Wines from Provence -- Peyrassol, Pradeaux/Portalis, Saint-Andrée de Figuière/Figuière, Saint-Andrieu

(Originally published 30 July 2018.)

All wines below are red, except as otherwise noted.


Château de PEYRASSOL

2017 Côtes de Provence rosé
There’s some peach here, but also more red fruit and floral elements. The wine is medium-weight and dense, but perhaps not as refreshing as the 2016. 12.5% stated alcohol.  88/A

2017 Côtes de Provence    Cuvée de la Commanderie   rosé
I don’t know what happened here, but this wine is underwhleming, to say the least. It has popsicle-like red fruits, low acidity (bordering on deficient), and no penetration or energy. It is not refreshing (i.e., not what you want to drink in hot weather). 12.5% stated alcohol.  83/F

2017 Côtes de Provence   Château Peyrasssol   rosé
This is more like it. The wine has peach fruit with good underlying acidity and a light body with good nervosity. It is refreshing. 12.5% stated alcohol. 88/A



Château PRADEAUX/Héritiers du Comtes PORTALIS

2016 Bandol  rosé
Pradeaux’s rosé is made 80% from Mourvèdre, 20% from Cinsault, and the wine is all or mostly direct pressing (as opposed to juice from bleeding of the vats). The wine is medium-weight and intense and nervy with strawberry fruit and roses. It’s excellent for current drinking. 90/A

Pradeaux has abandoned its “Longue Garde” cuvée, so the Bandol is the wine to get if you are interested in stocking your cellar for future decades. For earlier drinking, there is Les Lys de Château Pradeaux, made from younger vines, with a little destemming, and less aging prior to bottling. The estate recommends Les Lys for the first ten years after the vintage, then the regular Bandol.

2012 Bandol   Les Lys de Château Pradeaux
Although still showing some tannins, this wine is smooth with fruit showing. It is broad and structured, but there is also finesse here. 88(+)/B

2011 Bandol   Le Lys de Château Pradeaux
From a great Bandol vintage, this wine is round, smooth, dark in fruit, has some iodide, and is dense, long, and harmonious. 91/A-

2012 Bandol
This wine is 95% from Mourvèdre, all whole clusters. There’s still tannin here, but one can already approach the wine. In this long with dark fruit and some smoothness of texture. 88+/B

2011 Bandol
From a truly great Bandol vintage, this wine still needs time, but its outstanding quality already shows through. The wine is long and deep with penetrating, animal dark fruits.  93+/A

2010 Bandol
Typical of Pradeaux, there’s a ton of tannin here — I don’t expect this wine to be drinking near its peak for another 5-10 years, at least, but one can already appreciate the deep, dark, chalky, earthy Mourvèdre fruit. Lot L1. 14.5% stated alcohol.  92/A



SAINT-ANDRÉ DE FIGUIÈRE/Famille COMBARD
With the very small 2017 vintage, some wines were made from bought-in grapes or wine. They are labelled Figuière instead of St-André de Figuière and identified by an asterisk (*) below.

2016 Côtes de Provence    Rosalie     rosé
This most-attractive rosé has freshness, liveliness, and good acidity to go with its strawberry and peach fruits in a medium-weight body. Certified organic. 12.5% stated alcohol. 89/A

2017 Côtes de Provence*   Rosalie   rosé
It has lovely peach and strawberry fruit with good supporting acidity and perhaps more lightness than the 2016. Certified organic. 13% stated alcohol.  88/A

2017 Côtes de Provence*   Magali   rosé
Similar to the Rosalie above (I did not taste them side-by-side), this has peach and strawberry fruit, perhaps a little more richness, and nice underlying acidity. 12.5% stated alcohol. 88/A

2017 Méditerrannée*    Le Saint André  rosé
This wine is soft and floral, but with some underlying acidity. It’s good for sipping on a hot day, but doesn’t provide real depth or precision. 85/C



Domaine SAINT-ANDRIEU

The owners are the Bignon-Cordier family, same owners as Bordeaux’s Château Talbot in Saint-Julien.

2017 Côtes de Provence   rosé
A medium-light, rather standard rosé with some grip and imprecise strawberry fruit. Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah in this wine. 13% stated alcohol.  85/C

2017 Coteaux du Var Provence   l’Oratoire   rosé
 In contrast to the Côtes de Provence from this producer, this wine is quite good with its focused peach and strawberry fruit in medium-weight, smooth body. 13.0% stated alcohol.  89/A