Bandol Rouge has never been widespread in the US market, which is odd, as it is the Provençal equivalent of the greatest Bordeaux—dark, deeply complex red wine that will age a lifetime. For me, it’s like blending great Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Burgundy, and Bordeaux into one. If you have not tried Bandol by now, this is your chance to taste one of the best we’ve had in a while. 

Bastide de la Ciselette’s 37 acres of vine are all estate-owned, but their Bandol Rouge is sourced from the few acres of 60-year-old vines that immediately surround the estate. They farm according to ‘lutte raisonée’ principles with many organic and biodynamic practices in place (plowing by horse and following the lunar calendar, for example). Furthermore, yields in Bandol are notoriously low—lower than most other regions—and De Salvo doesn’t break that trend. After hand harvesting, grapes were sent to the winery where they fermented on their skins for three weeks before being transferred into large foudres for 18 months. The final blend was 80% Mourvèdre and 20% Grenache. 

This 2019 displays an intense garnet core with ruby tints leading out to the rim. It’s opaque and deeply concentrated, with thick, slow-moving tears. On the nose, the wine reveals an impressive rush of elegant and dark fruit: currant, black cherry liqueur, candied blackberry, black plum, huckleberry, and then Rhône-like notes of pepper, olive tapenade, and garrigue follow. A wonderful array of purple flowers, licorice, subtle baking spice, and mocha also reveal themselves. Youthful Bandol wines typically showcase immense tannins that are often rigid, but the integration of ripe Grenache in this bottle rounds out the palate with a marked softness. This is wholeheartedly full-bodied, with perfect freshness and minerality alongside polished black fruits; a wine without rough edges. Though you can certainly enjoy this after a 1-2 hour decant, we think its peak drinking will start in 2026, lasting until 2035 and beyond.