Here's a wine that doesn't need too much prose to get the point across that it is delicious, it's an extreme value, and it comes from a hard-working family estate. If you have loved the Rhones from Piaugier and Amido, trust me, and get a six-pack of this. You won't regret it! It comes to us from the same importer as the aforementioned estates.
Bay Area importer Charles Neal has an incredible palate, he's as nice as they come, and I am more than grateful to him for making my job easy. If his name is on the back label of a wine, I always love it, and you all do too. We bought and sold over 500 cases of wines imported by Mr. Neal last year, and we're on pace to sell even more this year. Terrasses d'Eole is a fairly new estate that Charles just started bringing in, and their Ventoux Rouge is packed with glorious and opulent flavors that will transport you to the Southern Rhone...minus the cost of a plane ticket :)
2019 Domaine Terrasses d'Eole Ventoux Rouge
"It drinks like a wine worth much more than its price tag suggests." - Charles Neal
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Like I said in the intro, I'm going to try to keep this short and sweet, but when I get pumped about a wine, it's hard for me to contain my excitement. The Saurel family sold their grapes for many years to the local cooperative, but in 1998, that all changed. Stephane Saurel, after finishing his agronomy studies, decided to start estate-bottling the family's wines. He also began working the soils in his family's vineyards with more intention, eliminating weed killers and pesticides, reducing yields, and improving the quality of their raw materials. I would say he's done a pretty darned good job, and the evidence is contained within this bottle.
The domaine now covers 24 hectares of vines spread over 70 parcels, planted on various soils often seen in the part of Ventoux known as the Comtat Terrasses that lie between the plains and mountains. Due east of Chateauneuf du Pape and south of Gigondas, the Ventoux region produces some of the greatest values in Southern France. As quality continues to improve, led by producers like Terrasses d'Eole, I am quite confident that prices will go up. Simply put, buy now before that happens!
The estate's 2019 Ventoux Rouge is a blend of 65% Grenache, 25% Syrah, and 10% Mourvedre. It delivers a delicious mouthful of flavors that include cherry and blueberry along with a touch of spice and minerals. Soft and supple yet fresh and inviting, it makes for an ideal house wine to accompany everyday meals. There's just so much to like here!
With the holidays just around the corner, this is the kind of wine you want to have on-hand for all sorts of occasions. It drinks well with classic holiday meals, but no food is required to get maximum enjoyment out of this wonderful wine.
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Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville