Château Pesquié, Côtes du Ventoux

Château Pesquié, Côtes du Ventoux

A winery that I have been following for many years, over which time I have developed a bit of a love-dislike (hate would be too strong) / frustrating relationship with. Putting to one side the fact that I think the Chateau and estate are some of the most beautiful spots in the region, this is always a slightly complicated wine – and not always in a good way. Over the years of drinking quite a lot of wines from this producer (since late 1990's) I have come to see something of a house-style, and it is one that will divide many. Perhaps it’s the cellar-style, but they (and by this I mean the red wines) can be a little idiosyncratic. This comes through in the whole range of reds from top to bottom. On opening you can taste they all come from the same winery – the same distinctive Brett, the same distinctive prickle of dissolved CO2 in the wines. Sometimes (usually) it lifts to let the wine show itself, other times I’ve ended up pouring the wine away when its just been overwhelming.

My advice would always be: don’t avoid these wines, but open the reds wines and decant at least 6-hours before drinking to open them up and shed a little of that funkiness.

In increasing order of depth, the wines (white and red) are branded: ‘Terasses’, ‘Quintessence’ and Artemia (the latter from old vines and made only in small quantities).

There follows an assorted tasting of wines and vintages purchased direct from the winery a few years previously:

Château Pesquié “Quintessence” 2003 rouge (Côtes du Ventoux, Rhône, France)

Old label looks a little backward on this now. This current bottle is a good example of the ‘house style’ I refer too. “Quintessence” is one of their top bottlings, but stylistically this is very similar to the “Terrasses”, even given the big differences in vintages. Deep in colour, the nose hurtles out of the glass at you. Startling levels of Brett with a whiff of something that makes you wonder whether there’s actually a fault. Standard for these wines. On tasting immediately after opening there is such a striking attack that it is not uncommon to start coughing. Standard for these wines. Once you’re past that you notice a slight prickle on the tongue of dissolved carbon dioxide suggestive of secondary fermentation in the bottle. Standard for these wines. Undoubtedly bottled without filtering. The palate is screamingly full-throttle with almost choking levels of smoky Brett, and yes, rustic appeal. BBQ wine second to none - this needs chargrilled food or strong hard cheeses and it will do them proud. As it happens, the initial funkiness and prickle in this wine dissipated over 24-hours. This has not been the case with some previous bottles. The problem is that whereas this bottle has got the balance right (although I dare say many would still disagree) for every few bottles like this one may have been poured away for just taking it too far. More than I care to remember have had some degree of dissolved CO2 almost hinting of secondary fermentation in them. This particular wine is from a difficult year and early-ish in the winemaking history of Château Pesquié. Was it clumsy wine making? Is it a statement? Is the winemaker still trying to find their expression? Your guess is as good as mine, but put this particular bottle with a BBQ steak burger or some particularly noxious French cheese and you won’t be disappointed so long as you can cope with a lot of Brett and a bit of funkiness. Drink now. 14% alc.

Château Pesquié “Terasses” 2005 rouge (Côtes du Ventoux, Rhône, France)

Following on from the Quintessence, this is stylistically very similar and despite being from the successful 2005 vintage there is not as much variation as I would have expected. Even more Brett on the nose of this – almost just mucky. Plate is a little lighter in body than the Quintessence, despite being two-years younger. It is still pretty fierce though. Drink now with bleeding red meat. Will probably drink well for another couple of years without deteriorating, although I note the bottle gives a 5-year drinking window (and this is now 7-years old). 15-16/20.

Château Pesquié “Quintessence” 2004 blanc (Côtes du Ventoux, Rhône, France)

Heavyweight bottle designed for body-pump training, much like the rouge, and same modern-design label. Rousanne / clairette blend. Back label advice of 5-year aging. This is now touching 8-years! Deep yellow in colour. Open nose of a very typical southern-Rhone white. Pears and blossom. Very full and rich in the mouth. Certainly not tasting old in any way. Heavyweight and fresh, this could pass for a white Chateauneuf. Really rounded and a little oily on the palate. Strong, bold, oxidative flavours. Acidity a little lacking. Tastes like the 13% alc that it is (in fact I suspect it is higher than this). Drink now. No idea what food to partner this with – this would overwhelm most common partners. Not to everyone's taste but again, personally I like it. 16/20.

