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."

Enormously concentrated with notes of mushroom demi-glace licorice tar and hoisin sauce but also marvelously textured with additional layers of raspberry fig and currant paste--all supported by thick ripe tannins. The slashing finish leaves you both winded and begging for more. Best from 2008 through 2035. 455 cases made.