2016 Le Quintessence Blanc Ventoux Château Pesquié

80% barrel-fermented Roussanne, 20% Clairette. Bottled in May. Serious white wine with real refreshment value. Herbal and focused - if tight and a bit astringent. Still very youthful. 12.5% Drink 2017-2022.

Looking first at their white and made from Roussanne and Clairette, the 2016 Ventoux Quintessence is a serious, age-worthy wine from this estate. Offering notes of stone fruits, bitter citrus, peach and a hint of marmalade, it's beautifully concentrated, has integrated acidity and crisp finish. It's still a bay and needs plenty of time in the glass if drinking anytime soon, but will keep for a decade or more.

The 2016 Ventoux Quintessence Blanc is 80% Roussanne fermented in oak and 20% Clairette fermented in steel. The wines are then blended and aged in concrete for an additional six months. The result is a wine that combines the toasted nut and pear richness of Roussanne with the citrusy freshness of Clairette. It's a medium to full-bodied wine that shows some briny complexity, excellent flavor definition, focus and length. It should drink well for up to 5 years from the vintage. 2017 - 2021.