Château Pesquié “Artemia” 2005 rouge (Côtes du Ventoux, Rhône, France)

Similar weight-lifting style bottle, and same design label. Decanted an hour in advance – probably should have been at least 12-hours in retrospect! Deposit thrown in bottom and tannin welded to the glass inside the bottle. 'Flagship' Grenache-Syrah blend: old vines, tiny quantities, big prices. Back label advice: 15 years ageing. Opaque, deep red. Open nose very much in the line of previous reds – house style you could almost say – heavy Brett nose. Palate has similar prickle of dissolved CO2. As with the other wines, this only got a fair showing the following day after 24-hours in the decanter. Brett and CO2 prickle completely lifted. Nose now much more primary red fruits and touch of vanilla. Classy and youthful. Chocolate and a little stewed-fruit there too. Palate extremely rich and smooth. Full bodied, but not overpoweringly so, fine tannins. This tastes really young still. Copious concentrated red fruits, cherries, there’s certainly a bit of ‘garrigue’ in there too, very much balanced with the tannin and acidity. This is indeed a wine for the long haul. Needs rich red beef and wild dishes to do it justice currently. Great stuff. 14% alc. Drinking beautifully now but will easily keep and develop depending on the style you like. The best of the Chateau's wines without any doubt, and the best wine I have tasted from them period. 16-17/20.

White Rhone and a "Ripper"

Domaine Clos des Clazaux “Les Clefs D’Or” Vacqueyras blanc 2006 (Rhone, France)

From 50-year old vines cropped at 30hl/hec. This has been a quality wine (and something refreshingly different) when I have tasted it previously. Served too cold, this is definitely a white with sufficient body to be served a little warmed and in fact the reverse label makes reference to this recommending 16C and an hour in a decanter! Plastic cork. Pale yellow. Subdued nose when first opened, masked by the cold temperature. AS it warms up  it comes across as strong white fruits and pear with a slight herbaceous character to it . The palate is richer and more mineralic and full bodied than you would expect. Very concentrated white fruits. Medium acidity. Long finish. Great value, and showing well for 6-years old. I sometimes wonder whether Domaine Clos des Clazaux’s whites are actually better than their reds. Drinking great now, difficult to predict how it will change further with keeping but its not going to fall off its perch soon. 13.5% alc. This is still for me the best white Vacqueyras. 16+/20.

D’Arenberg ‘The Dead Arm’ Shiraz 2006 (McLaren Vale, South Australia)

This wine has something of a cult following, and my first bottle was sometime back in the late 1990’s around the time when Robert Parker started rating it up in the high 90s. This is my first tasting from a case of this vintage, already 6-years old. The story of why this is called ‘The Dead Arm’ is detailed on the bottle and website - worth a read. This has spent 22-months in new mixed barrique. Decanted before opening and enjoyed over 2 days. Inky black but not opaque. Unsurprisingly there is no real age discernible on the rim. Immense young and open nose of primary red fruit, dark spices and vanilla oak (tending towards the American style). Very classic South Australian quality shiraz. The palate is smooth balanced despite the huge richness and power to it – I would almost go as far as saying elegant, which you would generally not use as a descriptor for such a powerful wine. Black spices and dark red fruits predominate with a touch of Balsamic. You would never think that was already 6-years old. This is a masterful example of this style of wine and must have another 10 – 20 years ahead of it. The ‘elegance’ required something like a fine fillet steak, venison or maybe even rare Gressingham duck  to accompany it – its so smooth. 15% alc. 17/20.

August Whites: Tasting Notes

Schloss Schönborn Riesling 2007 (Rheingau, Germany)
A.P.NR. 3105202508
Pale straw colour. Open nose showing a touch of maturity with a whiff of kerosene on a backdrop of citrus fruits. Palate is dominated by acidity but this seems a little out of balance with the strong lime and citrus fruits and slight sweetness. I think perhaps this might have been better broached earlier in its youth. Good mineralic grip on a medium finish. An enjoyable lunchtime summer wine. Refreshing, mouth-watering and pleasantly light at only 10%. Drink up. 14/20.

Weingut Andreas Laible Durbacher Plauelrain Riesling Spätlese trocken SL 2002 (Baden, Germany)
A,P,Nr, 514/33/03
I have written a few tasting notes about several different wines bought from Weingut Andreas Laible on-site a number of years ago. By and large the experience has been disappointing; however for a few of these the wines were probably over-the-hill. The ‘SL’ represents a more superior bottling, and actually this particular wine does not disappoint despite heading to its 10th birthday this year. Stylistically this is quite different from the Mosel delicacy some German Riesling drinkers might be used to. Medium-yellow in colour, the nose is a little closed and unyielding. The palate however is a whole lot more concentrated, with a dense, concentrated mineralic core, ample acidity, and some white fruits and honey. Quite oily and a little residual sugar, although that is offset by the acidity nicely. I suspect because of that its actually sweeter than it tastes. Powerful finish. This seems like some hybrid cross between a lighter Mosel and a full-power Rheingau. I don’t know if there is some bottle variation with these wines given previous experiences, but this was tasted over several days and provided very enjoyable drinking. 12.5% alc. 16+/20. Drink up now.

