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Château de Pibarnon, Bandol Rosé

Provence, France 2018 (750mL)
$36.00
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Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol

Château de Pibarnon, Bandol Rosé

Now is the time of year when rosé wines from the most-recent vintage flood the market in earnest. There are a lot of options out there, but, like a lost kid searching for his parents in a crowd, I’m always desperate to find Château de Pibarnon. And, of course, I’m not alone: Along with fellow Provençal benchmarks Tempier and Terrebrune, Pibarnon Rosé is always a cut above—and especially so in the 2018 vintage.
I happened to taste this latest release while visiting Bordeaux earlier this year, and I must say it is the best vintage of this wine I’ve ever had! Given our year-in, year-out commitment to this wine, I wasn’t concerned about getting an allocation of the 2018 for SommSelect, but I made double-sure nonetheless. Grown in one of the most spectacular vineyard amphitheaters in the world, with the Mediterranean Sea glinting in the distance, this Mourvèdre-Cinsault blend is always on another level—proof, as I’ve said before, that rosé can be “serious” wine. It’ll thrill you now and it’ll improve over time, all the while pairing beautifully with practically anything you choose to eat with it. We can share up to a case per customer today, which is great, because one can never have enough of a ‘desert island’ wine like this!
It was a cool, grey day in March when I got my first sip of this 2018, after which I was immediately transported to the highest point in Bandol, soaking up the sun while standing among the restanques (terraces) of Pibarnon’s picture-book vineyards—a visit I strongly recommend to anyone who loves wine. The approach to the estate is a snaking, narrow dirt road that climbs to Pibarnon’s perch in a natural, southeast-facing bowl, with soils of pebbly limestone and blue clay. To the north is a jagged band of Maritime Alps; to the south, the sea. It’s all in the glass, where sun-kissed fruits, sea spray, and wild Mediterranean herbs all come together in a delicious, evocative tangle. 

Bandol’s combination of soil composition and Mediterranean sun has proved ideal for the late-ripening Mourvèdre grape, the signature red of the appellation. And, as Bandol’s Mourvèdre-driven reds are widely regarded as Provence’s best—Pibarnon’s is a spicy, perfumed style capable of long, graceful aging—it stands to reason that the rosés from the grape would be similarly distinguished. Pibarnon’s rosé is comprised of 60% Mourvèdre and 40% Cinsault from old vines (30-50 years) grown at about 300 meters’ elevation, which subjects the grapes to wider diurnal temperature swings and helps maintain freshness. The Cinsault grapes for the rosé are pressed immediately after harvesting, but the Mourvèdre is crushed and put into a tank so that only the “free run” juice—the juice that flows from the grapes without any pressing—is drawn off. The Cinsault/Mourvèdre are fermented separately on indigenous yeasts, then later blended for 6 months aging in stainless steel before bottling.

Many of the 2018 rosés we’ve tasted so far have lacked backbone, but we knew we could count on Pibarnon for an appropriate level of tension and sweet/savory interplay. Today’s 2018 combines serious depth with pulsing energy and palate-cleansing acidity, showing off its trademark salmon-pink hue in the glass. Aromas of wild strawberry, red currant, pink grapefruit, hibiscus tea, lilac and lavender, dried herbs, and pink peppercorn carry over to the firm, full-bodied palate, with no residual sweetness spoiling the finish. It is spot-on as always, full of mineral backbone and tangy fruits and ready to be the ultimate utility player with food over the summer and beyond. I’m thinking bouillabaisse, of course, and tomato tarts, and tuna niçoise salads, and all sorts of other southern French specialties. Check out the attached recipe as a jumping-off point, knowing that there are many other perfect occasions for this wine down the line. Cheers!
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Country
France
Region
Provence
Sub-Region
FranceBandol
Soil
Triassic Limestone and Blue Marl
Farming
Organic
Blend
Mourvèdre 60%, Cinsault 40%
Alcohol
13.5
OAK
None
TEMP.
45-50
Glassware
All-Purpose Whites
Drinking
Now-2022
Decanting
Optional
Pairing
White Fish Provençal

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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