In the early 1970’s, Odette & René Bastide, bought Château Pesquié from an heir of the famous Provençal writer, Alphonse Daudet. They were wine
pioneers, as the Appellation Côtes du Ventoux was not created until 1973. René & Odette completely restructured the vineyards. The results of
that work are now vines that average 35 to 40 years of age (the oldest are over a century old). For the first twenty years of their ownership,
the grapes grown on the estate were taken to two cooperative wineries.
In the mid-1980’s, Edith & Paul Chaudière, René & Odette’s daughter and son-in-law, decided to give up their medical careers (as a physiotherapist and a speech therapist) to take over the family estate. They prepared to for the adventure by resuming their studies. They passed the Consultant Sommelier exams at the “Université du Vin” in Suze-La-Rousse and prepared a thesis on Terroir Selection. They went on several research trips to other great wine regions (Napa Valley, Bordeaux, Oregon, Burgundy…). They completed this academic preparation with vocational training at the wine institut in Orange, where Paul’s father, Charles Chaudière, was an oenology professor. On the Chaudière side of the family, vine cultivation has been a family tradition since the 19th Century.
Having completed this intensive preparation, Paul, Edith, René & Odette finally set up the Château Pesquié cellars in 1989 and carried out
their first vinifications in 1990, wich was a fabulous vintage. The Quintessence 1990 is a fantastic at the moment ! At the time, the
Appellation had fewer than 10 independent cellars and, once again, the Chaudière family stood out as pioneers in the Côtes du Ventoux region.
In 2003, Paul & Edith’s two sons, Alexandre & Frédéric, and their cousin Renaud, took over the Domaine. They are continuing the family tradition to harness the potential of the outstanding Ventoux terroir and to make extraordinary wines. Château Pesquié is now a leading estates in the Appellation of Côtes du Ventoux and the southern Rhone Valley.
There is evidence of vine cultivation at Château Pesquié that dates to two thousand years ago. The recent discovery of a pottery workshop
and wine pottery from the Roman era (30 BC) in the Côtes du Ventoux Appellation confirms that the region is one of the oldest wine producing
areas in France. The Church played a fundamental role in developing the region, particularly during the Pope’s residence in Avignon in the 14th Century.
Over the centuries, the estate passed through the hands of a large number of Lords, including the Counts of Mormoiron, the Lords of
Maubec and the Marquis de Reilhanette. The Château took on its present appearance in approximately 1750. It typifies the symmetrical
style of a Provençal “bastide” with a central entrance, adjoining reception rooms on the ground floor with the upstairs dedicated to more
private living. The superb rows of plane trees lining the driveway date back to this period.
In the Provençal language, the term “pesquié”(from the vulgar Latin “pescarium”) originially describes a fishpond and applies to the
lexical field surrounding springs and water which are vital commodities in the dry Provençal climate. The large “bastide” is built on
an outstanding site, at the junction of two springs (captured in underground channels lined with stone) which intersect under the Château.
There are fifteen fountains in the gardens. Finally, the western edge of the estate is bordered by a third spring. There’s no doubt that the
Nymphs, who always gather at springs, still smile on this magical place.