Château Pibarnon Bandol Nuances Rosé 2022

Chateau Pibarnon is one of the reference estates of Bandol, in coastal Provence, where the vineyards climb high limestone slopes above the Mediterranean. This rosé is built on Mourvedre, the late-ripening grape that defines Bandol and needs heat and sun to ripen fully. The estate's terraced clay-limestone soils and the cooling sea air give a wine with structure as well as freshness, the basis for an aged style rather than a simple young pink. Unusually for a rosé, it spends around 19 months in barrel. That long, slow ageing with gentle oxygen exchange through the wood builds body, texture and a savoury, complex character, giving a rosé with real weight and depth. The wine is pale with a faint copper tint. The nose shows red berries and white peach over dried herbs, citrus peel and a saline, almost almond-like note. The palate is dry and crisp but broad and textured, with firm acidity and a long, savoury, mineral finish. Serve lightly chilled at around 10 to 12 degrees, in a larger glass to let it open. It is a food rosé, suited to seafood, white meats and richer fish dishes.