Château Pesquié Terrasses

Another of my favorite estates in the up-and-coming Cotes du Ventoux appellation, Pesquie’s inexpensive 2009 Terrasses is a custom cuvee put together by American importer Eric Solomon. Composed of 70% Grenache (from 60-year-old vines) and 30% Syrah (from 30-year-old vines), aged in neutral oak, and bottled unfined and unfiltered, this 10,000-case cuvée hits every sweet spot on the palate. Tasting more like a Chateauneuf du Pape than an inexpensive Cotes du Ventoux, this dense ruby/purple-colored wine offers up scents of licorice, black cherries, raspberries, pepper, and meat juices. Medium to full-bodied with a structured, well-delineated mouthfeel, good freshness, a heady finish, and firm, but well-balanced tannins, it should drink nicely for 2–3 years.

Ripe and suave, with supple tannins that meld into the plum and boysenberry fruit, all laced with incense, black tea and pastis notes. Dark but pure on the finish. Grenache and Syrah. Drink now.