Château Pesquié Ventoux Terrasses 2017, Rhône, France 🇫🇷

🍇 Grenache 60%
🍇 Syrah 40%

🧐 Alcohol 14%

🍁 My Score 91 Points

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Attractive nose with aromas of cherries, plums, pomegranate, licorice, floral, light cedar and peppery notes. On the mouthfeel, medium-bodied, fresh with bright flavours, fine tannins and lively acidity. The finish is medium length with flavours of slightly tart red fruit, vanilla spices and peppery.

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For the last two years I have really enjoyed visiting Château Pesquié at this year Vancouver International Wine Festival. I am always impressed by the quality of their wines and their great value for money. So many great wines to choose from, Ventoux red, Quintessense and Artemis are my stand outs. This is my third bottle of Ventoux 2017 and was a great example of their quality. It’s a very aromatic red blend with a wonderful combination of freshness and seductive mouthfeel. Definitely a crowd pleasing wine, perfect for summer served slightly chilled. Terrific value and widely available. Cheers my wine friends 🍷

Domaine de Longue Toque Gigondas 2014, Rhône, France 🇫🇷

🍇 Grenache 60%
🍇 Syrah 40%

🧐 Alcohol 15.5%

🍁 My Score 92 Points

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Such a sensuous nose with aromas of black fruit, plums, leather, incense, old church wood, vanilla and peppery notes. On the mouthfeel, full bodied with an entirely elegant texture, silky tannins and fresh acidity. The finish is medium-long, very smooth with soft fruit and savoury flavours lingering.

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It’s been way too long since I have opened a Gigondas. Purchased this a little over a year ago. This wine is in a great place right now. Every element of this wine is well integrated at this stage, resulting in beautiful aromatics, seductive flavourful mouthfeel and very smooth Gigondas. Enjoyed with a pasta dish of lamb sausage, which turned out to be a perfect pairing. Cheers my wine friends 🍷

Domaine Cros de la Mûre, Côtes du Rhône Villages, Massif D’ Uchaux 2007, Rhône Valley, France

 

This wine is a blend of mostly Grenache and Syrah with Mourvèdre and Cinsault in a supporting role, maturation for 30 months in oak barrels and alcohol coming in at 14.5%.

A deep purple in color, this Rhône blend opened up with aromas of blackberry, plum, garrigue, spices, meaty, peppery and light floral notes. On the mouthfeel, a medium-full bodied wine with rich and concentrated flavours, detectable oak influences, low acidity and fined grained tannins. This wines finish is long, very smooth with spicy, fresh herbs and pruny flavours. We enjoyed this wine, with several foods, cheese (oh my god, the blue cheese from Vermont was so good), a charcuterie platter and it worked well. I think that this wine would have been much better without as much oak, but overall, very enjoyable, score 88 points.

As for my experience with Terroir Wine bar, I found it to be a very cozy and charming space. A decent but challenging wine list, the food was excellent, great small plates and very friendly staff. We actually went there twice over our five night stay in New York. A great and inexpensive way to enjoy a casual meal and I would go back tomorrow if I could, strongly recommended.

Enjoyed at Terroir Wine Bar at 413 E 12^th St. New York City restaurant price $67.00

Les Vignes Bila Haut Côtes Du Roussillon Villages 2010, Ac Languedoc Roussillon, France

This wine is a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan from the south of France, alcohol coming in at 14.5%. This wine opens up with aromas of blackberry/plumy fruit, licorice, smoke, pencil shavings, black pepper, Asian spices and gamey. On the mouthfeel, medium-full bodied, very rustic, highly concentrated flavours, low acidity and firm tannins. This blend finish is medium length, slightly tart with dark fruit, pencil shaving texture lingering. There is nothing wrong with this wine, but it failed to excite me. I would have prefer more forward fruit, less rustic flavours, less extraction and a more easy drinking wine for this price. Not a wine I would buy again, score 85 points.

Purchased September 29, 2012 LCBO New Release (168716) at $14.95

Alain Jaune & Fils Terrasses de Montmirail Gigondas 2009, Rhône, France

 

The majority component of this blend is Grenache with 80% with the remaining 20% Syrah. The Grenache sure comes through on the nose with attractive aromas of plum, cassis, raisins, exotic spices, floral, vanilla and light cedar notes. On the mouthfeel, medium-full bodied (with alcohol coming in at 14.5%), savoury spices and ripe berry flavours, balanced acidity and silky tannins. Very good length on the finish, seamless texture with ripe spicy berries flavours lingering.

