CHÂTEAU CANADEL | Bandol | 2020
mourvèdre | cinsault | grenache

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Today we are going to review a genuine rosé wine from the famous Provence region of southern France – Bandol Rosé 2020 by Château Canadel. This rosé wine is a traditional, multi-varietal blend made out of three red grape varieties: 45% mourvèdre, 45% cinsault and 10% grenache, with each variety vinified separately, using different rosé vinification methods before blending them into the final cuvée: 75% obtained by direct pressing of the must, 20% obtained by cryomaceration and 5% by applying the saignée extraction method. Rosé itself is a bizarre wine category, as it isn’t exactly a red wine nor is it a white wine – it is something in between. The secret to the pinkish hue of the rosé wine is found in the skins of the grapes and more exactly in the anthocyanin pigments. When making a red wine, the skins spend the entire fermentation touching the juice, for rosé however the process is shortened, for example pinot noir usually spends around 4 to 6 hours on the skins to produce its trademark pale salmon hue, while cabernet sauvignon needs only a few minutes to make that rich, deep-pink color. The grapes for this particular wine are sourced from vines planted on clay and limestone-rich soils, on south-exposed slopes, in the Le Plan du Castellet vineyards in Bandol. In order to add extra complexity and enhance the wine’s structure, the final blend has been aged for 6 months in stainless steel and concrete vats. But enough with all that theory, that said, without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
color: bright salmon color
clarity: pastel orange hues

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & delicate
fruit profile: stone fruits | berry fruits
__stone fruits: pink mirabelle | red cherry
__berry fruits: wolfberry | cranberry | goji berry | blueberry
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: savory | other
__savory: orange bell pepper | paprika | cheddar cheese
__other: moist wood | sweet potato | dough | baguette
primary layer: fruity-savory

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: medium+
alcohol: high
tannin: low
__grip: green
balance: fair
__dominant: alcohol
body: rough | medium+

//Taste
fruit profile: red & berry fruits
fruit character: ripe
non fruit: savory
finish: medium
aftertaste: rough

//Scoring
CHÂTEAU CANADEL | Bandol | 2020
variety: mourvèdre | cinsault | grenache
country: France | Provence
region: Bandol
rating: 90.9

//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime | drink now or within 1 year
verdict: nice | an enjoyable wine
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This is definitely a nice wine of France and, with a total of 90.9 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a quite rough, angular and austere rosé wine that is right there, at the peak of its prime form, therefore we would recommend to drink it today or within the next 12 months, as there’s no need for further ageing. It feels heady, slightly hot and unpolished, with some sharp edges on the palate, delivering crisp acidity and an overwhelming alcoholic warmth on the mouthfeel, which leads to a quite rough finale. On the nose the wine displays a mixture of ripe red and berry fruits in the foreground, followed by a quite nuanced, savory-earthy and slightly herbal background. All in all, this is a sharp and quite coarse rosé wine that feels slightly off the balance – a wine that lacks some harmony and finesse on the palate. We believe this wine will pair nicely with red fish or shellfish, like for example an oven baked salmon or some lobster pasta. Santé!

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© The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. Just remember that there are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.