2016 Chateau de Pibarnon Bandol Rouge Organic 375ml, Provence

This is Pibarnon’s top wine, and one of the great mountain Bandols—a blend of 90% Mourvèdre and 10% Grenache drawn from the estate’s stunning amphitheatre of terraces, or restanques, set amid the pine-covered hilltop of La Colline du Télégraphe. This is Bandol’s highest vineyard (sitting at 300-metres above the Baie de Bandol) and it enjoys the freshness and cool nights of the altitude as well as the moderating sea breezes. It’s not only the elevation and proximity to the sea that makes this vineyard so special. A peculiar soil type predominates. This is called les marnes bleues—a highly chalky, blue tinted clay that is rich in microfossils. It is also sometimes encountered in the Jura and Pomerol where it is also prized for its alkaline, water-retentive properties and its influence on the wine’s freshness and structure.

This cuvée is based only on the oldest vines and the finest parcels. Naturally fermented, with a large proportion of whole berries and raised exclusively in foudre from Burgundy and Austria, the wine has a finesse and balance that is rare by Bandol standards, yet there is more than adequate stuffing. Pibarnon has never been the kind of Bandol you can stand your fork up in, and in recent years the style has been evolving further, becoming ever more refined. Under the young chef de culture Éric Schladenhaufen, the organic vineyard management has progressed, and some parcels are now biodynamic. In the cellar, Marie Laroze avoids winemaking artefact, working only with wild yeasts, large-format oak, low sulphur and micro-batching based on terroir. The 2016 here is the finest rouge to date. There is the mouth-filling texture and juicy flavours of forest fruits spiked with plenty of spice and green peppercorn goodness. Great finesse, succulence and length, this is a truly fine, nuanced and uniquely elegant Mediterranean red.

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