Château Pesquié - Les Terrasses Rouge 2018 [magnum]

A welcome return to form, the 2018 Ventoux Terrasses is a floral, herbal and red-fruited version of this unoaked cuvée. It's medium to full-bodied, with ample concentration, velvety tannins and lovely hints of tea and spice on the long finish. It should drink well through 2024 or so.

Château Pesquié is one of the great estates of the Ventoux, and thanks to the indefatigable efforts of Frédéric Chaudière, the wines are widely distributed around the globe. For many consumers, this this be the entry point to Ventoux, so it's important that the wines represent the region well—thankfully, they do. With Frédéric recently being elected head of the appellation, expect more visibility for this underrated region. While Fred is the globetrotting marketer, his brother Alexandre handles the viticulture and winemaking at the estate, whose impressive chateau nestles in the bucolic countryside above the small village of Mormoiron.

This year, because of COVID-related travel restrictions, we chatted via video link instead of at the property. Fred is high on the quality of the 2019s, calling the year, "A bit of a mystery. Fresh, dense, but elegant." Compared to 2017 (spring frost, then a dry summer) and 2018 (challenged by spring rains and mildew), he considers the 2019 vintage "pretty easy."

"We had a great spring, with some water in the soil, then a very hot end of June. There was a moment in July when we thought we'd have a blockage, but then it rained around August 10, followed by cool nights, and there is a freshness in the wines. September had perfect conditions for harvest."

I've included my reviews from last summer's trip to the region, as many of those wines are still likely to be on retail shelves and they show the estate's commitment to quality, with the 2018s being very strong. These are well-made wines that continue to offer solid value to consumers.