Château de Pibarnon Bandol 2019

Eric de Saint Victor took over the family estate in 2000. The terraces his parents had dug into the limestone hillside quarry and the 9.5ha south facing amphitheatre of vines they created are the source of the estate’s flagship red. The 2019 is 90% Mourvèdre with 10% Grenache, vinified partly using whole berries and aged for 20 months in new oak. 2019 was also the year that Pibarnon obtained organic certification. Elizabeth Gabay MW: Restrained nose opens up to jammy flavours. Sweet fruit, creamy acidity and silky, firm tannins. Blue floral minerality. Full-bodied but elegant. Beatrice Bessi: Precise, lifted nose of jammy red fruit, flowers, dried mint and lavender. Fresh, glossy palate. Savoury balsamic lift. Good length and polished tannins. Poppy de Courcy-Wheeler: A serious wine with precise, intense fruit supported by oak. Ripe dark plum and damson fruit. Tight structure and bright acidity. Still early days yet.

Pibarnon's 2019 Bandol is marked by scents of vanilla, black cherries and plums. An assemblage of 90% Mourvèdre and 10% Grenache, it's ripe, even a touch jammy, in a powerful, modern style. Full-bodied, supple and rich, it finishes with a gentle coating of soft tannins. I suspect my rating is conservative, but in this year's blind-tasting, I actually preferred the less expensive Restanques de Pibarnon bottling.