Yowzer: 94 Pt 2017 Chateau Pesquie Ventoux Terrasses
Posted on: 07/31/19 2:32 PM
It’s back … and it’s about to take over all our lives. Yes, it’s that time again for the annual craze for Pesquié. A favorite of Gordon’s for many, many years, Pesquie returns in fine form for the 2017 vintage – this time earning a spectacular 94 points from Rhône specialist Jeb Dunnuck. Run, don’t walk to get yourself a case of one of our great value offerings of the year!!!!
2017 Chateau Pesquie Ventoux Terrasses
“Longtime readers will know that I love this cuvée, which is year in, year out, one of the great value buys out there. The 2017 Terrasses is even better than the 2016 and ranks with the finest vintages I’ve tasted, matching the stunning 2010. The essence of kirsch liqueur, wild strawberries, and wildflowers flow to a full-bodied, plump, deep, beautifully layered and sexy wine that has medium to full body, ripe tannins, notable minerality, and a great finish. A blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah that was all destemmed and brought up in concrete tanks, this is a raw, naked expression of this fabulous terroir located just south of Mount Ventoux…. It has the capability to keep for 7-8 years.” 94 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
More About the Wine
The cast of returning characters is more or less the same: rich black fruit, bright peppered raspberries, torn thyme and on a body poised between velvet and firm mineral.
“Terrasses” stems from the Latin ‘terras’ which translates to ‘lump of earth’. It’s not very sexy, it’s not very glamourous, but it is quite fitting for the wine. Sourced from individual terraces, or little shelves, that have been built into the rolling hills of Ventoux for the last thousand years of agricultural history here, the fruit from Terrasses is grown from a compelling mix of individual soil types: gravelly soil covered with pebbles, lime-stone, and iron rich clay. These different “lumps of earth” are an important reason why this wine has the immense interest that it does, offering a serious amount of personality not usually associated with fellow wines at this price range.
Absurdly versatile, you can go ahead and pair the Terrasses with almost anything: grilled lamb, sausage pies, roast chicken, yes, even that mushroom, meatball, onion pizza. There’s no second guessing here, there’s no fancy glamor, no fickle pretension, just a good, smooth, simple wine that hits way, way, above its weight class.
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