Winemaker Notes
Enjoy this wine with roasted game, grilled meats and cured meats.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Brought up in foudre and concrete, the 2023 Ventoux Domaine is deep ruby/purple-hued and has a brilliant perfume of peppery red and blackberries, pepper, creamy flowers, and smoked meats. Based on 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre, it's medium-bodied and has a pure, layered, focused mouthfeel, fine tannins, and a great finish.
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James Suckling
A round blend of grenache, syrah and mourvedre. On the nose, it has dark cherries, plums and baking spices, following through to a medium body with fine, firm tannins. Peppery and densely fruited. From organically grown grapes.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Ventoux Rouge is a strong performance from Fondrèche, delivering aromas of ripe blackberry, plum, violet, garrigue and crushed rock. Medium- to full-bodied, supple and layered, it’s built around a core of vibrant fruit framed by fine-grained tannins and bright underlying acidity. A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, matured in a combination of concrete eggs and foudres, this is a precise, harmonious wine that combines southern warmth with freshness and lift.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Stretching across the slopes of the Ventoux mountain in the southeastern region of the Rhône River Valley, Cotes du Ventoux excels in the production of spicy and characterful red blends based on Grenache, Syrah, and other indigenous varieties. The region also produces rich and aromatic whites and rosés.