I am intrigued by the wines of Bandol (blancs and rosés less than the rouge, although I drink all colors happily whenever possible). Unfortunately it is a sad fact that the reds a) require a good deal of age to reach their potential and b) are not that widely available. That said if you do manage to find matureish Bandol from a good producer it is likely to offer both fantastic value and a delightfully classic expression of a Mediterranean red wine. A friend came through recently and bought a bunch of this 1999 Vannières from someone on eBay for the cheeky price of 23 € per bottle including shipping and I could not resist the temptation of opening a bottle right away to welcome December. It’s good to not believe in bottle shock.
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1999 Château Vannières Bandol - France, Provence, Bandol (2.12.2018)
By all means a very well kept bottle with high fill and cork in fantastic condition. Decanted to remove the very fine sediment, poured back into the bottle and enjoyed over three hours. Very open aromatically from the get-go, the main development happened on the palate that became somewhat fuller and developed a better grip. Sweet strawberry-laden fruit, dry oak, garrigue, green olive and a healthy amount of animale on the wonderfully expressive and classic nose. Quite generous on the palate with velvety texture, sweetish fruit and ripe tannins that carry nicely to the gently drying finish. Very much on the savory side with a delicious herbal quality. Tremendously alive and if not quite yet at its peak then at least very close to it.
Posted from CellarTracker