Steadfast in the soil, still harsh though tannins quite muted, very dark blue fruit, herbal, good length. Quite demanding, probably best enjoyed paired with a red meat steak.
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decanted 30 min. at nearly 8 years, still dark garnet-blue, that young mourvèdre color, edging lighter on the rim; wild plums & provencal herbs aromatics; full-bodied but not jammy; ripe mulberry, plum confit, red soil, thyme, not overly complicated but in a fine place for drinking now & over the next 5 years; a good bottle representative of place.
pan-seared pork chop; shelling beans & corn in feta-buttermilk vinaigrette
6/14/22 decanted 30 min, enjoyed for 2+ hours; young deep purple-black color of earlier examples has now become more red-blue; wild & crazy aromatics; plums & wild berries, garrigue full-on. black skin fruit is rustic, lacks complexity overall yet delivers at the table.
Found this wine in the back. Great garnet color Cherry, vanilla, licorice( but read turpentine), cedar, good acid and tannins that this wine could have went a year more.
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Deep red, slightly blue edge, long quick and thin drops. Black cherry, cassis, turpentine, ripe red fruit nose. Black cherry, ribena, vanilla, tobacco oak taste. Rich fruit, sweet, mature, rounded tannins, balanced overall.
This is not a fruit bomb, though in other climes it could have been. There's plenty of tannic structure to match the sweetness and fruit. A lovely food wine that is ready to drink now but should keep for years still.
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Mainly composed of Mourvèdre along with some Grenache and Cinsaut. Fermented with natural yeasts over three weeks with skin maceration. Aged in 600-liter oak barrels and larger oak casks for 18-24 months. 14,5% alcohol.
Slightly translucent black cherry color with a pale raspberry red color. Fresh and slightly green-toned nose with aromas of juicy dark fruit, some licorice, a little bit of spicy red apple, light gingery character, a hint of brambly dark berries and a touch of stony minerality. Overall somewhat restrained, but nicely nuanced nose. The wine feels dry, full-bodied and somewhat densely textured on the palate with dark-toned flavors of dark sour plums, ripe mulberries, some boysenberry jam, a little bit of stony minerality and hints of garrigue and sun-baked earth. The wine is nicely structured with high-ish acidity and quite firm and grippy tannins. The finish is ripe and juicy with rich and quite long flavors of boysenberries, plum compote, some meaty umami tones, a little bit of herbal garrigue and a hint of licorice.
A moderately rich and ripe, yet still nicely balanced and structured Bandol that seems still quite youthful, fruit-forward and primary even at 5 years of age. Although not obviously acid-driven (the fruit hides most of the acidity) and not particularly tannic (the tannins are quite substantial, but of that slowly piling-up sort) the wine still never comes across as really soft and flabby. Based on how young and structured the wine seemed, I'd say there is no hurry with this fella. Let it age for another 5 years. Nice style of pure, fruity and harmonious Bandol - great value at 16,83€.
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decanted for 2 hours, deep blood-red, feral, herbal nose; med weight; still crunchy fruits, damson plums, finishing rustic & dry. really enjoyed this with food.
Had a glass at a restaurant - agree with other reviews, needs time but I like this - some red fruit flavors, a little spice, and some barnyard.....probably not for everyone, but I enjoy this style, bet it will be really good in a few years.
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Very youthful, too early to drink really. Have sampled over 3 days and it was just as youthful on day 3. Plenty of acidity for me. Big bold palate with spice, chocolate and dark berry fruit.
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My tasting notes are inconsistent with others'. I found that this wine had the feel of merlot (thick ripe dark fruit, melted licorice, mocha). There were also hints of cured meat, herbs, and spice. Though others have noted strong tannins, I found the tannins weak and barely noticeable. Also lacking was acidity/minerality.
The mediocre structure is my main reason for rating this wine relatively low.
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Did a Bandol tasting about 15 months ago and have 2 bottles of this left from my order. Representative, but hard tannins on the finish. Not enough going on the palate to overcome. Will wait for 2017-18 to try the remaining bottle. Domaine Tempier and Chateau Pibarnon still preferred.