Chateau Thuerry “Le Château” blanc 2009 (Cotes de Provence, France)
www.chateauthuerry.com
Blend of Sémillon and Ugni Blanc. Situated in the Haut Var Verdun, this winery was an interesting visit in the heart of Provence two years ago. We have tasted an old cab sav from this winery previously that turned out to be a real star (despite my initial scepticism at the winery when we tasted it) so I have been impressed so far. The winery itself was memorable for being set in the most beautiful secluded hollow away from the main road and into the garrigue. A mix of Blofeld’s underground lair and exuberant modern art makes this all something of a showpiece winery. The fact we also received a complimentary bottle of their excellent olive oil also helped endear them to us! Now onto the wine: sealed with an artificial cork. Nose is open and decidedly herbaceous in character. Palate is quite broad, with strong lemony character coupled with a rich fullness and undercurrent of pronounced minerality. High glycerol. Dry and almost a little austere – but in a way that suggests this has more to offer in future. Well balanced acidity, sufficient to make it quite refreshing. This is an interesting wine, and more than just a lunchtime Provencal-quaffer. I would like to keep a bottle a few years and see how it develops. Good, lasting finish. 13% alc. 16+/20. Note: this has sufficient body that it should not be served fridge cold – it gave out much more as it warmed up.

Reinhold Haart - Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Spätlese 1990 (Mosel, Germany)

Light golden colour. Open nose, really mature light kerosene notes dominating. Palate beautiful although slightly lacking in the sort of mineralic concentration I was hoping for. Fresh acidity balancing out medium sweetness levels. Perfect for a warm summer’s evening aperitif and all the more special for holding up so well after 22-years! It has lost a little of its shine but it is holding well and unlikely to fade away anytime in the next couple of decades I would say. 16.5/20.

World Tour of Pinot Noir

World Tour of Pinot Noir – Bacchus Vintage tasting
Friday 22 July 2012

My turn to provide the tasting after many years of talking about it. Finally. There follows a very diverse range of Pinot Noir with all the major wine producing regions represented apart from Australia (not a deliberate omission – just had difficulty in tracking down some good examples for the evening). Price points for the bottles ranged from ~£8 to ~£100.

Most wine regions have a defining grape variety linked to them, but no-where has quite managed to entwine itself with a grape and a particular style of wine and wine making as Burgundy. It was interesting to see how many of the New World wines sought to emulate this, with a few notably going in their own direction (or perhaps they were just trying to emulate and got it wrong!)

By and large the New World wines were all very good quality, similar in character and developing well for their age. So New World Pinot Noir can age quite well! But in a different trajectory to the Burgundy wines, although most of these were far too young to be able to get our heads around. Infanticide, and quite disappointing that the last three hadn’t even started to get into their stride yet. Should have gone for older vintages.

Also of note was the perceptibly hot alcohol levels on the initial New World wines, presumably from strenuous efforts to achieve optimum ripeness in what may be too-warm a climate for perfect Pinot Noir?

The overall winner for best wine on the night / most approachable now was the Wine Society Exhibition Martinborough Pinot Noir 2004 (produced by Craggy Range). Really excellent wine in quite a Burgundian mould.

Top wines were as follows for first half of the tasting:

1.    Glen Carlou
2.    = Errazuriz
       = Bergacker Cuvee
3.    = Paul Cluver
       = Weingut Okonomierat Rebholz

For the second half of the tasting:

1.    Wine Society Exhibition Martinborough Pinot Noir by Craggy Range
2.    Mazzis Chambertin Grand Cru
3.    Pommard 1er Cru
4.    = Domaine de la Salle Beaune Champimonts 1er Cru
       = Furst Centgrafenberg Spätburgunder trocken

The only wines to score no points (no-one voted for them) were the Robert Mondavi Carneros Napa Valley and the Domaine Jean Chauvnet Nuit-St-George. Frankly these didn't deserve any points.


Glen Carlou Pinot Noir 2007 (Paarl, South Africa)
For what was anticipated to be at the lighter end of the spectrum of the wines tasted this evening, the introductory Glen Carlou Pinot Noir actually presented itself really well. Very pale, very open gamey nose. Nose has some Pinot Noir character but also a strong element of burnt tyre / Brett-like notes – not unpleasant. Full palate, a little hot. Short to medium finish. Given 5-years old, developed nicely. Probably not for keeping further. Not to everyone’s tastes, but I enjoyed. 16/20.

