At Pibarnon, December 2022

This year, we took a little trip around the world during the grape harvest... The team was made up of many different nationalities, sometimes from countries in great difficulty. An Iranian, two Syrians, a Chechen, two Afghans, a Romanian, a Nigerian, a Scotsman, and of course some French people, including my two daughters, Pauline and Blanche. Rarely has a group worked here in such harmony, with such a wealth of cultures and languages, with such joyful connivance. It was incredible to have these people, often in precarious situations, around us, spreading their energy and humour during working hours. They were beautiful because they were smiling. A great lesson for us.

This special atmosphere has helped us a great deal for these new 2022 vinifications, which are the result of a somewhat capricious climate that has sometimes gone to extremes. Cumulative rainfall up to the end of December was very respectable (580 mm). But considering some light rainfall, the vines still endured just over 7 months of drought. Spring is fairly short, and summer begins in the early days of May, although fortunately without excessive heat. Eric, the vineyard manager, and his team fine-tune the plots one by one, observing, intervening as little as possible, taking care of the soil as much as the vines, to give them the autonomy and balance they need to produce fine grapes in this dry year. The health of the vines is perfect, as you'd expect, and we were saved by a minor miracle on 16 August, when a thunderstorm dumped more than 60 mm of rain. Phew. The vines are benefiting, and so are we, and it's with only a few grapes damaged by a small hail (which came with the storm) that we'll soon be starting the harvest with this incredible team.

The winemaking process is like a book (but without the science!), with magnificent microbial purity, with the estate's yeasts immediately occupying the environment. Fermentation progresses slowly, until the sugars run out. The wines are refined, concentrated and built up thanks to our little worker yeasts, whose action is complemented by our small interventions: a pumping over here and there, a daily punching down for each vat of red wine (thanks to Charles, who came to help out, taking the punching down for me after I twisted my back...). Marie orchestrates all this and, of course, we monitor temperatures morning and night, we taste, we re-taste, we guide, we decide, we orientate...

Making wine means making choices all the time. A great wine is a sum of small decisions, none of which is really important, but all of which lead to excellence. It starts very early in the vineyard, of course. Eric always takes the time to reflect, to observe, to act little but well. Then during the harvest (ah... deciding on the best day for each plot is always a source of stress and discussion), and of course during vinification and ageing. Later, in the cellar, time has little hold and, even if we mustn't drown in it, it's a grace to be able to let it stretch,
while oxygen, ageing, the many opportune microdecisions and their positive accumulation will lead each wine towards the purest expression of the vintage in harmony with our terroir and our palate.

The wines of the 2022 vintage are very promising: fine, vibrant, full of vitality and energy. Finesse, amplitude and harmony are the hallmarks of their personality. You know how hard we try to make wines that are free of excess, pure and straightforward, while retaining their hedonism and irresistible appeal. The white and rosé 2022 will be available in late spring, and the red later, after maturing, from September 2024/2025.

We are in the process of finalising our new website . Less nebulous, clearer, new photos and much easier navigation. The online vault will work just as well as before, so don't hesitate to give us your feedback, and we hope you like it! It should be online in early 2023. Until then, you can always log on to the current site via the ‘Keys to the cellar’ tab.

As for the press, we had a good harvest, as we did last year.

• To begin with, the Guide Hachette has given us a ‘coup de coeur’ for the 3rd consecutive time, rewarding the 2019 Red.
• For its part, the RVF (H.S. Nov 2022) devotes a fine article to spirits and digestifs, in which the Marc 1997 (24 years of ageing) is described by Alexandre Vingtier as ‘Spectacular, this de-stemmed mourvèdre marc has nothing to envy the greatest names.
• far from it!'
• Last but not least, in addition to the fine papers published over the months, Château de Pibarnon has been awarded the highest mark in the Bettane-Desseauve Guide with 5****: ‘Tout est grand’.

Far be it from us to sycophant, but simply to keep you abreast of these sensational comments which honour us and give us wings...

Given the current conditions for the production of raw materials, the cost of energy, waste and the cost in CO2, we're thinking about the idea of a set of instructions. Collection centres are being set up in the Var, and we may soon be able to introduce a deposit on some of our bottles. Recovering glass en masse does, of course, avoid drawing on silica reserves, but is still very energy-intensive. The deposit only ‘costs’ the washing and repackaging of the bottles, and it appears that a single bottle could be reused up to 50 times. To be continued...

THEY ARE AVAILABLE :

• Restanques de Pibarnon 2018 is the perfect complement to the Château Rouge. This wine, from a different, more traditional Bandol terroir, is undoubtedly more accessible, more spherical and more hedonistic than its big brother. With its distinctive southern accent and aromas of garrigue, spices and black fruit, it is perfect for ‘canaille’ dishes, roasts and other juicy, juicy offal.
• The Château Rouge 2018 is majestic, complex, delicate, tasty, full-bodied and long on the palate. This is one of the great classics of the Domaine, to be opened for another year, then cellared.
• The 2019 Rouge du Château is incredibly precise (I just served it in Jeroboam a few days ago). Its fabric is worthy of a great couturier, its aromas bewitching, its style ‘bewitching’ (Guide Hachette). My feeling is that this is a great wine. I can only tell you to put a few bottles aside, while there are still some left, well before the end of 2023.
• The Château Rouge 2020 is a model of balance on the palate, fresh, full-bodied and silky. He's still quite young, but already his audacity is palpable, his desire for openness tangible. Its finish, marked by a subtle return to liquorice, is a clear indication of its origin and harmonious development.
• Rosé 2021 is currently seeing the Mourvèdre grape variety come into its own, becoming more crystalline, sapid and sappy. Its elegant, floral, fruity and spicy aromas become more complex. He is ready to face the next 5 years with great energy.
• The 2019 Rosé Nuances has been on show since June. Full-bodied, subtle, long and unexpected, this is a rosé out of the ordinary, a rosé for fine dining as much as a rosé for meditation.
• Blanc 2021 remains crystal-clear, as brilliant as on its first day. A bright, salivating wine, refreshing and unambiguous. There are still a few bottles of this wine from our north-facing slopes, the perfect partner for some of our fishermen's finest catches.
• Finally, I'd still like to talk about the 2012 Henri-Cath cuvée, whose origin and birth I recently revealed to you. Patiently hidden for over 10 years in the cellar, this wine reveals its fine, mysterious secondary bouquets of rare spices and wild berries. As an M.O.F. sommelier whispered to me a few days ago: ‘I didn't know they made Pinot in Bandol’... That's how much its nature and personality elevate it to near-Olympian heights. For the record, 999 magnums were available for bottling.
• You'll also find a number of vintages in the ‘Vinothèque’, selected as a team following a series of vertical tastings. This page is too short to go into them all in detail, so don't hesitate to contact us for advice.

The end of the year is fast approaching. The end of the year is fast approaching. Last year, I almost invited myself to your table; this year, I'll leave you to enjoy these nectars amongst yourselves. If, in the meantime, you come to the Domaine, or later, we'll be delighted to welcome you (by appointment, it's better organised).

Until then, I wish you an excellent 2023 and a thousand opportunities to get drunk on fine words, conversations and uplifting wine.
Kindest regards,

Dear Friends of Pibarnon,