The Best of Bandol: Wine & Spirits Reviews Pibarnon

The beauty of Mourvedre born from the sun-kissed, high-altitude vineyards of Chateau de Pibarnon is confirmed by wine lovers and critics alike. Here are some great reviews from our friends at Wine & Spirits, who recently tasted our 2015 Bandol Rose ‘Nuances’ and 2012 Bandol from Pibarnon.

Chateau de Pibarnon, 2015 Bandol Rose ‘Nuances’
Eric de Saint-Victor makes this from old-vine Mourvedre he leaves on the skins for eight hours, then ferments with ambient yeasts, half the juice in large neutral casks, the other half in terracotta amphorae. The wine is a coppery red and deeply earthy, with a sultry, smoky scent that permeates the savory blood-orange flavors. Those flavors last, the acidity channeling a coolness through the wine that draws out notes of mountain herbs and lavender. Still tightly wound, this could age another few years; if you open it now, decant it before dinner. North Berkeley Imports.

 

Chateau de Pibarnon, 2012 Bandol
Grown at nearly 1,000 feet, Pibarnon’s 2012 has a cool tang to the fruit, a cherry-pit flavor that rings out through its darker, more leathery aspects. Intensely spicy, it’s a vibrant Bandol with the structure to age another five years or take on a leg of lamb. North Berkeley Imports.