Leon Stolarski Fine Wines Chateau Pradeaux - Bandol

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Online Wine Shop > Wines by grower - alphabetical > Chateau Pradeaux - Bandol

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Chateau Pradeaux

Château Pradeaux

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We first visited Chateau Pradeaux in 2007 and were mightily impressed, both with the wines and with the estate itself. Since that visit, Pradeaux had featured very high on the list of growers I wanted to have in our portfolio. And finally, here they are. Chateau Pradeaux is one of the oldest and most traditional wine estates in Bandol (which is itself one of the oldest appellations in France) and has been in the ownership of the Portalis family for many generations. The wines here are for the purist, rather than the modernist – and made from virtually all Mourvedre (for the reds, especially). The grapes are not de-stemmed and the wine is aged in large, very old oak foudres, rather than newer barrels. So if you are looking for modern, oaky fruit bombs, you are looking in the wrong place. For these are sturdy wines, offering a combination of power and elegance and a strong tannic backbone – wines to age and to be enjoyed with food. The rosé is quite simply world class – and is also capable of ageing for up to 10 years.

Chateau Pradeaux Rosé 2010 Bandol
Chateau Pradeaux Rosé 2010

Vintage	2010
Region	Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer, between Marseilles and Toulon
Colour/Style	Dry rosé - medium-full bodied
Grapes	55% Mourvedre, 45% Cinsault
Alcohol (a.b.v)	12.5%
Food	Light meat or fish dishes, game, sautéed vegetable dishes
Next day	Still excellent
Drink	Now, or over the next 5 to 8 years
As always with Pradeaux Rosé, this has the most exquisite, ultra-pale onion skin/blood orange colour – really beautiful to look at. It is a vin de pressurage, meaning that it is made from a direct pressing of the grapes, rather than the usual saignée (free-run juice) method. The nose has aromas of wild strawberry, redcurrant and pale peach, along with some delightful notes of rose petals, forest floor, hedgerow and garrigue - it really is an elegant, subtle, yet considerably complex wine. There's just a hint of creaminess, which also manifests itself on the palate, with a combination of delicate red fruits and citrus and a light herbiness. There's ample acidity and a mineral streak which, combined with just the right amount of grape tannin, makes for a pretty serious, yet beautifully rounded wine, which develops beautifully over a period of several hours in the decanter. This is a wine that tends towards elegance, rather than power, yet it has a very impressive finish, with tangy, zesty, herby, lightly spicy flavours lingering long on the finish. One of the world's great rosés.

Price: £17.50 (Including: VAT at 20%)

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Le Lys de Chateau Pradeaux 2006 Bandol
LeLysdeChateauPradeaux2006

Vintage	2006
Region	Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer, between Marseilles and Toulon
Colour/Style	Dry red, full bodied. Aged 4 years in old oak foudres
Grapes	90% Mourvedre, 10% Grenache
Alcohol (a.b.v)	13.0%
Food	Beef, lamb, Toulouse sausages, mushroom risotto
Next day	Best consumed on the night
Drink	Can be drunk now, but will evolve for 8 to 10 years
Although this wine is made from vines aged between 20 and 30 years old and is effectively the "second wine" of Pradeaux (the vines used for Chateau Pradeaux are 35-plus years old) it is very similar to the grand vin in both aromatic profile and structure. Iodine, polished old leather, meat and garrigue herbs are prevalent on the nose, whilst the palate is very definitely old-school Bandol - plenty of black fruit flavours, laden with herbs and spices, but with a firm tannic backbone and a tight, earthy, minerally structure. Of course, it also possesses typical southern warmth and generosity, making it really rather nice to drink already, especially with food - we paired it with some Toulouse sausages and a herby, garlicy tomato sauce, and it was a wonderful match. It is a lovely wine, and an excellent introduction to top-notch estate Bandol, at a price that won't break the bank.

