Pibarnon Bandol Rouge 2000

The mainstreaming of rosé over the last 20 years has changed Provence in profound ways. With almost 90% of the region’s output now largely comprising boring pink wines, rosé fever has supressed nearly any other consideration of wine in Provence – particularly the rugged, Mourvèdre-based reds that defined Bandol’s reputation in the mid-nineteenth century.

Discouraged by land prices in Burgundy and the Rhône in the 1970s, Comte Henri de Saint-Victor looked further south to establish his domaine, settling on 3.5ha of vines located on the Télégraphe hill just north of Bandol. Protected from the worst of the mistral by its amphitheatre of terraces, Châteaux de Pibarnon’s high-elevation terraces ensure long, slow ripening of its grapes and wines that retain elegance and aromatic lift.

Along with the wines of Tempier and Pradeaux, Châteaux de Pibarnon’s flagship red – a blend of 90% Mourvèdre and 10% Grenache sourced from 12 of the estate’s best terraces – is among our favourite expressions of Bandol. Deep and seductive, the 2000 marries a generous core of fruit with black olive and animale savouriness off the back of a quarter century lying horizontally.