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Fruity scent, but also more complex tones such as leather, undergrowth. Got a rich flavor, long and rich fruit. Dark and red berries, leather and quite a rustic feel. Pretty wild tannins, showing the storage potential. Perhaps the acidity feels a bit low, but it does not matter, the tannins balance the wine. This wine is a bargain for its price , it is still young but can be stored !
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87-88+? Superbe nez mais la bouche tombe un peu à court... quoique de très bel équilibre général par ailleurs. Méritera d'être revu dans le temps. Pourrait surprendre. À revoir vers 2018-2020.
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Adding to the body of previous notes here... When tannins are subtracted theres just not enough body left. Slightly disappointed, as previous vintages were quite good value... Nose better than palate: simply a bit thin given the tannic profile
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A couple from saturday (Cleveland): $50 off the list at the Flying Fig. Fair pricing. Served slightly warm, we asked for a chiller and that helped. Purple/ruby in color. The nose has dark cherries, raspberries, spice, a bit of earthiness and even some floral notes. On the palate, a nice complexity. Deep. Black cherries and some boysenberries. Nice balance. Nice finish. Went great with polenta and grilled tofu.
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Wines At Our Table; Week of July 19th 2015; 7/13/2015-7/19/2015: Dark red violet color with baked black fruit, graphite, licorice, spice and hints of roast meat aromas. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, fresh, and expressive with a supple texture blackberry, black cherry, spice flavors and an appealing minerality. Long finish. 14.5 alcohol. Organic fruit. Mostly mourvedre with a bit of grenache and cinsault
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Doftar mörka mogna körsbär och björnbär, köttigt, jordigt, svarta oliver, violer, en nypa tallbarr och torkat gräs samt lite skitighet. Smakar mörka, mogna bär, örter och någon mörk och skitig mineralisk munkänsla. Medelsträvt+.
Faktiskt första gången jag dricker detta vin. Gott och välgjort och mycket vin för pengarna. Hade förväntat mig något mer stramhet och struktur smakmässigt. Doften är således snäppet bättre än smaken, även om den också levererar på bra nivå. 86p+
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Old World Blind Tasting >$25 (Bin 75): Medium density core with bright purple rim; high toned floral, black raspberry, violets, slight black pepper; wet leather, Brett, lighter body, leather, fresher, very little tannin; not sure, seemed too light to be from the Rhone; called 2011 Bandol.
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Powerful tannins. Taste of spices and tobacco. Not balanced enough for me. Too much tannins in the beginning. After they have calmed down a bit the wine is too thin.
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10/6/2023 - mrholmberg Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very mineral, raw meat, dark berries, dry spices. Pure pleasure, could probably hold for another ten years.
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4/10/2021 - mrholmberg wrote: 87 Points
Quite tight and powerful, not my favorite vintage of this wine. Should have kept it longer to see if it evolved.
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3/6/2021 - Krassens wrote: 88 Points
Steadfast in the soil, still harsh though tannins quite muted, very dark blue fruit, herbal, good length. Quite demanding, probably best enjoyed paired with a red meat steak.
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8/13/2020 - pigdaddy wrote: 89 Points
decanted 30 min. at nearly 8 years, still dark garnet-blue, that young mourvèdre color, edging lighter on the rim; wild plums & provencal herbs aromatics; full-bodied but not jammy; ripe mulberry, plum confit, red soil, thyme, not overly complicated but in a fine place for drinking now & over the next 5 years; a good bottle representative of place.
pan-seared pork chop; shelling beans & corn in feta-buttermilk vinaigrette
6/14/22 decanted 30 min, enjoyed for 2+ hours; young deep purple-black color of earlier examples has now become more red-blue; wild & crazy aromatics; plums & wild berries, garrigue full-on. black skin fruit is rustic, lacks complexity overall yet delivers at the table.
$20 on release, well spent.
black pepper & rosemary pork loin; arugula salad w/shaved fennel & niçoise olives
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4/29/2020 - CIAgrad86 wrote: 91 Points
Found this wine in the back.
Great garnet color
Cherry, vanilla, licorice( but read turpentine), cedar, good acid and tannins that this wine could have went a year more.
