2020 Château Pradeaux, Bandol AOC Rouge, Provence, France.
This 2020 vintage of Pradeaux Bandol is a wonderful expression of Mourvèdre and delivers an exceptional performance in the glass with a deep sense of complexity, place and varietal with black cherry, blackberry, plum and currant fruits on the full bodied palate, along with dusty tannins, minty anise, cedary wood notes, brambly earthiness, and subtle florals.There is, as mentioned before in my reviews of the Pradeaux Bandol, a sense of raw transparency here, no flashiness or glitz, this is pure as it gets, but still the wine charms and beguiles in the glass and opens up nicely for complete enjoyment, even in its youthful form and its firm tannins melt away with food, this is very fine version from Pradeaux. This gripping, structured, dark garnet and purple Bandol, with its mineral tones, is a wine of place, first and foremost, and shows pride and passion for its terroir, taking its clues from its limestone influenced Provence soils, adding dimension and savory/stony elements as well as echoing its fruit for a long complex finish. Bandol, one of the great wines of France, often ages decades or more, rivaling Bordeaux, and are great with robust and protein rich cuisine, going great with lamb and mushroom dishes, grilled steaks and or hard sheep cheeses. A few years back I was lucky enough to meet and taste with Pradeaux’s winemaker Etienne Portails in San Francisco, and the wines have been favorites ever since, so thanks Jannae Lizza of Elevage/Rosenthal/Rare Wine Co. for sharing this new vintage with me..
The Château Pradeaux, as noted before here, is run by Cyrille Portalis, along with his two sons Edouard and current winemaker Etienne, and is situated on the outskirts of the town of Saint Cyr-sur-Mer that lies directly on the gorgeous azur (Blue) Mediterranean between Toulon and Marseilles. The estate has been in the hands of the Portalis family since before the French Revolution and the wines themselves transmit that long history and tradition and Pradeaux has been farmed to organic principles for many years. As noted by the importer, Rosenthal, the Portalis family has in fact owned the estate since 1752 and now has a worthy heir to the estate, Étienne, who has steered the wines toward greater finesse and tension since his arrival in 2010. The estate is all about Mourvedre and this classic cuvée is 95% Mourvèdre and 5% Grenache, all whole cluster and with indigenous yeasts the wines then get a long élevage in large oak foudres, in fact they can last as long as four years. The concentration comes from the old vine fruit with the grapes only coming from vines at least 25 years of age, with most much older. The wines of Château Pradeaux are as I said, authentic, bold in natural and sometimes rustic, though under Etienne this wines have been elevated and the quality is exceptional, without losing the domaine’s traditional character or charm. In modern times, you almost always think of Domaine Tempier, when talking about Bandol, but for authentic style, value and quality, you had better elevate your opinion of Château Pradeaux, especially in vintages like this one, and don’t overlook their Rosé either!
($59 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive