Information
Le Château Pesquié
84570 Mormoiron
France
Tel: +33 (0)4 90 61 94 08
In the Giant's Shadow...
We turn our attention to a near-neighbour of the popular Côtes du Rhône appellation. We discover one of the rising stars of the Côtes du Ventoux.
The Rhone Valley is, after Bordeaux, France's second most important wine production area and its wines have enjoyed a long and well-deserved popularity with UK buyers after a taste of the seductive South of France to brighten their markedly less sun-baked lifestyle. Moreover, the choice is these days generally a safe one, and still significantly more alcoholic than the norm elsewhere (12.5% minimum, occasionally rising to around 14% in Châteauneuf-du-Pape). Lumped in with Côtes du Rhône, in many buyers' minds, are the neighbouring appellations, the largest of which we recently had the great pleasure of visiting.
The vineyards of the Côtes du Ventoux lie, as their name suggests, on and around the western slopes of the 1912m 'Géant de Provence', a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, much of whose powerful outline is sufficiently snow-covered during the winter months to support a couple of modest ski resorts. There is ample archaeological evidence of wines having been produced locally for well over two thousand years and today, in addition to sixteen caves-co-operatives the appellation's fifty-one communes boast sixty-nine independent producers ('caves particulières'). One of the most outstanding and consistently successful examples is the Château Pesquié, a seventy-two hectare estate with no fewer than seven different properties in Blauvac, Villes-sur-Auzon and (under the paternal gaze of a very imposing eighteenth century Provençal bastide) Mormoiron. The Château's enthusiastic owners Paul and Edith Chaudière explained something of the situation, whose complex geology includes gravel, white calcareous rock, limestone and substantial deposits of gypsum. Being situated at an average altitude of around three hundred metres above sea level, the appellation's vineyards are spared the full intensity of the hot Mediterranean climate, while the nearby presence of the craggy Dentelles du Montmirail and le Ventoux itself provides a degree of shelter from the chill northern winds. Nights, though, can see temperatures plummet to -10-11ºC, the resulting extremes for some reason proving beneficial to the highly distinctive wines, in particular imparting exceptional aromatic qualities.
I asked Monsieur Chaudière about cépage - the favoured grape varieties. Reds represent the successful marriage of Syrah and Grenache (plus, to a lesser extent, Carignan and Mourvèdre), rosés unite Cinsault, Syrah and Grenache while whites (still, it has to be said, comparatively rare in this part of the world) are produced from Viognier, Chardonnay, Muscat and, interestingly, Roussane. Also produced is a highly-regarded 100% Viognier. Viticulture has for the past fifteen years or so implemented the 'integrated farming' environmental practices agreed by the Forum de l'Agriculture Raisonnée Respecteuse de l'Environnement, the seasonal pattern involving cordon pruning, with spring de-budding and thinning-out in July.
Vinfication, the actual wine-making process, takes place on the estate at Mormoiron under meticulously-controlled conditions in modern stainless-steel bulk tanks. After fining, achieved by the use of benonite, ageing takes place in new oak barrels sourced exclusively from two forests in central France, the 'chai' or ageing cellar having a capacity of four hundred barrels. Bottling, too, is a wholly in-house affair, with a modern bottling, labelling and packing line beside an ample storage area. It's all very impressive, and increasingly necessary. Thanks to a growing market awareness of the continued (and continuing) improvements in quality in recent years, the Côtes du Ventoux have risen to become the Rhône Valley's second most important appellation, with 7,400 hectares and around 32% of the region's production. More significantly, overall sales have increased by roughly one-third during the past two years, with overseas exports enjoying a particular success. The UK is the third largest export market (after Holland and Belgium) and currently accounts for around 15%, with the US and Canada taking an equal 11%. Japan (currently representing just 4%) could well become a major growth area in the future, and Monsieur Chaudière smiles as he recounts a recent visit from one particular oriental trade delegation. 'As soon as we had shown them around they seemed keen to talk business. When I asked how much they wished to purchase from us they said the next five years' production - all of it! I had to explain that we are an old established family business, relatively small and with long-standing loyalties to our valued existing clients. We couldn't simply turn our back on them.'.
After our own dégustation we were left in no doubt as to the highest standards of which this particular Château is capable (a wall-full of framed awards confirms that we are not alone in our opinion). Yet, surprisingly, this is one producer who is determined that his company's products should be enjoyed by the many, not the few. In fact, this view is shared by the whole region, whose wines are consistently among the best value items on UK supermarket shelves, and offer an interesting (and often lighter and fruitier) alternative to the better-known Côtes du Rhônes. As usual, we'll leave you to make up your own mind.
We left the Château with the sense of having again come face to face with the reality of modern-day wine production in France. The Château is undeniably glamorous, and its setting, amid some of the most heartbreakingly beautiful landscapes, is idyllic. But it is focussed outwards, not in. And that is great news for all of us.
© Words
and pictures Roger Moss
This feature first appeared in everything France magazine Issue 2
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