Château de Pibarnon

Holiday on the Côte d’Azur? In the Sun? You've got to be joking!

I have to admit that, when the idea of going to Provence for a holiday was first put forward by the wife last summer, I was somewhat disappointed. If we're going to France I thought, why can't it be Bordeaux, or Bourgogne, or the Rhône, or even somewhere in the up-and-coming Languedoc-Roussillon region - anywhere but the Côte d’Azur. As a newly enamoured wine-buff I was looking for some serious red-wine action to sink my teeth into. But Provence? What's there? Nothing but dodgy Rosés - or so I thought. However the God of Serendipity must have heard my calls, because just as I was trying to convince the family to abandon a guaranteed week in the September sun on the coast (see above) in favour of a week's traipsing around the damp vineyards further north, a miracle happened. The latest issue of Decanter popped into my letterbox with – wait for it - nothing less than a full-length travel feature on or proposed destination, complete with maps and recommended tours. I was saved. So Provence – and more specifically the tiny AOC of Bandol – it was.

The Delights of Bandol

As it turned out the holiday home in Le Lavandou was perfect. OK, Le Lavandou itself, nestled on the coast half-way between Saint-Tropez and Toulon, isn't much to write home about, but then again the ridiculously picturesque village of Bormes-les-Mimosas is only a stone's throw away, and the tiny port of Bandol (my ultimate destination) was only an hour's drive along a coastal road. As I said, perfect. So abandoning family and friends to spend another day on the beach playing racquetball and netting jellyfish, I set off in my cheap hire car with a selection of CDs and a credit card burning a hole in my pocket for the coastal road.

The AOC of Bandol stretches (if that’s the right word for such a small appellation) out from behind the port of Bandol and rises up the steeply inclining hills towards the village of La Cadière d’Azur, which is the appellation's real focal point. From here, none of the major vineyards are more than a short drive in any direction - in other words small enough to explore in a day trip.


Even in September the temperatures in Bandol are hot (see above), so the main grape varietals grown here reflect this and tend to be thick-skinned, such as Mourvèrde, Grenache and Cinsaut – all of which are used further north in Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines. The climate, though warm, is cooled by the proximity of the Mediterranean Sea during the night and sheltered by the mountains to the north during the day. It's not only the grapes who like it here - its also perfect driving country. After a fantastic lunch at the Michelin-stared Hostellerie Bérard (complete with panoramic hilltop views of the landscape to be explored), I decide to set off towards my chosen destination: Château de Pibarnon, by all accounts Bandol’s finest vineyard.

Château de Pibarnon

The road to Pibarnon is long and winding, and at the end becomes little more than a steep dusty climb up a pot-holed dirt track. But the challenge is worth it. The Château itself is beautifully situated, breath-taking in fact. It’s the kind of place you dream about living in yourself. As this is my first adventure of its kind, I’m a little nervous about going in and trying out the wines. Will they expose me for the rank amateur that I am? And what about that whole language issue? Will our “conversation” about the wines be comprised of nothing more than a few winks and nods?

In the end, I needn’t have worried. The chap who came to the door couldn’t have been more gracious, nor his English more perfect. In fact when I started to press him on a few points about the wine I was tasting, he smiled and went back behind a curtain to fetch some other vintages. The wines were spectacular, some of the best I’ve tasted in fact – at least so far. It didn’t take much convincing to buy a case on my way out the door. Smart move, I thought. But as ever I was wrong. It turned out to be a real struggle to get all twelve bottles packed up in the kids’ hand luggage for the plane trip home. When I was finally able to unpack them in my cellar, I checked Systembolaget’s (Sweden’s appalling state-controlled monopoly on booze) website out of mild curiosity. Did they have any Pibarnon? The result of my search? They not only had the same bottles, of the same vintage, they were also the same price. Bugger!

The Wines

First, the reds: while the 2002 had opened up into a wonderfully complex nose, the 2004 was still "closed” and needing a little more time in the bottle - both however tasted great. Sadly there was no Rosé left to be had, but the white from 2005 was almost as equally as impressive as the reds. As per the rules of the Bandol appellation, none of the grapes are machine harvested and they need to spend at least 18 months maturing in cask. I gave everything I tasted a uniform 8/10. At home the red from 2002 opened up even more after some time in the glass, suggesting that either it needs some serious decanting next time or would enjoy even more time down in my cellar. Make no mistake - these wines are as good as some of their more exorbitantly priced cousins in Bordeaux. With heavyweight advocates such as Jancis Robinson and Tom Stevenson pushing them, I’m in no bad company either. Buy them!

Next Week: Is the taste of a 50 YO, 170 quid bottle of whisky really worth the investment?