Chateau de Pibarnon Bandol Rouge 2020

This is Pibarnon’s top wine, a blend of 90% Mourvdre and 10% Grenache based on the oldest vines and a strict fruit selection from twelve small plots, including the highly prized Bel Air, Jourdan and Pointes Blanches parcels. Naturally fermented, with a large proportion of whole berries and raised exclusively in foudre from Burgundy and Austria, this has a finesse and seamlessness that is unique by Bandol standards, yet there is still serious stuffing. On one hand, there is incredibly density of forest fruits, meaty, savoury, spicy and peppery notes, and on the other, there is, again, incredible purity, delicacy and superb clarity. It is really too complex to put into words, so let me put it this way-imagine someone distilled down the essence of Mourvdre and yet tamed any rusticity that this grape is sometimes capable of producing in rougher terroirs. Here we have the fantastic balance that only a great terroir can produce with depth, finesse and fragrance all playing their part and a lingering, very mineral finish built of perfume. A truly great vintage for this fine, nuanced and uniquely elegant Mediterranean red.