Winemaker Notes
Pale salmon-flesh color; delicate aroma—zest of red grapefruit and lemon; exotic, spicy character. Great plenitude of flavors including passion fruit, and a beautiful minerally freshness which comes from the limestone soil.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of pink nectarines, dried orange peel, summer flowers, herbs and minerals. It is full and rounded with sleek, silky texture and a polished, mineral finish. It is both rich and crunchy. Drink now.
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Wine Spectator
Demure but distinctive, with lovely range, this leads with white raspberry and cherry blossom notes, revealing hints of jasmine and mango through the creamy finish. Mourvèdre, Grenache and Cinsaut. Drink now.
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.