"The full-bodied 2017 Cotes du Roussillon Villages Lesquerde l'Esquerda is wonderfully lush, welcoming and supple. Loaded with black cherries and crushed stone, this seductive number adds a dusting of cocoa powder on the long, slightly warm finish." - Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate
"Michel Chapoutier's Roussillon outpost is a worthy extension to his Rhône Valley operations. The emphasis is on the same varieties—Grenache and Syrah, in varying proportions depending on the terroir—and overall quality is very good, with the séléctions parcellaires particularly notable for their excellence and limited production volumes.
My opinion is that Roussillon is like the Northern Rhône in Languedoc-Roussillon," Chapoutier said at the start of our February tasting in the tiny village of Latour-de-France. He and the rest of his team are quite high on the prospects of the 2017s and 2018s, both of which they describe as being excellent vintages. Worth noting is that while Chapoutier makes mostly dry wines in Roussillon, he hasn't abandoned traditional styles. "When I bought in Banyuls in 1995, the market for fortifieds was quite down," he said. "But I really believe there is a place in gastronomy for fortifieds." - Wine Advocate
"The vineyard of l'Esquerde is constituted of hill top plains and slopes which are made of granitic soil. Its 350m altitude provides it a unique terroir. The colour is intense, deep and steady. It shows maturity with aromas of black fruits and warm spices. We find the soils of origin are revealed with floral notes (violet) which are lightly smoky. We can find the same aromatic notes on the Northern Côtes du-Rhône soils, which are the birthplace of the Syrah. The attack is both supple and powerful. Tannins are at the same time powerful and tight. The finale is fresh without any heaviness." - Bila Haut
