Red wine. Provence, France. Organic. 93% Mourvèdre, 7% Grenache. "The 2017 Bandol from La Bastide Blanche is composed of a blend of seventy-two percent mourvèdre, twenty percent grenache, six percent cinsault and one percent each of syrah and carignan. It is a ripe wine, tipping the scales at 14.5 percent alcohol, but offering up good purity on the nose of sweet dark berries, woodsmoke, a fine base of soil, a touch of tree bark and a gentle topnote of garrigue. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and still quite primary, with excellent depth at the core, ripe, well-integrated tannins and fine focus and grip on the long and youthful finish. This is still several years away from starting to drink well and show its inherent complexity, but it will be excellent in the fullness of time. Despite its octane, it is completely cool on the backend." — 92 Points, John Gilman, View From The Cellar #83 (September/October 2019)