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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2012 and 2020 (based on 6 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 88.7 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 38 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by henrygjeffreys on 10/23/2022: Deep red colour, just a hint of brick. Lots of sediment .
Lots of spice on the nose, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. some horsey notes but nothing excessive. Rosemary olive and dark fruit.
Initially seems quite soft but some rather drying tannins come in with time open. Spice, too and dark chocolate. It’s a little wild now. But still lots of pleasure. Be interesting to see where this is going. Hard to say. Going to last for years but looking back through my notes it seems like it was at its best in about 2018. (768 views) | | | Tasted by henrygjeffreys on 7/22/2021: Bright red colour with fading and yellow at rim.
Pretty funky on the nose, cider notes, walnuts, dark fruit,
Much cleaner on t he palate, dark cherries, rosemary, tannins still pretty fierce, but there’s a delightful sweetness and perfume here too. Needs food, cider and bramble on the finish.
Totally uncompromising but worth persisting with. This is going to last for decades. (1604 views) | | | Tasted by Taronti on 2/9/2019 & rated 88 points: Well preserved. Nose of raspberry and underbrush which did not hang round for long. Clean palate with good acidity ans good length. Definitely a food wine . I’ve had better Bandols, (2131 views) | | | Tasted by henrygjeffreys on 8/3/2018: Dark fruit, earthy and herbs on the nose
On the palate very pure black fruit, very classical like a Medoc, finish still firm and I imagine it always will be. those tannins bite, needs food. But they have receded enough so that you can appreciate the fruit.
Still young, this has years left in it (2751 views) | | | Tasted by JOsgood on 12/2/2017: Total soil bomb. Earthy to the max. Fun wine with braised short ribs. Fruit has dropped out. (2802 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 4/8/2017 & rated 85 points: Salil does Chicago 3; 4/6/2017-4/8/2017 (Chicago, IL): There seems to be something not quite right with this bottle, though I could discern no clearly identifiable flaw. The nose smelled fairly convincing, with some forward red fruit and a touch of barnyardy funk. But the palate was mostly thin and underwhelming -- not much of interest at all here. Just a pile of acid with underripe character. I wasn't the only one baffled by this. (3633 views) | | | Tasted by Nojomoschwa on 12/28/2015 & rated 95 points: This may seem a little extreme (the 95 Points), but this wine showed fantastically over the Xmas holiday. Everyone at the table agreed – out of 6-7 wines (all much more $), it was the clear favorite. Not as animal or wild/rustic as many Bandol reds, and just exuding class, this was definitely still pretty youthful though did have some lovely tertiary notes beginning to unwind. The tannins, as expected, were definitely high, but not unruly or unripe in our experience. It was just delicious with roasted leg of lamb, and I wish I had more than one bottle as it will undoubtedly drink well for the next decade or two. Superb. (3619 views) | | | Tasted by gfish on 4/23/2015 & rated 80 points: There continues to be a bitter green note (stems? unripe seeds?) that continues to hold this wine back. The tannins don;t seem fully ripe but there are correct notes of sour red cherry and slight spice notes. (3797 views) | | | Tasted by gfish on 3/10/2015 & rated 80 points: The nose was the most promising feature of this wine. There was a mix of earth and red cherry.
- The palate was very tired. The red cherry fruit is bitter and seems dried out and tired. The tannins are bitter and leave a bitter finish. Perhaps this needed more decanter time but the wine was bad enough that I didn't see the need for it. I'll try again with another bottle but this bottle was not good. (3676 views) | | | Tasted by fforte393 on 11/15/2014 & rated 88 points: This wine was dark ruby red in color, had a slight mouthfeel. Cherry and licorice notes with no hint of oak.i would consider this a light body wine. (3725 views) | | | Tasted by WDSteers on 10/2/2014 & rated 90 points: Tar, herbs and licorice with dark fruit. (3551 views) | | | Tasted by cubswinws on 7/15/2014 & rated 88 points: Nice complex wine with firm tannic structure but certainly approachable at this time. Likely better with a 2 hour decant. (2891 views) | | | Tasted by henrygjeffreys on 12/27/2012: c - dark purple/ red, just a hint of fading at rim
nose - woody not new oak, leather, olives, clean, not off notes
t - v. tannic but not unyielding, great acdity, refreshing, some musty notes, there's some great ripe fruit under those tannins
elegant and moreish
long finish
young but lots of potential, I think this could be wonderful
From reading about this wine I expected it to be little wild and bretty but it's actually extremely conventional (in the best sense of the word.) Nothing to frighten the horses here. We had two bottles and both were superb. Elegant and refreshing. YOu can see why people compare Bandol to Pauillac.