Price: £16.75 (Including: VAT at 20%)

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Chateau Pradeaux 2004 Bandol
Chateau Pradeaux 2004 table

Vintage	2004
Region	Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer, between Marseilles and Toulon
Colour/Style	Dry red, full bodied. Aged 4 years in old oak foudres
Grapes	95% Mourvedre, 5% Grenache
Alcohol (a.b.v)	13.5%
Food	Game, beef, lamb, mushroom risotto
Next day	Best consumed on the night
Drink	Can be drunk now, but will evolve for another 5-10 years
This one is from a more typical vintage than the 2001. Deepish blood red in colour, semi-transluscent. On opening, there is a whiff of farmyard, which quickly dissipates to reveal some quite Chateauneuf-like aromas of red and black fruits, garrigue herbs and red meat. Along with further notes of undergrowth, crystallised fruits, vanilla, sandalwood and leather, this is pretty complex and alluring stuff. The palate is packed full of fruit, although - having been bottled only in 2009 after over four years in large (old) oak foudres - the tannins need time to soften. Then again, the tannins are more than offset by a herby, mineral quality and fabulous acidity. In other words, a beautifully balanced and fresh wine. Again, this can be drunk now, but needs hearty food. This is excellent, traditional Bandol which needs a year or two more to really get into its stride, and will be perfect after a few more years of ageing. Tasting note by The Wine Gang - April 2010 "Mourvèdre with just 5% Grenache, this wine was aged for four years in old oak foudres (huge barrels). The nose is rustic and traditional, the aromas of sweet, damp earth, vegetation and meatiness rather than anything overtly fruity. There's a refined sandalwood note too. On the palate this comes together beautifully: it has a core of svelte black fruit wrapped in those smoky, meaty and vanillin flavours, the tannins surprisingly refined and the balance excellent. Powerful stuff with serious cellaring potential (10 years plus). 93/100"

Price: £20.95 (Including: VAT at 20%)

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Chateau Pradeaux 2006 Bandol
Chateau Pradeaux 2006

Vintage	2006
Region	Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer, between Marseilles and Toulon
Colour/Style	Dry red, full bodied. Aged 4 years in old oak foudres
Grapes	95% Mourvedre, 5% Grenache
Alcohol (a.b.v)	13.5%
Food	Game, beef, lamb, mushroom risotto
Next day	Best consumed on the night
Drink	Can be drunk now, but will evolve for another 8 to 10 years
The nose is considerably complex and intensely aromatic, with notes of tobacco, incense, cinnamon, clove, orange peel and damp earth, allied to bramble and cherry fruits and just a hint of eau de vie. As one of the oldest and most traditional estates in Bandol, its wines have always been fiercely traditional too - and one of the criticisms in the past has been that the tannins can sometimes outlast the fruit. But with recent vintages, I detect a slight shift in that approach, for whilst still possessing a firm backbone of tannin, the wines are seemingly more approachable in their youth. And the 2006 is a classic example, with a core of ripe bramble and sour cherry fruit that is more than a match for those tannins. There is plenty of grip, of course, but plenty of fruit to go with it, not to mention a delicious layer of juicy acidity and a whole host of savoury, gently spicy elements, in a wine that shows a remarkable degree of elegance and complexity, even at this relatively young stage. I'd say you can drink it now, or hold for another 8 to 10 years. A fabulous wine, from a famous old estate which is back to top form.

Price: £21.95 (Including: VAT at 20%)

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Minimum order value, delivery charges, times and restrictions

We deliver only to UK and Northern Ireland addresses. The minimum order value is £75 (plus the delivery charge). You may of course choose a mix of any wines in our range. Orders between £75 and £200: delivery charge is £7.50. Orders over £200: delivery is free! (If your order is over £200, please remember to change the delivery charge in checkout to £0.00). Please note: Delivery to non-mainland addresses (Scottish Highlands and Islands, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, etc.) is usually possible, but may not be on a next-working-day basis. It is also more expensive than delivery to mainland addresses, so will be charged at cost (for orders under £200) but with a small discount for orders over £200 - please call us for a quote.

Warning - you must be aged 18 or over

It is an offence to purchase or attempt to purchase alcohol if you are under the age of 18. (Section 149 Licensing Act 2003).We reserve the right to seek proof of age. Leon Stolarski says "drink less, but drink better!" Please consume alcohol in moderation.