Round, ripe, and rich, this Bandol Rosé layers its strawberries and cherries with rose petals, warm spice, grapefruit zest, and savory underbrush to create a captivating drinking experience. This wine powers across the palate with zippy acidity, but its nicely hefty dry extract gives it a sense of weight and complexity. Deriving from vines averaging 25 years old, this blend of equal parts Cinsault and Mourvèdre is a direct press rosé, and the grapes enjoy a brief maceration on the skins before fermentation and aging in stainless steel. For the best experience, let the wine unfold in the glass or decant before drinking.
- Country: France
- Region: Provence
- Sub Region: Bandol
Château Pradeaux makes some of the most serious rosés available. Perhaps this seriousness has to do with history. The storied Pradeaux estate has been making wine on the Mediterranean since before the French Revolution, and this estate, owned and operated by the Portalis family, has survived numerous wars, vicissitudes of fashion, and bouts with phylloxera. Purchased by the Portalis family in 1752, the Pradeaux estate is located in Saint Cyr-sur-Mer, which sits on the Mediterranean Ocean between Toulon and Marseilles. Currently owned and operated by Cyrille Portalis, Château Pradeaux makes traditional, unexpectedly tannic Bandol rosés composed of 95% Mourvèdre (the rest is Cinsault). It’s not too big a claim to say that Pradeaux’s full-bodied, steely wines are standard bearers of fine Bandol rosé.
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