 

This is definitely the style of Rhône blend I enjoy the most, with a high proportion of Grenache, with little or no Mourvèdre. The biggest strength of this Gigondas for me is its mouthfeel, so smooth and very stylish. I have always enjoyed wines from Alain Jaune & Fils, you can sense the attention to details in every one of their wines, like Domaine Grand Veneur Clos de Sixte Lirac 2009, reviewed on my blog in November 2011. If you ever have the opportunity to taste their Châteauneuf-du-Pape, do not miss out, an absolute treat. As for Alain Jaune & Fils Terrasses de Montmirail Gigondas 2009, a very enjoyable wine and strongly recommended, score 92 points.

Purchased at the SAQ (11095973) in Montréal December 2, 2011 at $27.40



Château Signac Combe D’Enfer Cuvée Côtes Du Rhône Villages Chusclan 2007, Rhône Valley, France

I was quit intrigued when I saw that this wine was still available in our local stores. This wine was released at the LCBO, in Ontario, in November of 2010. I purchased a few bottles then, and remember liking it along with writing a review for WineAlign. Well, how well did this Rhône blend age over the last year and a half?

This wine opens up with aromas of black fruit, stewed fruit, licorice, bay leaves, earthy and violet notes. On the palate, full-bodied, with flavours of plums, cherries and spices, low acidity and fined grained tannins. Clean, soft and very smooth finish with good depth of flavours and lots of licorice lingering. This wine is a blend of 40% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, 10% Counoise, 5% Carignan and 5% Cinsault with alcohol coming in at 14.5%.

Was it as enjoyable now, compared to a year ago? It all depends on how you prefer your wine. More fruitier with grittier tannins or smoother tannins and texture, with more secondary aromas and flavours. My opinion is that this wine has aged gracefully, but there is no need for further aging, it is drinking well right now. I think I preferred this wine a year ago; it had more energy and fresher flavours. At the end of the day, it was very a enjoyable, interesting, mature Côtes Du Rhône Village, score 90 points.

 

Purchased at the SAQ (00917823) at $19.55 on June 30, 2012

Romain Duvernay Vacqueyras 2009, Rhône, France

Another very good wine from the 2009 Rhône Valley, a blend of 65% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 15% Mourvèdre. A wine of deep purple, which opens up with aromas of blueberry- blackberry fruit, licorice, burnt toast, black pepper and dried floral notes. On the palate, full bodied, concentrated flavours, balanced acidity and firm tannins. A wine of many layers on the finish including dark fruit, sweet oak, savoury notes and those same firm tannins lingering 'till the end. A Rhône blend with definitely more complexity and texture then the previously reviewed Rhône blend. Drink now or over the next 5-6 years. Strongly recommended, score 91 points.

Purchased June 9, 2012 LCBO New Release (280966) at $24.95   

Brotte Château De Bord La Croix De Frégère Côtes Du Rhône Villages Laudun 2009, Ac Rhône, France

A very aromatic blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah aged 12 months in French oak. This Rhone blend opens up with aromas of sweet raspberry, black cherry, plums, licorice, sweet and savoury spices and dried floral notes. On the palate, fresh with white pepper notes, medium-full bodied (alcohol coming in at 14.5%), balanced acidity and dusty tannins. The finish is tasty and spicy with good depth of flavours. Well priced and strongly recommended, score 88 points.

Purchased April 14, 2012 LCBO New Release (263218) at $16.95   

Domaine Les Aphillanthes Plan de Dieu Côtes Du Rhône Villages 2009, Rhône, France

From the very good 2009 Rhône vintage, this wine is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 20% Mourvèdre. A beautiful lively violet in colour with aromas of red plums, blueberry, white pepper, violets, underbrush, incense and earthy notes. On the mouthfeel, medium to full bodied, bright and spicy flavours, fresh acidity, fine grained tannins but the surprising alcohol at 15% dominates everything else. A good length on the finish with spicy red fruit flavours and chest warming heat. An enjoyable wine overall, however I wish that the alcohol would have been about 1% less, it would have made this wine more balanced, more elegant. Recommended, score 88 points.

Purchased on February 18, 2012 LCBO New Release (252270) at $22.95

Domaine Saint Andéol Séduction Cairanne Côtes du Rhône Villages 2007, Rhône, France

What a charming southern Rhône blend here (60% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 10% Carignan), with attractive aromas of cherry, plums, baking spices, licorice and black pepper. This blend is medium bodied (with 14,1% alc.), very ripe fruit and rich mouthfeel, balance acidity, oak well integrated with dusty tannins.  This wine  is sweet, spicy with excellent depth of flavours and mild tannins on the finish. This Côtes du Rhône Villages is uncomplicated, youthful, fresh with bright flavours and a great value. Strongly recommended, score 89 points.

This wine was purchased January 7, 2012 LCBO New Release at $17.95