There’s no explaining how today’s wine doesn’t cost twice as much as it does, other than to say that the market just doesn’t get it. This is a red wine that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the most cellar-worthy red wines of the world—Barolo, red Burgundy, Bordeaux—but isn’t as widely regarded as a ‘collectible.’
Well, that’s a huge mistake, and a huge opportunity: Not only is this Bandol Rouge eminently age-worthy, it speaks of its place of origin so clearly, and so lyrically, that it’s impossible not to fall in love with. Even the casual French wine lover likely has an image of Provence—its Mediterranean aromas and flavors, its rugged, dusty landscape—and if you want to taste Provence in wine form, Château de Pibarnon is the ultimate one-stop shop. We’ve offered Pibarnon’s rosé numerous times, but today is the first time we’ve featured the rouge, which is, like everything Pibarnon does, an appellation-defining wine—the kind of red that not only electrifies the experts but indoctrinates the uninitiated. And other than a small handful of other high-end Bandol reds with a similar emphasis on Mourvèdre, there’s nothing else like it. It commands your attention, then holds it indefinitely—so if you haven’t done so already, make room for it in your cellar!
Château de Pibarnon sits at the highest point in the Bandol appellation, which I remember vividly from my visit there in 2013. The approach to the estate is a narrow dirt road, and if another car came from the opposite direction, one of us had to back up and turn off without backing into a ditch. Arriving at the property felt like settling onto a perch—one with a panoramic view of vines planted on century-old terraces made of stone. Jagged, coastal mountains spiked with limestone in one direction, the Mediterranean in the other…not a bad setup, indeed, and of course the wines lived up to their surroundings. Sourced from vineyards arrayed in a natural, southeast-facing amphitheater, with soils of pebbly limestone over blue clay, the entire Pibarnon lineup—red, white, and rosé—reliably captures the essence of both sea and soil.
Bandol’s combination of soil composition and Mediterranean sun has proved ideal for the late-ripening Mourvèdre grape, the signature red of the appellation. The small handful of Bandol Rouge bottlings driven by the variety (Château Pradeaux makes another important one) are most definitely the ones to seek out—many producers are opting for rounder, sweeter styles incorporating more Grenache and toastier oak, which don’t offer anywhere near the same longevity or aromatic intrigue. Having had my share of older vintages of Pibarnon Rouge, I can attest to how the more classically styled wines blossom after 5-7 years of bottle age. The best comparison, I think, would be to top-tier Barolo from Italy’s Piedmont region, although the specific flavor sensations are obviously a little different—older Bandol Rouge has a deeper, darker, more “purple” personality in comparison to old Barolo, but structurally, the wines have a lot in common.
Comprised of 90% Mourvèdre and 10% Grenache sourced from vines between 30 and 50 years of age, the 2013 Pibarnon Bandol Rouge was fermented on indigenous yeasts in concrete tanks, then aged in a mix of new and used French oak
foudre (larger vats) for about 18 months. In the glass, it’s a nearly opaque purple/ruby moving to garnet at the rim, with an absolutely transporting nose of black currant, black cherry, plum, licorice, violets, leather, olive tapenade, dried herbs, and that inimitable scrub-brushy note of Provençal
garrigue. Yes, knowing that the wine is from Provence can make one suggestible, but that’s not your mind playing tricks on you—those sensations are real! Medium-plus in body, the wine still displays a powerful tannic structure after a few years of bottle age, and it’s clear that this still has a few years to go until it reaches its true peak drinking window. If you’re opening a bottle now, decant it one hour before serving at 60-65 degrees in large Bordeaux stems, ideally alongside something gamey and herb-slathered (lamb would be a good choice). My plan will be to greedily enjoy a bottle or two now and squirrel away several more to revisit 5-7 years down the line. Given the price point, I am going to be very impressed with myself when that time comes! Cheers!
