Domaine Pegau Cuvee Reservee Chateauneuf du Pape, 1994

As recently as last Valentine's Day, this wine was singing, offering layers of fresh and dried strawberry fruit along with herbs and pepper. Tonight, it's very hard for me to find the fruit behind earthy tones that I never found in previous bottles.

Good color. Deep and dark with bright tones. Less barnyard on the nose than the Clefs d'Or Chateauneuf that preceded it, but there are brett-like tones in the flavors. Savory with a good texture but the cascade of fruit flavors that I always get from a Pegau Cuvee Reservee seem to be hiding or non-existent. The consensus at the table is that this is the lesser of the three Chateuneufs being poured tonight. I suspect this is merely a bad bottle.