Alcohol: 15,5%
Grape(s): Syrah, Grenache
Localization: Cotes du Ventoux, Rhone Valley, France
Tasting Notes: Moving to the smaller production cuvées, the Syrah-dominated Ventoux Quintessence reveals a deeper ruby/plum color followed by a beautiful bouquet of smoked red and black fruits, gamey herbs, spring flowers, and an almost forest floor-like character. With considerable elegance on the palate, medium to full-bodied richness, and silky yet building tannins, this is straight-up classy stuff. It will benefit from a year or three of bottle age and drink nicely for a solid decade.
94 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: The Ventoux Quintessence was presented as a representative sample. A blend of 80% Syrah and 20% Grenache, aged mostly in barrique, it will be blended and bottled this winter. On the nose, it delivers fresh blueberry and plum notes, while the palate is marked by crisp acids, but also ripe, creamy tannins and great length and intensity.
Notes: Quintessence Rouge was first made in 1990 by Paul Chaudière. At that time this region was considered a backwater of the Rhône, only capable of producing cheap, bulk wine. Largely due to the efforts of Paul, and now his sons Alex and Fred, the Ventoux’s reputation has never been better and Quintessence remains one of the region's benchmark wines and a tremendous value. Quintessence is a blend of primarily Syrah with a small proportion of Grenache (~20%) – all from 50+-year-old vines planted at an elevation of 250-350m.
The Domain: Chateau Pesquié is the story of three generations of passionate winemakers. Odette and René Bastide took over the vineyard in the beginning of the 1970s and restructured a large part of it. They used to bring their grapes to the local Cooperative.
Edith and Paul Chaudière, René & Odette’s daughter and son-in-law, decided to give up their medical careers to take over the family estate in 1985. They traveled in many wine regions (in France, Spain, Germany, the US, etc.), became sommeliers and worked on terroir selection... This led them to create their own winery in 1990, first vintage of Château Pesquié. By then, it was one of 10 independent wineries: there are now more than 120.
Fred and Alex Chaudière, the two sons of Edith & Paul, have taken over gradually since 2003 with the firm objective to take it to the next level and show the world how amazing the Ventoux terroir is!
In the 80’s, Paul Chaudière began sustainable farming. When Alexandre & Frederic took over, they started moving to organic (first plot converted in 2007). The estate is now fully converted to organic agriculture (Ecocert).
