Chateau Pesquie Cotes du Ventoux "Quintessence" 2015
(Southern Rhone, France) - [RP 92-95]

About This Wine:
The Chaudière Family started this cuvée in 1990 and chose the name "Quintessence" to highlight the exception and the concentration of this wine. Complex and powerful yet with a great balance and a beautiful freshness, it is the result of a drastic parcel selection. Soil Clay and limestone soil at an altitude between 250 and 350 meters (800 and 1 150 feet).

Grapes: 80% Syrah, 20% Grenache (50 years old vines and more). Yields between 30 and 35 hl/ha.

Vinification:
The grapes are selected, crushed, and destemmed. Three to four weeks maceration with traditional air pumping over.
Aged twelve to fifteen months in barrels: 40% of which are new and 60% of which are two to three years old. Bottled at the Château.

Tasting notes

Color: Dark purple.
Nose: black berries (cherry), garrigues and black olives notes.
Mouth: very ample structure, richness and power balanced by the freshness of the Ventoux terroir, garrigues, black cherry and tarry notes with velvety tannins.

Food & Wine pairing:
Terrines, roasted red meats, meats in sauces, game (venison haunch, rabbit or wild boar stew, stuffed poultry, poultry with truffles...). Soft cheeses (camembert, brie...) and possibly red fruits and/or chocolate desserts. Serve at a maximum temperature of 18°C (64°F) Put in a carafe in its early years.

92-95 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"Tasted as a final blend, the inky colored 2015 Ventoux la Quintessence is a step up over previous vintages, and I suspect it will be the greatest vintage for this cuvee to date. Not harvested until the 18th of October (which is average to early for this terroir... they finished on October 31st in 2013), it has sensational purity and polish, with full-bodied richness, a big mid-palate, ultra-fine tannin and killer notes of creme de cassis, blackberries, licorice and graphite. Count me as a fan and it's anther wine that will see its 20th birthday in fine form."

17/20 Points - Jancis Robinson:
"Deep crimson. Very rich and sweet and satisfying, but with great potential for ageing. Hedonistic with very finely managed tannins and attractive lift. Drink 2020 – 2025." (13 Nov 2016)