The Château Pesquié Terrasses Rouge 2013 is 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah (along with small amounts of Carignan, Cinsault and Mourvedre) sourced from several sections of the Château Pesquié estate vineyards in the Ventoux AOC of the southern Rhone Valley in France. You may know the Ventoux region from the rugged mountainous sections of the Tour de France bike race. The name Terrasses comes from the hillside terraces the local farmers cut into the land for their fields. They have produced wine in Ventoux for over 2,000 years, but it did not become an AOC until 1973. This blend was mostly aged in stain-less steel vats , but 30% was aged in used oak barrels or large oak tanks for 6 months. The alcohol content is 14%.
The color is a plum red with an almost clear halo. The nose is dark berries, chocolate and a hit of spice. This is a medium bodied wine with a full mouth-feel, solid acidity and silky tannins. It tastes of blackberry, dusty chocolate powder and licorice. The mid-palate shows raspberry and a sharp slap of black pepper. This is a fruit forward Red wine, that still manages to have excellent balance and length. The finish goes on for some time.
The Château Pesquié Terrasses Rouge 2013 is a best of both worlds wine, it shows the balance, structure and terroir of a French wine, along with the ripe fruit that American wine lovers enjoy. The Terrasses usually sells in the $12 to $16 range, routinely gets 90 plus points from the wine magazines and is widely available. The Château Pesquié Terrasses Rouge 2013 is proof that you need not spend a small fortune to get a world-class bottle of wine.
