2021 Chateau de Pibarnon Bandol Rose 750 ml

We’ll never forget it: It was spring 2004, long before iPhones put navigation in the palm of your hand. We were driving around the back roads of La Cadière-d'Azur, frantically searching for a sign for Château de Pibarnon.

We were 90 minutes late for a luncheon appointment with Eric de Saint Victor and his father Henri—bluebloods with Parisian roots who founded this iconic estate in the mid-70s. They were exactly the kind of winery owners you DON’T want to keep waiting, so when we pulled up, we were off-the-charts embarrassed.

Our trepidation quickly evaporated, thanks to a warm smile and a handshake from Eric, who greeted us with a glistening, cold glass of rosé. He ushered us into the dining room of the family manse and said “You’re right on time,” with a wink, as we all sat down to a first course of perfectly grilled rougets, plucked from the Mediterranean that morning. It was a pairing for the ages, a Proustian moment in time we’ll never forget.

Along with Château Pradeaux and Domaine Tempier, Château de Pibarnon is recognized as one of the very best producers in Bandol. Their rosé is best-in-class, grown in an idyllic amphitheater of vines that sink their roots deep into the same stratum of Triassic-era “blue” limestone-clay also found at Chateau Pétrus in Pomerol. It’s the highest-elevation vineyard in the appellation, which suits it well to fresh and lively rosé.

Made of 65% Mourvèdre and 35% Cinsault, whole-cluster pressed specifically to be rosé, this wine shows best with a year or two in bottle, it’s absolutely singing now!