2019 Quintessence Rouge, Château Pesquié, Rhone, France

OVERVIEW

From 50 year old vines planted at 250m above sea level, the 80% Syrah / 20% Grenache blend from Château Pesquié seems to get better every year with the 2019 vintage scoring 94 points from the two most esteemed critics of the Southern Rhone. Hard to think of a bigger bang for your buck than this 15.5% abv hit of garrigue & dark fruits.

CRITIC REVIEWS

The 2019 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. 92-94 Points The Wine Advocate

Moving to the smaller production cuvées, the Syrah-dominated 2019 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. 92-94 Points Jeb Dunnock

FOOD PAIRING INSPIRATION

At 15.5% and with density of fruit this wine is going to need some serious meat to square up too. We recommend roast lamb or a BBQ.

VINTAGE AND WINEMAKING

A wet start to the year threatened mildew and rot but the mistral soon put pay to that and the spring was warm and dry allowing for undisturbed flowering and fruit set. The summer was hot and long allowing grapes to fully ripen.

The wine is produced from 50 year old vines and is a blend of 80% Syrah and 20% Grenache. The grapes are crushed and destemmed and macerated for just under a month. Ageing takes place in large oak barrels for between 12-15 months, depending on vintage.

PRODUCER NOTES

Chris Froome and Eddie Mercx may be the cycling kings of the Ventous but the vinous king of the Ventoux is Château Pesquié. They produce excellent quality wines in the shadow of this famous mountain at an affordable price. With vines ranging in age from 20-80 years the range of wines go from fairly fun and fruity whites to seriously high quality (95 points) reds that are among the best of the appellation.

Vines include Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan, Mourvedre, Roussanne, Viognier, Clairette, Chardonnay and Muscat Petit Grain.

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SERVICE AND STORAGE TIPS

This Syrah is about as bold as it gets if drinking today and will soften around the edges over the next 5-10 years. An hour or two in the decanter will be a worthwhile time investment.

This wine should be served between 16-18°C and stored at 12°C.

DELIVERY INFORMATION

Delivery is free when you spend over £150. For orders under this amount then a £9.99 delivery charge will be applied.

We use a tracked DPD delivery service who provide text and email tracking updates.

Every bottle sold by CoolerSomm is subject to our quality guarantee. If a wine is corked or faulty, we will replace it.

2019 Quintessence Rouge, Château Pesquié, Rhone, France