Château Pesquié

Over the past 30 years the Ventoux region has become an important appellation in its own right, rather than an insignificant satellite appellation of the Rhone Valley. The soils in the shadow of Mont Ventoux made internationally famous by the Tour de France are rich in limestone with the vineyards located at a higher elevation than in the neighbouring Rhone Valley. This, combined with their mature vines helps to produce more concentrated and complex fruit, while still retaining freshness.

At Chateau Pesquie all of these conditions combine to create wines that are rich in fruit with remarkable balance and purity. The Chaudiere and Bastide families have now farmed this land for 3 generations. Odette and Rene purchased the Chateau in the early 1970’s. While the building itself dates to the 1750's, the lands around it have been cultivated since the Roman era. Recent archaeological discoveries have proven that wine was made in this region as early as the 1st century BCE and the name of the property derives from the Latin name for fish ponds, pescarium – no doubt due to the springs that occur naturally near the Chateau.

By the mid 1980’s Odette and René’s daughter Edith and her husband Paul Chaudiere had taken over the running of the estate. Both left careers in the medical field to return to the family estate and soon found themselves back in school, this time learning how to make wine. In 1989 Chateau Pesquie, the wine, was born.

Now in the capable hands of Fred and Alexandre Chaudiere, the sons of Edith and Paul, Chateau Pesquie is comprised of 100 hectares of vines. Only organic treatments and composts are used in the vineyard. Weed control is done by turning over the soil, and harvesting is done by hand. There are three main terroirs on the property: rocky limestone clay, red clay and loamy gray clay. They grow Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault, Mourvedre, Roussanne, Clairette, Viognier, Chardonnay and Muscat. Their most common and diverse plantings are of Syrah and Grenache, each chosen specifically for their soils and exposure. Fortunately Ventoux has a cooler micro-climate than the vineyards nearer the Rhone river so Fred and Alexandre can be guaranteed a longer and slower ripening of their fruit, which is especially important for these two varietals. The age of the vines ranges from 20 to well-over 80 years old.

All of these elements: good terroir, older vines, organic farming and hand harvesting ensure that only the best grapes reach the cellar. Once there, Alexandre oversees the winemaking utilising stainless steel tanks for fermentation. Ageing takes place in tank, concrete or barrel depending on the grape with the final blends  carefully made to capture the essence of each cuvée: Terrasses is forward and engaging, Quintessence is concentrated and age-worthy. All are excellent examples of the versatility of the terroir of Ventoux.