Wine Review - A Southern Rhône - For Under 17 Dollars

2006 Château Pesquié Côtes du Ventoux Terrasses

In my search for really good wines that will not break the bank, I came across this one. Château Pesquié Côtes du Ventoux Terrasses 2006 is a French wine from the Southern Rhône region, more specifically Côtes du Ventoux.

When I did my research I found that this is a family endeavor. Three generations are hard at work to bring us a really nice wine. This region of France is characterized by a gravel soil mixture composed of limestone and clay. Côtes du Ventoux is said to be at the cross roads of the Mediterranean and Alpine region creating a perfect micro-climate to grow grapes.

Château Pesquié Côtes du Ventoux Terrasses 2006 is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah. An interesting note is that only 35% of this vintage was aged in oak barrels that were 2-3 years old.

The Review
My Rating is 90 out of 100

The first step of trying a new wine begins with the colour, in this case a dark purple. Then the nose becomes apparent. In this wine, I would say the nose was inviting, just asking me to take a sip and see what was in the glass. My first mouthful was delicious. This full bodied red had no bite and mellow tannins. It was very well balanced and slightly fruit forward. Cherry, oak and smoke were the main flavors that popped. The one downfall to this great wine was the finish. It was missing something. I wanted a bit more, but I know to a lot of wine lovers, a strong finish is not desirable.

All in all, this was a great wine and once again, I highly recommend you give this lesser know winery a chance. Take a peak at their website and you will get a feeling for the dedication that goes into every bottle. My next trip to France will surely include a stop at Château Pesquié.

Music pairing coming soon…Stay tuned…