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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.8 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 25 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Ungifted on 4/5/2015 & rated 88 points: Decanted for 2 plus hours, minimal nose and heavy tannin on the palate, very dry with limited fruit and some acidity. Purchased at the vineyard in 2007 and not quite as enjoyable as the fuller 2002. (3528 views) | | | Tasted by mflesh on 2/14/2015 & rated 92 points: Enjoyed with Valentine's Day dinner 2015. Wow, what a unique little wine from a mostly forgotten about winegrowing part of France! This wine was full out ready to go from the start. Decanted for an extreme amount of sediment. The nose was black cherry and blackberry with lavender, herbs, and a tough of nitrogen. Thinking I was going to have a nitrogenous wine on my hands (like some of these little French winegrowing regions can produce!) I buckled down to prepare for the huge nitrogen notes and received none from start to finish! The front of this wine is black cherry tart on some occasions and blackberry on other occasions. Fleshy, kind of "purple" as this one turns to the mid-palate. This is maybe a touch flabby in the middle. But wow oh wow. This one finishes with these incredible cranberry and dried lavender notes among other mostly unidentified herbs in that wonderful, yet extremely unique, and rather tannic, finish. Can't ever say that I've had a wine like this. I have no idea how many more years this one has on it, but I would guess it probably has a few more with proper cellaring. I am very doubtful that this one will improve any more in the bottle, but considering I am quite ignorant to this region, I really can't say other than Drink Up!! Enjoy this one because it's in a good place right now!! (3483 views) | | | Tasted by JustinHandlin87 on 2/2/2015 & rated 89 points: Sour cherries, earth and some floral notes on the nose. The palate didn't show as much; I though it lacked depth in the mid-palate and finished with the typical mouvedre tannins. I enjoyed the wine, but it wasn't overly complex or delicious. (3660 views) | | | Tasted by MindMuse on 1/27/2015 flawed bottle: Corked (3562 views) | | | Tasted by phil the agony on 3/23/2014 & rated 89 points: Meilleur que le 2003 et il était un peu plus tannique.. (4287 views) | | | Tasted by VoteferPedro on 2/1/2013 & rated 92 points: Part of a tasting of Mourvedres. Decanted 2 hours. Not a pale wine but a bit faded and brown compared to an '09 by is side. Dust and earth on the nose and blackberry and cherry on the palate. This is. Dry balanced and deliscious but would be best with food (2497 views) | | | Tasted by wineshaman on 12/5/2012 & rated 90 points: Got this for 1/2 price date night @ Belle Vie, Midlothian, paired with rack of lamb.
Floral nose with hints od cedar, tart cherry, sour cranberries, graphte, slate, maybe a bit thin, but still nice balance between fruit and minerals.
Thanks Sean! (2480 views) | | | Tasted by AndrewR on 6/13/2012 & rated 86 points: Needs 3 hours and ultimately opens to strawberries and some leather. Super simple and super average, not worth the $41. (2958 views) | | | Tasted by MusignyBlanc on 4/23/2012 & rated 90 points: Had this at Bouchon in LA at dinner with a large group and given the circumstances, it was pop and pour. Wine started to nicely open and then it was gone and we started a new bottle, but you could see the potential.
