On Tuesday, my tasting group got together for a blind Bandol tasting. 14 wines were broken into 4 flights by vintage and 1 being a mini-vertical of Tempier.
I am a believer that Bandol Rouge is still one of the greatest wine values in the world. Patience is required, but for $25-$45 you can get a world class wine that will often age decades. The special cuvées are higher priced, but I still think they are a bargain for their quality. Unfortunately, due to the popularity and the price their Rosés fetch, I feel that Bandol Rouge is a bit of an endangered species.
The brief notes below are mostly from Day 3. The flight of '13s and '11s were not decanted day one (opened 90min before the tasting) and were as you’d figure, tight, and tannic. They evolved beautifully through the night, but on day 3, most of these wines settled into nice places (though still firm) and gave a lot of pleasure tasting without food.
2013 Chateau Pibarnon
Mellowed Oak (showed a bit on day 1 & 2), bright raspberry preserves, coal, herbal, herbal /amaro-like finish. (Greatest improvement from day 1-3)
2013 Tour Du Bon
Frozen Raspberry, starch, older vine fruit density, tacky mouthfeel and sticky tannin, black rocks, long herbal driven finish. Very good.
2013 Chateau de La Noblesse
Lower toned fruit, more dark cherry vs raspberry, lighter bodied (still medium +), long fruit driven finish. Good showing from a producer I am not familiar with.
2013 Domaine du Gros Noré
Some reduction with buried deeeeeep fruit. Incredible balance, “killing it” , so mineral, harmonious and a crazy long finish (wine of the flight)
2011 Domaine De Terrebrune
Nose is a little more mature than anticipated, very attractive. Dried leaves, wet clay, incredible palate of fruit & savory flavors. ++ Acidity (highest in all wines), long mineral finish. Gorgeous.
2011 Chateau Guilhem Tournier Cuvée Malisonne
Reductive and tight. Black fruit, wound palate, oak present, very high concentration, nice minerality, slightly woody and reductive finish. A baby.
2011 Chateau Pradeaux
A different critter. Red fruit with so much savory. Rustic / chunky (But still exceptional like a home cooked meal), longest finish, most unique wine of the night and one of the best of the flight.
2008 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rouge (375ML)
Finished on night 2 and Notes lost, but gorgeous, balanced, classic. Nothing out of place (wine of the flight)
2007 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rouge (375ML)
Hot vintage aromatics (loose, baked fruit, pie filling dried leaves), jammy palate, infinite fruit, substantial weight, still tannic and very very primary. Reminds me of 98 with the nose evolving a bit ahead of the palate. Still very nice.
2006 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rouge (375ML)
Mature fruit, soy, Worcestershire, and so much going on on the palate- Mature fruit, juicy, savory, herbal, friendly?, medium finish and the wine of the night to drink now. (More evolved than the 750s I’ve had, but I really like 06 for an approachable drinking vintage- This showed great on night 1).
1995 Chateau Pibarnon
(Narrow and closed day 1&2) Opening up but still in the tube, beautiful dusty minerality, baked fruit, rounder palate, bright fruit driven finish. This is the 2nd time I’ve had this wine in 2 weeks and this was a better showing, but both were clamped down for the long haul.
1995 La Bastide Blanc Cuvée Fontanieu
Loose nose, salami, cooked fruit, beef jerky, with a tight heavy mineral palate, drizzled with fruit, and a long, linear rocky finish. Nose tired (perhaps heat damaged?) and palate insane.
1995 Domaine Tempier Cuvée Cabassaou
simultaneously light and dark. Intense fruit with deep rock, elegant elegant world class palate, powdered rock and dehydrated fruit. It drinks like a 2008 and has a lifetime to go. Everything is in check with this wine, and though a baby, to me it is perfect. I have a bunch more and am done opening these for at least 5-10 yrs.