Château de Pibarnon - Les Restanques de Pibarnon 2011

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Slightly saline, sanguine, fine, complex, this is an elegant Bandol.

About the domain :

Château de Pibarnon is an 18th-century bastide set 300 meters above sea level in a vast amphitheater facing the sea, on a hill where the old optical telegraph linking Toulon to Paris once stood. From here, you can overlook the entire vineyard and even the villages of La Cadière and Le Castellet. It was this extraordinary view that Henri and Catherine de Saint-Victor fell in love with nearly 30 years ago. The terroir, absolutely unique, could constitute an appellation in itself, as the soil is very special, composed of a high proportion of limestone from the Trias, a geological peculiarity to which is added the presence of blue marl found in the terroirs of Petrus and Château d'Yquem. The 45-hectare estate, today managed with talent by Éric de Saint-Victor, produces mainly red wines from the Mourvèdre grape variety.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the domain :

In 1978, the de Saint-Victor family (now Éric) acquired a foothold on this Bandolais land, which they farm using uncertified organic methods. After numerous expansions, the estate now boasts 50 hectares of vines planted on terraces at an altitude of 300 m, forming a south-east-facing cirque. An essential reference in the Bandol appellation.

Guide des Vins Gault & Millau

About the wine:

Fleshy, fruity, full-bodied, the notes are like macerated in eau de vie, the water of happiness, but for once and for the moment, the second wine is more closed than its big brother, the change is coming soon.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

The 2011 Bandol Les Restanques de Pibarnon shows just how elegant and pure wines from this region can be. Blackberry, spice and notes of crushed flowers are all present in this medium-bodied 2011, fine in style and superb in balance, with fine tannins and a great finish. It will impress for the next 7-10 years.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the domain :

Henri de Saint-Victor founded Château de Pibarnon in 1978, making it one of Bandol's most emblematic estates in just a few decades (along with Tempier and Pradeaux). His son Éric has been at the helm of the estate since 2000, cultivating 50 ha of vines (45 ha of reds and 5 ha of whites) on the limestone terroirs of La Cadière-d'Azur. He produces two reds: Le Château (90% Mouvèdre and 10% Grenache), designed for ageing, and Les Restanques, a younger wine, made from young vines with only 70% Mouvèdre and 30% Grenache. Despite a few irregularities during the 2000s, the reds, a good spokesperson for Bandol wines and their ageing potential, have been back to their best since 2010. In recent vintages, Eric de Saint-Victor's selection of parcels at the heart of his terroir has given flesh and breadth to reds with a silky, concentrated character and a highly civilized balance between wood and fruit expression.