Very dark in color, I thought the wine had very typical taste of Mourvedre, which is often find a bit flat, but in this case had sufficient ripeness. Not very complex, but a very delightful soft-tannin mouthfeel and nice fruit. A very enjoyable wine which actually seemed a bit Italian in style. I think I would have likely rated this higher if the wine had an opportunity to breath. (3157 views) | | | Tasted by jimkay21 on 7/28/2011 & rated 90 points: Restaurant bottle-Mahogany color, tannins smoothed out, lighter bodied and more acidic than I expected, but enjoyable with dinner (3243 views) | | | Tasted by brooklynguy on 4/28/2011: detailed and not at all ponderous, which is impressive considering the vintage. the wine shows a lot of what is Bandol - musky aninmale infused lush fruit with complex earth and floral notes, good balance and length, and a surprisingly lovely texture. no shame in holding this for another 20 years, but it actually is drinking pretty well now too. (2925 views) | | | Tasted by blancdeblancs on 10/26/2010: Tasted a line-up of Pradeaux with Etienne Portalis (son of winemaker Cyrille). a completely different animal than the 05 Bandol Rouge. color is a leathery red. warm oats, potpourri otn---almost some Italian-like qualities. definitely has some life (structure, aromatics) left it. pleasantly chalky finish. drink this over the next few years while you wait on your 04's and 05's. (2653 views) | | | Tasted by skisdeeppow on 10/16/2010: Outstanding. Color is dark, but transparent with some slight bricking at the rim. I wasn't sure what to expect given the vintage, but the nose was very complex with dark fruit, leather, some forest floor and some cinnamon and clove. Decanted for about 2 hours and then followed over the next 3. The palate is creamy with dark fruits and plenty of the earthier notes that were present on the nose. Tannins are a force to reckoned with at this point - I found them a bit bitter on the finish. Makes me want to search for some additional vintages of this to get a sense for the producer. (3097 views) | | | Tasted by David J Cooper on 9/28/2010: Darker red. Spicy, creamy nose, a bit riper then the others after a while it starts to bring some really nice funk to the party. Very grippy tannins and a long dry finish. Has a lot in common with the other Pradeauxs but is riper and more extracted. This is a little more fruit forward but still very serious wine. (2838 views) | | | Tasted by MindMuse on 5/26/2010 & rated 92 points: Wines of the Mediterranean (The Vineyard Wine Market, Smyrna): Black and red fruits, cinnamon stick, game. Wish I had a whole glass of this to spend some time with. Should develop wonderfully. I guess that means I'll have to buy some. 91-93 (3586 views) | | | Tasted by Junior on 3/1/2010: Opened too young, but I agree this wine has a wonderful life ahead of it. Smokey meat, red and blue fruits, and hints of tar and minty herbs framed by rustic but agreeable tannins and good acidity. I wasn't able to follow the wine for too long--it disappeared--but over the course of an hour or two it opened nicely. Nice now, but down the road, this is sure to be even better. (3163 views) | | | Tasted by christyler on 10/4/2009 & rated 91 points: Very, very light color - would have been on the light/transparent side even for a red burgundy! However, there was amazing concentration of flavors and it was not at all a light wine. I was also surprised by the tannins - this could easily wait ten years to hit "middle age." It really exploded with food, showing spice and fruit...and deliciousness. Very enjoyable, wish I had more!
At Gramercy Tavern (3295 views) | | | Tasted by Wicker Parker on 8/2/2009: I opened this wine at least ten years too early, but so what? Behind the wall of tannins this shows great beauty, with a spicy, smoky nose of blackberries, pepper, grilled meat, and subtle hints of lavender and fresh green herbs. The balance, structure, and acidity here are impeccable, and if the tannins are rough and grip the tongue even on the fourth night sampled, the texture shows great grace and layers of purple flowers, silky cherry (fresh and dried, sweet and tart) and blackberry fruit. So, still tight, but complex and complete; definitely showing what it will become. (3279 views) | | | Tasted by Wine Guild of Charlottesville on 4/30/2009: Epic Bandol Tasting with the Wine Guild of Charlottesville (Guild Office): An instant classic! Pradeaux is one of the major, well-known houses in Bandol, up there with Tempier, et al. This wine is precisely why that's the case...and the nose/palate run the gamut in terms of what you tend to expect from "typical" great Bandol. More than anything else, there is the gaminess: grilled animal with tons of Provençal herbs and black pepper and savory grittiness with a nice smokiness in the background. I can think of few wines that would better complement grilled red meat (especially lamb, as we found out). Beyond the grilled meat, there were little pockets of interest all over...like