Chateauneuf du Pape da Capo 2016

Producer history

The Féraud family has grown vines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape since the 17th century, but the modern Domaine du Pégau dates to 1987, when Laurence Féraud returned from winemaking studies and partnered with her father, Paul Féraud, to formally establish the estate as a standalone winery (Paul had begun estate-bottling a small quantity under his own name in the 1960s, after decades of the family selling grapes/bulk wine to négociants). The domaine takes its name from the pégau, an old Provençal terracotta jug of the type unearthed near the Pope's summer palace that also gave Châteauneuf-du-Pape its name. Laurence Féraud took over day-to-day management in the mid-2000s and has continued the estate's committed traditionalist, low-intervention style, including whole-cluster fermentation and long foudre aging, which has made Pégau one of the most closely watched producers in the appellation for wines built on power and structure rather than early drinkability.

Signature pairings

• Braised wild boar or venison daube — Long-braised game matches the wine's density and dark fruit, and the dish's own richness needs the tannin and acid structure a wine this concentrated provides.
• Aged hard cheese such as Comté or Gruyère — Nutty, aged hard cheeses have enough fat and umami depth to stand up to the wine's power without being overwhelmed, a safer match than soft or very pungent cheeses.
• Massaman beef curry (แกงมัสมั่นเนื้อ) — Massaman is one of the mildest Thai curries, built on warm spices (cinnamon, cardamom, cumin) rather than fresh chile heat, so its sweetness and spice can meet the wine's dark fruit and structure without the capsaicin clash that would occur with a hotter curry.