Chateau de Pibarnon Bandol Rouge 2011
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
More approachable, yet still with classic Mourvedre character, the 2011 Bandol (same blend/elevage as the 2010) offers ample blackberry, raspberry, underbrush, allspice and assorted floral nuances to go with a medium to full-bodied, balanced and seamless profile on the palate. Polished and already delicious, yet with fine tannin and solid concentration, it will continue to thrill for 10-15 years. These are classic Bandols that should not be missed!
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a firmly structured wine that balances tautness and minerality with ripe berry and plum flavors. There is remarkable power and potential in this solid wine.
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Wine Spectator
A polished, ripe, flattering style, particularly for Bandol, with flavors of plum, cassis and cherry preserves gliding along, carried by red licorice and singed cinnamon notes. Lingering whiffs of black tea and warm fruitcake emerge on the finish. Drink now through 2023.
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The source of the refinement and elegance of Chateau de Pibarnon's wines lies in the estate's captivating vineyards, which overlook the Mediterranean Sea in the appellation of Bandol, in Provence.
A thick-skinned black grape, Mourvèdre has found its favourite soils in the sunny Bandol appellation. Some 3,000 hours of sunshine a year perfectly suit this slow-ripening grape. Rarely found in other cooler French vineyards, Mourvèdre brings harmony, elegance and an amazing ageing capacity to the red and rosé wines of sunny Bandol.
The Bandol region was essentially undiscovered when Catherine and Henri de Saint Victor purchased Pibarnon in the late 1970s. Recognizing the region’s potential, this visionary couple worked tirelessly for some 30 years, landscaping and crafting ever better wines.
By the 1990s, Pibarnon was making the region’s top red and rosé wines, a status today maintained under their son, Eric de Saint Victor, today the estate's winemaker.
Full of ripe fruit, and robust, earthy goodness, Mourvèdre is actually of Spanish provenance, where it still goes by the name Monastrell or Mataro. It is better associated however, with the Red Blends of the Rhône, namely Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Mourvèdre shines on its own in Bandol and is popular both as a single varietal wine in blends in the New World regions of Australia, California and Washington. Somm Secret—While Mourvèdre has been in California for many years, it didn’t gain momentum until the 1980s when a group of California winemakers inspired by the wines of the Rhône Valley finally began to renew a focus on it.
Provence’s leader in concentrated and age-worthy red wines, Bandol is home to the dense, deep and earthy Mourvèdre grape. Like Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Bandol produces characterful reds that, while approachable in their youth, are typically designed for the cellar.
Given its coastal, Provencal situation, Bandol also naturally produces an assortment of charming, aromatic rosés made of Mourvèdre, Grenache and Cinsault.