LA BASTIDE BLANCHE BANDOL ROSE - 2023
“Seek out the Château La Mascaronne Rosé, Château Gassier’s 946 and the Bandol Rosé from La Bastide Blanche, all three are deeply refined, mineral-driven and finessed.”
A number of you have been asking for my pick for Bandol rosé. I’ve been gearing up to offer my preference and then voilà, Vinous Media published a new article on 2023 rosés. The timing couldn’t be better!
La Bastide Blanche Bandol Rose is one of the best on the market! It's round, rich and full bodied without being heavy. It has beautiful balance, freshness and seabreeze minerality for days!
Put at least 2 in the fridge, because when the first one magically disappears, like it was a 375ml bottle, you are going to want to make sure you have another one ready to go!
The 2023 Rosé is deep, complex and layered, with ripe nectarine, rose garden and sweet cherry fruit notes. Beautifully expressive and floral on the nose, savory, salty mineral tones meet red berry freshness and an undercurrent of spice in the mouth. A touch of almond bitterness grabs at the edges of the tongue toward the close, striking great harmony with a rounded sweetness. Bravo. Worth Seeking Out.
~ Vinous Media, 92
STORY
If you seek a balance of tradition and innovation in a bottle, the 2023 La Bastide Blanche Bandol Rosé stands as a shining testament to the passion and craft of the Bronzo family and their winemaker, Stéphane Bourret. Rooted in the storied terroir of Bandol in southeastern France, the estate is a testament to the vision and
tireless efforts of Michel and Louis Bronzo, who first acquired the Bastide Blanche property in the 1970s. The Bandol appellation, known for its spicy and potent Mourvèdre wines, has witnessed this vineyard's rise as a true bastion of quality.
The Bastide Blanche journey began in the early 1970s, when the Bronzo brothers set out to produce wines of a caliber to rival those of more famous appellations, like Châteauneuf. After nearly two decades of meticulous labor, the fruits of their efforts bloomed in the benchmark year of 1993, propelling Bastide Blanche - and the Bandol region - into the constellation of top French wine producers.
Adhering to organic practices since 2012, Bastide Blanche ensures the utmost quality by hand-harvesting all their grapes. This intricate method allows for precise sorting during harvest, safeguarding the integrity of the fruit as it journeys to the cellar. The blend is dominated by Mourvèdre, which is the prominent varietal of any of the Bandol Roses, rounded off with nearly equal parts Cinsault and Grenache. The grapes are grown in clay-limestone soil strewn with pebbles, limiting the yield to approximately 36hL/ha.
A delicate dance of direct pressing and 24-hour maceration of the grapes
follows, leading to the creation of a versatile and complex rosé. Raised in tanks
for 4 to 10 months before bottling, the result is a wine with an impressive depth
of character, ideal for pairing with Provençal fare.
