Tasting Château Pesquié
Ξ October 8th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ A Day at a Time, International Terroirs, Tasting Notes, Winemakers, Wineries |
Regular readers will know I had the amazing good fortune recently to spend a week at Château Pesquié in the Côtes du Ventoux. As well as learning some of the art of winemaking by spending time in the vineyards and the winery I also had the opportunity to drink a range of the Pesquié wines during meals with the Chaudière family over the course of the week. This was capped by a special tasting on the last day where I had a chance to compare some of the wines in a standardised environment – and was my first experience of a something approximating to a “professional” tasting.
Here is the combined list of Pesquié wines experienced during the week, with tasting notes and references to whether the wines were tried with food or on their own. For those readers who don’t read the words and only look for scores I’ve based them on a 5 star scale similar to Decanter or Michael Broadbent –3 is good, 4 is very good while 5 is usually unobtainable on my budget.
For those not familiar with Pesquié wines their Chardonnay (not tasted during the week) and Viognier are classified Vin de Pays as these single varietals don’t meet AOC Ventoux regulations. Le Paradou is a “Custom Cuvee” for Jon-David Headrick and is classified AOC Côtes du Luberon. All other wines are AOC Côtes du Ventoux, although the Perle de Rosé is only available in France. Les Terrasses and the flagship Quintessence have been the main Pesquié brands over the years, with Artemia the new Cuvee (2004 was the first vintage) and I get the feeling its style is aimed at the U.S. consumer.
Rosé.
Les Terrasses 2007 Rosé. Grenache, Syrah & Cinsault. 3+/5.
(with food) A wonderfully fruity nose, deliciously dry in the mouth and an amazingly long finish – one of the better Rosés I’ve had all year.
Perle de Rosé 2007. Grenache, Cinsault & Syrah. 3+/5.
(with food) A refreshing dry Rosé with a large amount of fruit up-front, more so than Les Terrasses Rosé, however the finish seems quicker.
2007 Viognier. 100% unoaked Viognier, Vin de Pays. 3+/5.
(with food) Served very chilled and showing a restrained nose but a fresh taste. Later in the week was served again slightly warmer and was much more aromatic and flavourful.
(tasting) Exceptionally floral nose with good front acidity. Dry & fresh, going into a short mid-palate then a long and rich finish. Drink young.
White.
2006 Quintessence Blanc. Rousanne & Clairette. 3/5.
(tasting) Floral, perfumed nose, buttery & aromatic which moves into an almost chemical smell with a hint of Epoxy. Full bodied, dry and slightly spicy. Long and buttery finish.
2007 Quintessence Blanc. Rousanne & Clairette. 4/5.
(with food) Creamy and well structured and no overt signs of oak from the barrel fermented Rousanne.
(tasting) More elegant than the ’06, creamy and fresh.
Red.
2007 Le Paradou. Grenache & Syrah. 3/5.
(tasting) Vibrant (young) purple colour with a massive nose of blackcurrant. A nice fruity drink with firm front tannins, but a short finish.
(with food) An easy drinking wine with a fruity nose, tannic up front with a short finish.
2006 Les Terrasses. 70% Grenache, 30% Syrah. 3+/5.
(tasting) More ruby brick edging compared to the Paradou. A lighter, less fruity nose, spicy with ash & some wood – a touch of cigar box? Dry yet fruity up front, nicely oaked with a long mid-palate & finish.
(with food) Initially quite tight and tannic, but you could tell there was plenty of fruit trying to get out. A few hours of standing time worked wonders and later it was much smoother with far more fruit apparent.
2007 Les Terrasses. Grenache & Syrah, Brut de Cave - as yet unbottled. Unscored.
(tasting) Fruit juice aspects to the nose, a little green with lighter tannins –much too young and unstructured to judge its potential.
1997 Quintessence. Syrah & Grenache. 4/5.
(with food) As soon as it was poured its dark and oaky nose made itself know – a touch of leather, some fine ash and a whole load of the local Garrigue and Provencal herbs. The colour was a dark red, with only a little sign of ageing around the edges. On first taste the wine had forward acidity with smooth tannins, slightly bitter and lots of dark berry fruit with a long finish - smooth and fresh with a hint of cherry.
1999 Quintessence. Syrah & Grenache. 4/5.
(with food) similar to the ’97, maybe a little spicier, a touch smokier on the nose and more dark fruit. In the mouth this one had more tannin, still notes of ash and cherry/oak throughout. Although seriously good I preferred the elegance and smoothness of the ’97 a little more.
2000 Quintessence. Syrah & Grenache. 4+/5.
(with food) In Magnum (decanted and rebottled). This was an amazing wine with a nose of Garrigue, Tar and Liquorice and the promise of fruit. On first sip the promise was fulfilled – seamless elegance and integration with fine (very fine) tannins, smooth and refined, delicate and an everlasting finish which slowly faded into memory.
2003 Quintessence. Syrah & Grenache. 3+/5.
(with food) Fruity and warm this was drinking well and went perfectly with duck.
2005 Quintessence. 80% Syrah, 20% Grenache. 3+/5.
(with food) Strong aroma of Garrigue on the nose. Good tannins and complexity.
2006 Quintessence. 80% Syrah, 20% Grenache. 4/5.
(tasting) A complex nose, with some spicy ash. The tannins are harsh but this young wine is already showing its strength, it just needs time to smooth the rough edges. Drink 2011-2021.
(with food) Decanted. This had a herbal, spicy nose with some menthol, heading towards eucalyptus and some pepper, but subtle. There was definite complexity in the nose; fellow diners got liquorice and some black olive. In the mouth it was smooth and well structured, tannins under the tongue and down the sides – “dark fruit and spice box” was mentioned. A short mid-palate led into a long finish with a fruity elegance.
2005 Artemia. 50% Syrah, 50% Grenache, barrel-fermented. 4/5.
(tasting) Less tannic but more unbalanced than the equivalent Quintessence, this hasn’t integrated nearly as much. A lot of fruit with a really long finish, when it comes together this will be big. Drink 2012-2018.
(with food) Decanted for approx 2 hours, this was so much milder than at the tasting just a few hours before, helped by a cheese accompaniment.
2006 Artemia. 50% Syrah, 50% Grenache, barrel-fermented. 4+/5.
(tasting) Much greener than the ’05 with more menthol/mint. This has a fantastic structure but the tannins are too aggressive and need even more time to integrate. In 5-8 years this will send you into ecstasy and continue to do so for many more years to come. Drink 2013-2025.
(with food) Decanted, this has a highly concentrated nose, dark and enticing with some spicy tar/creosote. There is wood in this, not quite an oak monster but making its presence felt, however plenty of fruit as well. Fresh tannins led into a long finish - a supremely balanced and elegant texture which worked perfectly with lamb.
(with food) Decanted for approx 2 hours, this benefitted from the accompanying cheese, had a strong mint/menthol element and serious dark berry undertones.
I felt privileged to be on the receiving end of such generous hospitality from the Chaudière family at Château Pesquié; from Alexandre at the winery, Frédéric throughout the week and most especially their parents, Paul and Edith, who opened their house to us over 5 days for lunch and dinner.
On talking to Paul during the main tasting he confirmed that there have been several vintages (1992, 1994, 1996 and 2002) where Quintessence Rouge was not made, as the quality of the grapes was deemed too low. For me this reinforced my thoughts on their high level of integrity and desire to strive for quality, something that is evident when you taste a selection of their range and vintages as I was fortunate to do in that glorious September week in the Ventoux.
Greybeard.
