these days. The 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee da Capo has distanced itself ever so slightly from the 2003 Cuvee Reservee. Before bottling and immediately after bottling, these two wines’ differences were not as evident. At present the Capo reveals that extra level of flavor, power, complexity and richness. It is a big wine (16.1% alcohol – less than in the 1998, but more than in the 2000 and 2007) boasting a dark plum/garnet color as well as a stunning bouquet of aged beef intermixed with pepper, herbes de Provence, and steak au poivre. This unctuously textured, full-bodied Chateauneuf possesses enormous body, huge flavors and sweet, velvety tannins. Still youthful, it has not yet begun to close down, and I’m not sure it ever will given this unusual vintage. It is a modern day classic that should continue to provide provocative as well as compelling drinking for 20-30+ years.

100
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (191), October 2010

BTW....totally unrelated....but had 2003 Capo...from bottle last Monday at Le Bernardin in NYC(with an exquisite piece of salmon)....might just be one of the greatest CNDPs ever produced...even better than I predicted....can't wait to taste the Cuvee Reservee from the bottle.....In Vino Veritas

Robert Parker, Mark Squires' Bulletin Board, March 2006

Domaine de Pegau’s magical 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee da Capo is a magnificent offering. Tipping the scales at 16.1% alcohol, it boasts a blockbuster nose of dry vintage port intermixed with pepper, herbes de Provence, and roasted meats. Frightfully concentrated with layers of glycerin and fruit, it should prove to be one of the appellation’s greatest classics. More backward than either the 1998 or 2000 Capos, it is an enormously endowed, hugely concentrated, exhilarating effort that will last for three decades or more. It is a strong candidate for the “wine of the vintage.” Anticipated maturity: 2010-2035+. When I asked Laurence how she would describe this beauty, she said, “It consists of 80% of a great vintage of Chateauneuf du Pape, 20% a vintage port, and the rest some Syrah and other things we throw in for complexity.”

99/100
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (163), February 2006
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