Bandol: The King of French Rosé

Bandol: The King of French Rosé
One of the benchmark rosés of France, this wine never misses a beat. Yet even in this context, 2022 gives an excellent account of itself. If you tot up in your mind what makes the perfect rosé, Pibarnon’s wine is going to come pretty close. The nose is full of all things nice: wild berries, tangerine, stone fruit and garrigue. The palate is typically vinous, mouth-filling and broad-shouldered with a fleshy, citrus-infused texture and umami goodness clinging to the inside of your cheeks. The finish is pure and detailed with plenty of airy, thirst-quenching length and a lick of iodine to close. And, incidentally, it looks great in the glass, especially outdoors on long summer evenings just before night falls.

Château de Pibarnon Bandol Rosé 2022 (1500ml)
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Château de Pibarnon Bandol Rosé 2022 (1500ml)

Organic. Another cracking release, Pibarnon’s distinctive 65:35 Mourvèdre and Cinsault blend was drawn from the estate’s stunning amphitheatre of terraces (or restanques) set amid the pine-covered hilltop of La Colline du Télégraphe. This is Bandol’s highest vineyard (at 300 metres above the Baie de Bandol), and it enjoys freshness and cool nights from altitude and moderating sea breezes. It’s not only the elevation and proximity to the sea that makes this vineyard so special; a peculiar soil type predominates: les marnes bleues. This uncommon and highly chalky, blue-tinted clay—rich in microfossils—is also encountered in the Jura and Pomerol, where it is prized for its low pH, water-retentive properties, and influence on a wine’s freshness and structure.

For the winemaking, the Cinsault component is pressed directly to tank and brings elegance, perfume and balance, while the Mourvèdre is bled, saignée-style, after several hours of skin contact. The latter brings vibrancy, complexity and chalky structure. The juices were blended before spontaneous fermentation.

In the Pibarnon mould, the new release is a typically vinous, mouth-filling and broad-shouldered rosé with a fleshy, citrus-infused texture underpinned by grapefruity grip, precise acidity, touches of iodine-spiked minerality and amaro bitters. The finish is pure and detailed with plenty of airy, thirst-quenching length. A true classic.

Château de Pibarnon Bandol Rosé 2022 (1500ml)
Sold Out
Added
Château de Pibarnon Bandol Rosé 2022
Sold Out
Added

Château de Pibarnon Bandol Rosé 2022

Organic. Another cracking release, Pibarnon’s distinctive 65:35 Mourvèdre and Cinsault blend was drawn from the estate’s stunning amphitheatre of terraces (or restanques) set amid the pine-covered hilltop of La Colline du Télégraphe. This is Bandol’s highest vineyard (at 300 metres above the Baie de Bandol), and it enjoys freshness and cool nights from altitude and moderating sea breezes. It’s not only the elevation and proximity to the sea that makes this vineyard so special; a peculiar soil type predominates: les marnes bleues. This uncommon and highly chalky, blue-tinted clay—rich in microfossils—is also encountered in the Jura and Pomerol, where it is prized for its low pH, water-retentive properties, and influence on a wine’s freshness and structure.

For the winemaking, the Cinsault component is pressed directly to tank and brings elegance, perfume and balance, while the Mourvèdre is bled, saignée-style, after several hours of skin contact. The latter brings vibrancy, complexity and chalky structure. The juices were blended before spontaneous fermentation. 

In the Pibarnon mould, the new release is a typically vinous, mouth-filling and broad-shouldered rosé with a fleshy, citrus-infused texture underpinned by grapefruity grip, precise acidity, touches of iodine-spiked minerality and amaro bitters. The finish is pure and detailed with plenty of airy, thirst-quenching length. A true classic.

Château de Pibarnon Bandol Rosé 2022
Sold Out
Added

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