Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Ella 2020 Domaine du Pegau

Professional reviews

Robert Parker (98)

To commemorate the birth of her first grandchild, Laurence Feraud set aside three barriques to create the 2020 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Ella. The equivalent of two will be sold, with the rest remaining at the domaine. Intense cherries form the core of this wine, with subtle accents of suede, loam and caramel. Full-bodied and hugely concentrated, it comes across as just slightly more rounded than the Cuvée da Capo, with a seductive, velvety mouthfeel and a long, lingering finish.

James Suckling (100)

A very perfumed nose of wild berries, black pepper, violets, thyme, nutmeg, bark and hints of spiced chocolate. Medium- to full-bodied with very fine tannins. It is suave and very harmonious. Such a beautiful touch on the palate with silky yet intense volume. There is tension here with a bright core of juicy fruits, vibrant spices and minerality. Vitality with an etherealness, with a very long, funnelled finish that goes on and on with some cocoa powder texture to it. Best after 2025.

Vinous (98)

Deep and muscular, the 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Ella is named after Laurence Férauds first grand-daughter Ella. It is a selection of three out of eleven barriques that were destined for the Cuvée Da Capo from the same vintage. The bottles are sealed with a pink wax capsule and Féraud tells me that the label will be equally playful. Checking in at 16.1% alcohol and made of 85% Grenache along with other permitted varieties, this wine is towering. It soars from the glass with pristine aromas of crushed violets, ripe raspberry and forest strawberry, blackcurrant, licorice, smoked herbs, figs, lavender, incense and white pepper. Full-bodied, layered and finishing remarkably long, it is the ultimate trophy wine for deep-pocketed collectors. Only 900 bottles produced.