November 17, 2019 - Vintage 2014, which was my first Pradeaux rouge a couple of weeks ago, left me underwhelmed. With this wine I gladly begin to understand what the fuss is about.
The colour is a translucent ruby red. While the wine was fiercely tannic and also quite woody upon opening, you could already sense, that this is a bigger gun than the 2014. On the second day the wine finally begins to open up and reveals a darker, riper fruit profile, combined with interchanging notes of flowers, marzipan, licorice and wood polish. It is medium-bodied, dry, fresh and pure, very structured and finishes quite long with a slight, not unpleasant warmth (which calls to mind beautiful sunny Provence). Yet the wine remains a bit too tannic, closed and unsettled for now. As I see very good potential I will buy me some more bottles and store them confidently for maybe 5 years. 91+
November 26, 2017 - Grainy dense tannins, alcohol-forward nose.
Good with a rustic strong beef dish, powerful wine, needs a similar dish to shine or a ton of age
February 14, 2016 - Déjà évolué, arômes discrets de fruits noirs et de poivre, qui ressort particulièrement en bouche. Un peu astringent. Bien, sans être transcendant. A boire avec un plat en sauce ou une viande saignante pour adoucir les tanins.
January 23, 2016 - Cork pulled at 11 a.m. Needs to come up a bit from cellar temp.
Nose: Oregano, thyme, roasted green bell pepper, fir tree, floating over a core of red currant fruit.
Palate loses the fir tree notes but the rest holds along with the addition of the crispy crust of a beef roast. This has so much more to give. Weekend project.
December 14, 2015 - Dark ruby. Savoury nose of white pepper, wet rocks, fresh rhubarb, tart cherries. Medium bodied with very grippy tannins, like a young nebbiolo. Tart, long finish. Lively. 14.5% abv.
November 15, 2015 - Clear medium ruby. Blackberry confit. Medium weight, intense minerality at its core. Black and ripe blue fruit gradually emerge with a great underpinning of earth and soil. Beginning to open but could use more time. Not a bit overripe.
August 6, 2015 - Red flowers, forest floor and ripe red fruit some funky notes toward the finish. Could benefit from further aging.
July 11, 2015 - Yeah! Could use some time but delicious with decanting. Textbook Bandol.
February 28, 2015 - Opened two hours prior to tasting. Provençal herbs, game, iron, rare beef, and coffee—an extremely fragrant bouquet that just keeps giving. In the mouth, so incredibly tightly packaged. Absolutely fierce tannins, but a rush of acid keeps everything balanced and fresh. Strangely, this felt as approachable, if not more approachable, than the 1989 and 1990 old vines bottlings, both drunk within the last year. Fantastic quality for less than $40 a bottle. Rated 1 on a scale of -1 to 3.