big tick (4297 views) | | | Tasted by drwine2001 on 9/21/2012: Half bottle. Medium to darker ruby. Closed initially, then grudgingly yields cassis and a strong scent of cocoa. Dense almost to the point of solidity and mouthcoating, this took time to develop any airiness. Some wood foundation. Gradually, the fruit shows along with faint crushed herbs. Impressive block of a wine which should take the better part of a decade to evolve from its current monolithic state. (4603 views) | | | Tasted by sehill on 7/21/2012 & rated 86 points: Decanted and poured, this wine gave a very good showing but some barnyard elements detracted from the overall impression. The aromatics shows dark fruits, earth, barnyard, and licorice notes. The color is tarnished dark ruby to black that is appropriate for the wines age. The medium to full bodied palate displays dark fruits with underlying barnyard notes. The wine give a medium length finish with medium grained tannins that balance the fruit notes. This is most likely at or around its peak. Once the fruit fades the barnyard notes could become more problematic. (4649 views) | | | Tasted by xwine on 6/5/2012: Some meat and dark fruit, with a hint of mint, and a bit of brett. Tannins are fairly aggressive, black fruit, leather, brett shows on the palate. Not a repurchase. (4349 views) | | | Tasted by dougsmith on 4/7/2012 & rated 89 points: Deep ruby color. Nose of garrigue, tobacco leaf and berries. Prominent tannin but somewhat thin on the palate given the nose. Still, it's a pretty wine showing significant development. (4533 views) | | | Tasted by wickedwax on 3/12/2012: Opened and decanted. Initially mainly barnyard aromas followed by earth, garrigue, leather, prunes and blackberry. Medium plus bodied with fairly integrated tannins giving a rather smooth moutfeel with good length. Drank well tonight, but should get better with time. (2920 views) | | | Tasted by the_art_of_drink_ing on 2/29/2012 & rated 90 points: Medium red/ruby, very earthy, red fruits, slight tobacco. Well integrated tannins, acidity. Definitely needs more time to shine. (2882 views) | | | Tasted by Dr. Galazkiewicz on 2/17/2012: Watery. Bitter. Tannin bomb. Not my style. (2914 views) | | | Tasted by Gargantua on 12/28/2011: Nice wine, open for business. I was pleasantly surprised at its (relatively) forward character. (3153 views) | | | Tasted by Julius Squeezer on 12/17/2011 & rated 90 points: Classic Mouvedre nose of blackberry, animal and cherry. Mouth drying but well integrated tannins as well as a strong grip that locks you into a long herbaceous finish. Great minerality. This wine still needs some time but is right now delightfully refreshing. 90+ (3478 views) | | | Tasted by Tetherton on 10/15/2011 & rated 90 points: We enjoy Bandols and, as noted by others in CT community, the Chateau Pradeaux is a nice wine for a decent price. So, my encouragement is to try the wine! (3556 views) | | | Tasted by blancdeblancs on 10/26/2010: Tasted through several Pradeaux wines with Etienne Portalis (son of winemaker Cyrille). 95% mourvedre, 5% old-vine grenache (which needs to be replanted in 2-3 yrs.). all earth, sweet black berries, hay, herbs de provence otn. leather, sizeable tannins all laced with minerality. this wine is built to age as long as any Tempier, and will definitely reward the patient drinker. (3918 views) | | | Tasted by mmh on 9/29/2010: Very dry and tannic. Definitely needs food. I can't really rate it on its own. (4453 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| 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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