Thunder storms have just ended a heat wave culminating in temperatures here near the mid-30sC. So rosé was on the table for the last two days.
Bandol is one of my favourite appellations for pink (its reds too!). Château Vannières used to be a reliable leading estate in the 90s and early 00s but seems to have fallen off the radar screens which I use. The RVF removed its star in the guide 2011 on the grounds of too much wood (in the reds not in the pinks, I think) and since then it has disappeared entirely. According to the estates website, the rosé is made from Mourvèdre (as little as 60% in 2024), Cinsault and Grenache.
2023 Château Vannières Bandol Rosé - France, Provence, Bandol (30/06/2025)
I've have just checked my TNs on past vintages of Vannières rosé and the 2012 at about 4 years of age was showing lovely fruit and minerals together with the sort of extra depth, flesh and structure which one expects from Bandol. This 2023 showed salmon tints so pale than I could have mistaken it for an orange orientated white and its body was lighter with less depth than the 4 year old 2012 or of the one year old 2022, I think. It was, however, refreshingly mineral, sharply focussed and quite refined and will maybe develop more Bandol type complexity with a little more time. Good already.
Next came a rosé of theoretically more modest origin.
2024 Estandon Vignerons Côteaux Varois Lumière - France, Provence, Côteaux Varois (01/07/2025)
This pale salmon coloured pink is made from Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah. It shows fruit with a light touch of grapefruit and slightly confectionery type overlaying aromas, together with fresh acidity and grip. Enjoyable and refreshing wine but nothing exciting.
Posted from CellarTracker