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12/15/2018 - petec-s Likes this wine: 91 Points
Big well made Bandol, sumptuous and seamless, tremendous length. Really very enjoyable.
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11/10/2018 - pernod Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep red, slightly blue edge, long quick and thin drops. Black cherry, cassis, turpentine, ripe red fruit nose. Black cherry, ribena, vanilla, tobacco oak taste. Rich fruit, sweet, mature, rounded tannins, balanced overall.
This is not a fruit bomb, though in other climes it could have been. There's plenty of tannic structure to match the sweetness and fruit. A lovely food wine that is ready to drink now but should keep for years still.
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11/25/2017 - forceberry wrote: 92 Points
Mainly composed of Mourvèdre along with some Grenache and Cinsaut. Fermented with natural yeasts over three weeks with skin maceration. Aged in 600-liter oak barrels and larger oak casks for 18-24 months. 14,5% alcohol.
Slightly translucent black cherry color with a pale raspberry red color. Fresh and slightly green-toned nose with aromas of juicy dark fruit, some licorice, a little bit of spicy red apple, light gingery character, a hint of brambly dark berries and a touch of stony minerality. Overall somewhat restrained, but nicely nuanced nose. The wine feels dry, full-bodied and somewhat densely textured on the palate with dark-toned flavors of dark sour plums, ripe mulberries, some boysenberry jam, a little bit of stony minerality and hints of garrigue and sun-baked earth. The wine is nicely structured with high-ish acidity and quite firm and grippy tannins. The finish is ripe and juicy with rich and quite long flavors of boysenberries, plum compote, some meaty umami tones, a little bit of herbal garrigue and a hint of licorice.
A moderately rich and ripe, yet still nicely balanced and structured Bandol that seems still quite youthful, fruit-forward and primary even at 5 years of age. Although not obviously acid-driven (the fruit hides most of the acidity) and not particularly tannic (the tannins are quite substantial, but of that slowly piling-up sort) the wine still never comes across as really soft and flabby. Based on how young and structured the wine seemed, I'd say there is no hurry with this fella. Let it age for another 5 years. Nice style of pure, fruity and harmonious Bandol - great value at 16,83€.
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10/23/2017 - jjvet wrote:
Donna didntnlike
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9/16/2017 - pigdaddy wrote: 88 Points
decanted for 2 hours, deep blood-red, feral, herbal nose; med weight; still crunchy fruits, damson plums, finishing rustic & dry. really enjoyed this with food.
grilled lamb loin chops, braised cranberry beans, broccoli rabe w/lemon & garlic
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1/27/2017 - mdkraft99 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Had a glass at a restaurant - agree with other reviews, needs time but I like this - some red fruit flavors, a little spice, and some barnyard.....probably not for everyone, but I enjoy this style, bet it will be really good in a few years.
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1/2/2017 - DanielOsman Likes this wine: 88 Points
Very youthful, too early to drink really. Have sampled over 3 days and it was just as youthful on day 3. Plenty of acidity for me. Big bold palate with spice, chocolate and dark berry fruit.
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6/16/2016 - tastark Likes this wine:
Still a baby. Hold off or give it a long decant. Exactly what you'd expect from Bandol Rouge.
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3/2/2016 - rmalloy wrote: 86 Points
My tasting notes are inconsistent with others'. I found that this wine had the feel of merlot (thick ripe dark fruit, melted licorice, mocha). There were also hints of cured meat, herbs, and spice. Though others have noted strong tannins, I found the tannins weak and barely noticeable. Also lacking was acidity/minerality.
The mediocre structure is my main reason for rating this wine relatively low.
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1/27/2016 - WinthropT96 wrote: 89 Points
Did a Bandol tasting about 15 months ago and have 2 bottles of this left from my order. Representative, but hard tannins on the finish. Not enough going on the palate to overcome. Will wait for 2017-18 to try the remaining bottle. Domaine Tempier and Chateau Pibarnon still preferred.
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1/22/2016 - Jonny616 Likes this wine: 88 Points
A good example of the type. Earthy leather notes. Quite dry. A structure that says keep me a while.