Errazuriz Wild Ferment Pinot Noir 2010 (Casablanca, Chile)
Really pale colour, very open. Rubbery notes again. Fruit based palate of primary red fruits. Quite fresh, and obviously in contrast to previous wine given its relative youth. Hot. Can’t imagine how / if this will develop with age, seems sufficiently light to be drinking now. 16/20.

Paul Cluver Pinot Noir 2006 (Elgin, South Africa)
Similarly light in colour. Very rich and spice-laden nose and palate. Again, rather hot. Similar in style to the previous two wines.16/20.

Weingut Okonomierat Rebholz Spätburgunder trocken 2004 (Pflaz, Germany)
Getting too old really. Very light - losing its already pale colour. Nose is very well-developed tertiary spicy character but mainly just comes across to me as just old, old wine really. Characterful. Remind me of a 1970’s claret! Not really Pinot Noir. Palate fading. Thin. Does this reflect a difficult vintage? Past best. 15/20.

Robert Mondavi Carneros Napa Valley Pinot Noir 2008
Young standard Pinot Noir colour. Jammy, primary nose. Palate tastes almost sweet and a little confected! Short finish. Given the price, this wine shows poorly in comparison to its peers in this tasting. At any price point I would be disappointed by it. 15/20. Not a single vote from any one at the end of the evening!

Bergacker Cuvee 1999 (Pfalz, Germany)
APR 50510451501
Served as an ‘interlude’ wine for interest to break the tasting into two halves. 18 months in barrique. 60% cab sav, 30% Spatburgunder, 10% Dornfelder. This really caught people’s attention in the tasting. Comes across as a well-developed cab-dominant Medoc, in fact better than similar Chateau wines of that vintage that cost far more! In a blind tasting it would have thrown many, an no-one thought this could be a 1999! Lovely, pronounced mature cab notes without so much of the typical cedar-wood / cigar box. Tannic palate, firm structured but very nicely balanced. Good acidity. Medium finish. Really a very interesting wine for novelty tasting. 16+/20.

Furst Centgrafenberg Spätburgunder trocken 2005 (Franken, Germany)
Rich, ripe and full 2005 vintage shines through. This is a very polished wine, very concentrated and really would have shown better with quite a few years bottle-age. It really felt quite primary fruit still. I think this has promise. It certainly held its own against some far better-known wines. 16+/20.

Sylvain Debord Côte de Nuit Village 2008
A rather standard Côte de Nuit Village, very competent. Decent plus, for week day evenings really. Probably not for keeping further. 15/20.

Wine Society Exhibition Martinborough Pinot Noir 2004 (by Craggy Range)
This wine was simply singing. The wine of the evening for many. The elegance of a soft and velvety Cote-de-Beaune with a little more structure and back-bone. Burgundian in style but distinctly different in its own way. Drinking very well now, although wouldn’t be afraid to keep longer in the short-term. 17/20.

Domaine Jean Chauvnet Nuit-St-George 2005
Well – this was interesting. Originally bought en primeur, I noted Jancis Robinson had not rated this. Most at this tasting would agree. In its own way, this was a reasonable wine. But not a Nuit-St-George as anyone knows it. Dark, soupy, too much of everything really. Over-extracted I would say. Not representative of grape or place. Ignoring all of that though, a decent enough wine if you’re looking for something relatively big and beefy. 15+/20.

Domaine de la Salle Beaune "Champimonts 1er Cru" 2008
Light, delicate, elegant, soft – the epitome of a mid-weight Beaune 1er Cru. This isn’t reaching for the skies, but it offers a good representation of the place and the style. Enjoyable.

Dujac Morey-St-Denis 2008
Given previous vintages of this have really rocked me, this was really quite underwhelming. Poor bottle? Poor vintage? Closed up, but without any suggestion it would ultimately come out of itself. Palate was just plain and not really showing anything either. I would like to think this is going through a metamorphosis into another, better stage, but I certainly wouldn’t purchase again at £40/bottle for fear that isn’t correct. Not scored. £55.

Lejeune Pommard "Rugiens 1er Cru" 2007
Classic, powerful, four-square Pommard. Much preferred to the Nuit-St-George. Firm and relatively unyielding at this stage. Needs time. £65.

Sylvian Cathiard Vosne-Romanee 2008
Typical pale appearance, open nose. Showing the classic silkiness of a Vosne-Romanee, notable more rounder and polished than the wines either side of this. But actually has a fair backbone in there with tight tannins in need of softening out a bit. Well balanced. This will improve. £60.

Naddef Mazis Chambertin Grand Cru 2008
This wine merely hinted at what it will become in the future, and I think that will be something great. The concentration and fruit is all there. Maybe in another 10-years it will have knitted together. Tonight it hadn’t, it just teased us a bit about it. £100.