The classic southern French red is 95% Mourvèdre and 5% Grenache, with the Grenache adding spice to the bouquet and adding light to the shade of the powerful Mourvedre. Already moving into a secondary phase, this shows meat and smoke, mixed with aromas of tobacco, leather figs and blackberry. Powerful, intense and savoury.

If you’ve ever been lucky enough to take a tour of the wineries of the South of France, you’ll surely have noticed that every chateau has a story to tell, and that each story somehow weaves its way through the character of the wines it produces. This is certainly the case for Chateau Pradeaux, considered among the most esteemed and respected in all of the Bandol appellation in which it stands. With a history which takes in over 270 years of family ownership, the drafting of the Napoleonic Code, and its devastation at the height of the revolution, it’s a winery which matches the quality of its produce with the heritage behind its vineyards. Of course, none of this would mean much at all if the wine it was producing today wasn’t worth a second look. However, this simply isn’t the case with Chateau Pradeaux - their current output of beautiful Cinsault, Mourvedre and Rose wines would be exciting even without tales of the guillotine and revolution backing up their presence. Overseen by the innovative and somewhat eccentric Cyrille Portalis and his wife and kids, the chateau continues to celebrate tradition while embracing contemporary techniques, showcasing the peerless quality of their ancestral terroir.