Description
Château Pradeaux, “Vesprée” Bandol Rosé
This is the time of year when shipping containers, retail stores, restaurants, and our dinner tables are all packed with rosé wine. Most of the conversation around rosé centers on seasonality, affordability, and fun—all good things, of course, although that often means treating rosé more like an “alcoholic beverage” (like White Claw or Zima) than a wine. We, of course, prefer rosés with a true sense of place and identifiable “vinosity,” regardless of price point. The first place we look? Provence.
Rosé isn’t just a cash-flow wine here, it’s a way of life, especially in the appellation of Bandol, where rosé represents the majority of the region’s production and they are widely considered to be the world’s best. At this point, Bandol’s iconic Château Pradeaux needs no introduction, but this small production bottling, “Vesprée,” demands the brightest possible spotlight: I’ve said repeatedly that Bandol rosés from the likes of Pradeaux are much better in their “second spring”—as in, with a year-plus of bottle age—but today’s 2019 is truly something else. Vesprée is a wine that proves beyond any doubt that rosé can be a compelling, complex wine that is capable of extended aging. Sure, you can drink it now, with great pleasure, but you could also lay it down and be stunned by its graceful evolution many years down the line. Aged for a year in a mix of large barrels and concrete eggs before bottling, this Mourvèdre-based rosé is truly in a class by itself, not one to get lost in the mass of poolside sippers. Give it some great food, a special occasion, and it will take you someplace you might never have been before.
The word vesprée is described by Pradeaux’s importer as “a somewhat untranslatable French term referring to the deep pinkish hue of a clear sky as day fades to night.” That’s enough for me right there, frankly, but of course Pradeaux is one of the brightest stars in the Bandol Rosé constellation, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Domaine Tempier and Château Pibarnon. The Pradeaux estate is located just outside of the coastal village of Saint Cyr-sur-Mer, a coastal village between Toulon and Marseille that greets sun-hungry visitors year-round. The Portalis family has owned the estate since the French Revolution, in which the family actually holds some direct ties (Jean-Marie-Etienne Portalis actually helped draft the Napoleonic Code). However, the Revolution and bouts of phylloxera left the vineyards distraught for most of the 19th century, though were revived by mother-daughter duo Suzanne and Arlette Portalis during the second World War. Today, Cyrille Portalis, the single descendant of the two, carries on the family legacy alongside his wife Magali. He is now joined by his two sons, Etienne and Edouard.
Cyrille and sons farm all the family’s vineyards following organic methods. Rather than using harsh chemicals, they allow sheep to graze the vineyards to provide natural compost. Like most estates in Bandol, the vineyards are predominantly planted to old-vine Mourvèdre, the backbone of the majority of regional reds and rosés. Pradeaux’s wines are spontaneously fermented and aged in a combination of old oak foudres and concrete eggs, and are bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Vesprée is distinguished from Pradeaux’s flagship rosé bottling in two ways: First, it is a showcase for the estate’s prized old-vine Mourvedre (and Cinsault) and all the aromatic intrigue it delivers. Second, it’s aged six months longer than the ‘straight’ Bandol Rosé, spending a full year in a combination of foudres and concrete tanks. Right out of the gate you’ll see that this is no ordinary rosé: The color is deep and downright kaleidoscopic, and yet very much in that classic salmon-pink range that characterizes Bandol. Hauntingly complex aromatics of strawberry, melon rind, quince paste, warm spice, and a touch of lees lead to an expansive, richly textured palate laden with flavors of raspberry blossom, watermelon rind, and preserved red fruit. The wine’s weightiness remains balanced by its delicate, mineral component and ample amounts of acidity. This isn’t’ your average pool wine; this is a wine that screams for a meal to really shine. I’d recommend pairing it with grilled king salmon, bouillabaisse, or a cheese and charcuterie spread with paté. Best enjoyed out of a large Bordeaux or Burgundy stem around 50 degrees Fahrenheit after a brief decant.
Above all, it’s imperative to note that although the wine can be consumed young, the greatest rosés of the world really hit their finest points from 3, 5, to 10 years after their vintage if kept in a cold and dark cellar. Wines like this one are purposefully released late (1.5 years in this instance) for this reason, as they gain complexity with time. For those looking for the pinnacle of rosé, this is your wine. Cheers!
