Bandol Rouge Château de Pibarnon 2006 (R)

Pibarnon's greatness owes much to the passion of Comte de Saint Victor who bought the property when he fell in love with its wine on holiday and subsequently restored both the 13th century basted (a Provençal country house) and the vineyards, which were in disarray. The hill upon which the vineyard plots are located is something of a geographical oddity, in that they contain Triassic limestone, which is completely different to the granite and other soils of the region. This, together with the altitude of Pibarnon's vineyards (at 300m) explains the elegance and aromatic finesse of the wines. The Mourvèdre vines are protected from the fierce Mistral by the semi-circular amphitheatre of terraces.

Initially, Pibarnon is vibrant with stone-fruit, blackberry and violet aromas, but subsequently evolves into sophisticated secondary aromas of tobacco, leather, pine and dried fruits.