Ch. Juvenal - Terre du Petit Homme 2018
Price: $29.99
No doubt in my mind, this rates out higher than the barrel sample. This is stunningly delicious! So why haven't you heard of the winery before now? As a reminder, the winery only started producing under this label in 2011, when two families joined their properties to form the Chateau. Yet the vines are over 50 years old! At the same time, they hired famed oenologist Phillipe Cambie. The accolades he has received are innumerable, having consulted for some of the most famed wineries in the Rhone and Southern France. 100 pt wines roll out from his consultancy on a regular basis!
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But wait, there’s more! The Ventoux region is quite massive, with a deluge of mediocre bulk wines. But, there are parts that possess incredible terroir. In the northern section of the appellation rise the peaks of the Dentelles de Montmirail. On the northwestern side of this mountain chain lay the vineyards of Gigondas. Yeah… that Gigondas, home to some of the most prized, and expensive, wines in the Rhone Valley. On the southeastern side lay the vineyards of Ch. Juvenal. Located on the southern slopes near Graveyron, the vineyards are considered to have one of the finest terroir in all of Ventoux. All of this seems too hard to be overlooked, right? Well, it wasn’t. Off Cambie’s advice, a famed importer initially snapped this winery up. Reviews were solid 90-92 pts, but this same importer had other, longer standing wineries to represent. Simply, while too good to pass up, they just didn’t have enough reach to move enough boxes.
So, the winery is on its own again. And talk about timing! Our first introduction is with the much talked about 2015 vintage! Yahoo!
Okay, so what do we have?
Equal parts Grenache and Syrah from 30-50 year-old vines. Grenache is done in tank, while the Syrah is aged for one year in used oak barrels.
Jeb Dunnuck: 91-94 Points
Stepping up in price as well as quality, the 2018 Ventoux La Terre Du Petit Homme is 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre, with the Grenache brought up in tank and the rest in barrel. It offers a deep purple color as well as terrific notes of black raspberries, ground pepper, crushed violets, and classic Southern Rhône garrigue and herbal notes. Medium to full-bodied, perfectly balanced, with ripe yet present tannins, it’s a brilliant wine in the making.
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