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12/12/2015 - tomas.planstedt@gmail.com Likes this wine: 85 Points
Kraftfullt och strävt, björnbärsdoft. Nästan ingen eftersmak.
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11/30/2015 - tlj 2014 Does not like this wine: 74 Points
To flat taste. Not much boquet
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11/21/2015 - Blauweiss Likes this wine: 89 Points
Fruity scent, but also more complex tones such as leather, undergrowth.
Got a rich flavor, long and rich fruit. Dark and red berries, leather and quite a rustic feel. Pretty wild tannins, showing the storage potential. Perhaps the acidity feels a bit low, but it does not matter, the tannins balance the wine.
This wine is a bargain for its price , it is still young but can be stored !
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11/10/2015 - kosmik Likes this wine: 88 Points
87-88+?
Superbe nez mais la bouche tombe un peu à court... quoique de très bel équilibre général par ailleurs.
Méritera d'être revu dans le temps. Pourrait surprendre.
À revoir vers 2018-2020.
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8/21/2015 - Martin_G wrote: 86 Points
Adding to the body of previous notes here... When tannins are subtracted theres just not enough body left. Slightly disappointed, as previous vintages were quite good value... Nose better than palate: simply a bit thin given the tannic profile
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7/19/2015 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 91 Points
A couple from saturday (Cleveland): $50 off the list at the Flying Fig. Fair pricing. Served slightly warm, we asked for a chiller and that helped. Purple/ruby in color. The nose has dark cherries, raspberries, spice, a bit of earthiness and even some floral notes. On the palate, a nice complexity. Deep. Black cherries and some boysenberries. Nice balance. Nice finish. Went great with polenta and grilled tofu.
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7/17/2015 - olalar wrote: 87 Points
Might improve with time
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7/14/2015 - Martin Redmond Likes this wine: 90 Points
Wines At Our Table; Week of July 19th 2015; 7/13/2015-7/19/2015: Dark red violet color with baked black fruit, graphite, licorice, spice and hints of roast meat aromas. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, fresh, and expressive with a supple texture blackberry, black cherry, spice flavors and an appealing minerality. Long finish. 14.5 alcohol. Organic fruit. Mostly mourvedre with a bit of grenache and cinsault
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5/4/2015 - Gurto wrote: 86 Points
Doftar mörka mogna körsbär och björnbär, köttigt, jordigt, svarta oliver, violer, en nypa tallbarr och torkat gräs samt lite skitighet.
Smakar mörka, mogna bär, örter och någon mörk och skitig mineralisk munkänsla. Medelsträvt+.
Faktiskt första gången jag dricker detta vin. Gott och välgjort och mycket vin för pengarna. Hade förväntat mig något mer stramhet och struktur smakmässigt. Doften är således snäppet bättre än smaken, även om den också levererar på bra nivå. 86p+
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5/2/2015 - Rezy13 wrote:
Old World Blind Tasting >$25 (Bin 75): Medium density core with bright purple rim; high toned floral, black raspberry, violets, slight black pepper; wet leather, Brett, lighter body, leather, fresher, very little tannin; not sure, seemed too light to be from the Rhone; called 2011 Bandol.
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3/31/2015 - StefanAkiko wrote: 85 Points
Not at all as impressive as my favourite from them: the 2010.
Tannic, young-fruity wine with a pronounced aroma of Blueberry Soup. Not completely balanced and lacking in complexity.
At home w/LM.
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2/6/2015 - Zuba Likes this wine: 89 Points
This wine surprises me every time. So much wine for the buck. Really powerful yet elegant.
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1/30/2015 - Livermore wrote: 84 Points
Powerful tannins. Taste of spices and tobacco. Not balanced enough for me. Too much tannins in the beginning. After they have calmed down a bit the wine is too thin.
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11/16/2014 - Mad Dog Mikey wrote: 87 Points
Juicy! Nice qpr.
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10/13/2014 - dalemosier Likes this wine: 89 Points
nice full bodied, but not overly heavy. Good for drinking and with meal.
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6/13/2014 - skinut Likes this wine: 89 Points
Refreshing, tart, dry. Light strawberry on the nose, mildly complex on the nose and palate. Great on a hot summer night.
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