Winemaker Notes
A straight and elegant wine that is mainly built on the terraces of the Val d'Arenc on clay-limestone soils studded with hippurites (marine fossils) which give this wine all its DNA. It is a rosé of great breadth, the maturity of the fruit brings the suavity associated with the slightly spicy mineral freshness to express the purity and elegance of the terroir.
Blend: 80% Mourvèdre, 10% Grenache, 10% Cinsault
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
In the world of pink wines, I find Bandol to be one of the most charming regions. The 2023 Chateau Val d'Arenc is alluring and bright. This wine shows aromas and flavors of savory spices, wild cherries, and earthy notes. Enjoy with a freshly made Nicoise salad. (Tasted: March 22, 2025, San Francisco, CA)
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.
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.