WTN: Bandol Trio (Gros Nore, Tempier, Pibarnon)

w/ steak salad
2000 Domaine du Gros ‘Noré Bandol (Provence) 80% mourvedre, 15% cinsault, 5% carignan. Quite excellent. Ripe fruit, a hint of oak, solid mineral core, smooth tannins, and a lengthy finish. No real secondary development and showing plenty of aging time left.

w/stuffed red peppers and salad
2004 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé (Provence) Not a lot has changed with this wine over the past year+. It’s a big wall of minerality with cherry and strawberry flavors. Nice acidity and medium weight. When it warms it carries a bit of an antiseptic/medicinal profile that isn’t very appealing. Really good when cold though but at $26 it's not worth the price.

w/ a burger
1999 Chateau du Pibarnon Bandol (Provence) Very young but with really nice structure. Lots of ripe fruit, powerful, coarse tannins, and a lengthy finish. This wine is not as refined as the Gros Nore. The oak seems to be integrating well but there is no noticeable secondary development. Let them rest.

1999 Chateau du Pibarnon Bandol (Provence) Very young but with really nice structure. Lots of ripe fruit, powerful, coarse tannins, and a lengthy finish. This wine is not as refined as the Gros Nore. The oak seems to be integrating well but there is no noticeable secondary development. Let them rest.

Interesting, Bill. I've had the '99 Gros Noré on several ocassions, starting with a barrel sample in '01. I drank my last earlier this year and I would say that it was fully developed at that time. Either your Pibarnon is a much more backward wine or, more likely, your cellar is a lot colder than mine.

Mark Lipton

Mark, I picked up the Pibarnon in a seemingly decent shop in Columbus, Indiana and opened it that night. So don't think that an extra cold cellar would be attributed to it's lack of development. I'm beginning to think of good Bandol as 10+ year wine, at least for the way I like to drink them, although I don't have a ton of experience with aging them.

[David M. Bueker]

See what happens when you leave home without some Bone Joly Rosé.

Drinking red Bandol that young is just silly. Ask Charles, he'll confirm.

I'm beginning to think of good Bandol as 10+ year wine, at least for the way I like to drink them, although I don't have a ton of experience with aging them.

Yes, traditional Bandol can age almost indefinitely. My friends in Bandol say that that has changed in recent years, but I'm not touching my '01s for many years to come.

Mark Lipton

Drinking red Bandol that young is just silly. Ask Charles, he'll confirm.

Heh..I agree, but it was the most interesting thing on the shelf, even if it was young.

See what happens when you leave home without some Bone Joly Rosé.

No kidding, but traveling with wine is just a big p.i.t.a. these days.

[David M. Bueker]

p.i.t.a. --> People for Inethical Travel Arrangements

Just this April my wine group had a Southern France tasting. The best wine of the evening was 2004 Mas de Gourgonnier (Baux de Provence) Rouge (Price $15; my score 15, average score 15). For a three year old wine I felt this was very approachable now.
The other reds included
•2004 Mas De Daumas Gassac Rouge (Price $30, my score 14, average score 14.6) a wine that definitely seemed approachable even at young age.
• 2001 Bandol Chateau Pradeaux Rouge (Price $47, my score 13.5, average 12.
•2001 Domaine Pertuisane Vieilles Vignes (“Old Vines”) Rouge (Price $35, my score 14, average score 14.3)
The whites
•2005 Domaine du Bagnol Cassis Blanc (Price $23, my score 12.5, average score 14)
•2006 Mas De Daumas Gassac Blanc (Price $42, my score 14, average score 14.6)
The pinks
•2006 Domaine du Bagnol Cassis Rose ( Price $24, my score14, average 13.6)
•2006 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rose (Price $30, my score13.5, average 13)

Salute

I was told that with Mas De Daumas Gassac that it can be consumed young within the first three years and then not to touch them again until they are ten years old. Have you tried any from the in between years to see if they are still approachable? I got a bit of the 1999's that I'm still waiting on.

Michael K posted:
Was told that with Mas De Daumas Gassac that it can be consumed young within the first three years and then not to touch them again until they are ten years old.

Thanks for posting Michael, it sure makes sense, especially now when I review by wine evaluation sheet for the April Southern France wine tasting. My comments for the 2001 Bandol reds were that they were slightly “disjointed”. Could very possible been that we just drank the wines at the “wrong time”. Thanks everyone for posting!

Salute