tart berries, raisins/prunes, fresh salami, barnyard funk, a little oak, and this character that I can only describe as "lush forest in the springtime". All of this played back and forth with the bright acidity and big round tannins (both of which will help this wine age for 20 years), and it wrapped up with a long, tight finish. It was a pleasure to get to try this wine right now, but even at 6 years from the vat, I think it's still young. Buy some, lay it down, forget about it for a decade...you will thank yourself. (4352 views) | | | Tasted by thegrandcrew on 4/25/2009 & rated 91 points: A very rich and complex nose with aromas of oak, leather, rose, spice, mint and black fruits. Dry and very astringent in the mouth, reminiscent of walnut skin, however with a very nice juicy acidity and balance. There are flavors of black fruit and oak, with an interesting almost silky texture, yet at the same time a rough form. 13.5% ABV. This wine should be aerated for a few hours and can age easily through 2018. (2877 views) | | | Tasted by kopatrota on 1/19/2009 & rated 90 points: bouteille à maturité, un regal. (3399 views) |
| By Catherine Fallis, MS, ACWP
Sommelier Journal, September 2009
(Château Pradeaux Bandol) Bright, lightly saturated ruby-garnet, with a good one-fourth-inch rim variation confirming its age. The complex nose features aromas of freshly polished wood, mocha, vanilla, raisin, fig, cherry cobbler, strawberry and raspberry jam, stewed tomatoes, tar, sage, and menthol. The palate is medium-bodied, well structured, and slightly grippy, with ripe berry fruit, mild oak tannins, and lingering flavors of cedar, tar, lavender, and peach. Provence: Heaven for the Senses |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Sommelier Journal. (manage subscription channels) |
| Château Pradeaux Producer website, in French and English.
Exerpt from a write up at the Mad Rose Group, which represents the US importer, Rosenthal Wine Group:
: "There is the appellation of Bandol with its plethora of producers, some good, some mediocre; and then there is Chateau Pradeaux, the unique, inimitable, standard bearer for this ancient wine-growing district. The Chateau Pradeaux is situated on the outskirts of the town of St. Cyr Sur Mer which lies directly on the Mediterranean Ocean between Toulon and Marseilles. The estate is owned by the Portalis family which has owned this property since before the French Revolution. The domaine is currently under the direction of Cyrille Portalis, who continues to maintain the great traditions of this estate.
: The vineyards are cultivated in as natural a manner as possible with reliance on organic methods. In fact, during the spring months sheep are permitted to graze in the vineyards thereby eliminating any need to use herbicides and at the same time providing a natural compost.
: The wines of Pradeaux are brooding and difficult. Produced on the back of the noble Mourvedre, Pradeaux in its youthful stages is tannic, backward, and sometimes ornery. The wines are not destemmed; "elevage" in large oak foudres can last as long as four years; the essential blend is at least 95% Mourvedre; vines of less than 25 years of age are not used for the reds.
: Chateau Pradeaux "Cuvee La Rose Folle", is the standard Pradeaux. It is composed of 100% Mourvedre (old vines). The nose is a mix of honey and white flowers with a hint of animal fur; the color is ruby red; the fruit stains the palate and is lengthened by a near-perfect sense of roundness; the final attack is of ripe tannins that are dusty and sweet.
: Chateau Pradeaux "Cuvee Longue Garde", is born exclusively of the oldest Mourvedre vines on the estate (average age 45 years). Extraordinarily dense, with black notes to the color, the "Longue Garde" is marked by a strong scent of Provencal herbs combined with smoked red meat. This is a complete wine with incredible length; the flavors remind one of macerated plums and black currants. The super-ripe tannins are powerful and in perfect balance with the high fruit extract. This is the wine for the ages.
: Although the major part of the vineyards are planted to Mourvedre, the Chateau Pradeaux Bandol Rose is composed of Cinsault and Grenache as well as Mourvedre. After a short maceration on the skins, in order to extract a light color, the juice is fermented at low temperatures to retain freshness, fruit and bouquet. After being aged in stainless steel cuves, the wine is normally bottled in May or June of the year following the harvest. It is one of the richest of the Roses of France; dry but full-bodied with a floral bouquet. It is a very limited production wine as most of the production at Chateau Pradeaux is used to make the formidable Bandol Rouge."
Mourvèdre Blend - Read about MourvedreFrance Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comProvence Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de ProvenceBandol Bandol (Wikipedia) | Bandol (French language touristry site) |
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