Chateau Pradeaux : Bandol 2017

A Bold and Robust Bandol Rose with Potential to Age

The Chateau Pradeaux estate, located deep in the heart of the Bandol appellation, boasts a rich family history dating back to 1752, which is when Jean Marie Etienne Portalis (a minister of Napoleon) first inherited his family estate from his grandmother. Just a few decades later, the estate was ravaged by the French Revolution and then by phylloxera in the late 19th century. During the Second World War, Suzanne and Arlette Portalis took over management of the domain, restoring it to its former glory with the help of Baron Leroy. Today the property is still run by descendants of the Portalis family, who continue to make outstanding wines to further their forefathers' legacy. The Chateau Pradeaux Bandol Rose 2017 is a blend of 75% Mourvedre and 25% Cinsault. The vines from which the fruit is harvested are 25 years old on average and enjoy southern exposure and a terroir of clay limestone soils. The wine is fermented in concrete tanks or enamelled steel tanks for a period of 3 weeks with a very short skin contact, followed by 2 months of contact with lees. It is then fined and filtered before bottling. Malolactic fermentation is avoided in order to maintain a level of acidity in the wine. While the estate survived the frost that damaged most of France's regions in 2017, hydric stress and an episode of June hail reduced the yield by around 40%, resulting in extremely concentrated and intense fruit.

The Chateau Pradeaux Bandol Rose 2017 is not your everyday pool-side rose. This Bandol classic is bold and robustly expressive, with intense notes of apple, red licorice, dried sage and earth on the nose. On the palate, the wine is equally intense and staining, with the lingering tannins characteristic of Mourvedre suggesting a great evolution in the bottle over years to come.