Bieler Pere et Fils house spotlight
Lanchester Wines films Bieler Pere et Fils Provence rose, the Charles Bieler house behind this Bandol Reserve. The clip is their Sabine cuvee, not a Bandol vineyard tour.
2023 Bieler Pere et Fils Bandol Reserve Rose Provence, France
Charles Bieler's Mourvedre-led Bandol from Le Castellet, peach and wet stone with a saline close, a 91-point Provence rose you can open at nineteen dollars.
The 2023 Bandol Reserve is a Mourvedre-led rose from limestone and sandy marl above the Mediterranean: peach, white cherry, wild raspberry, rose petal, and wet stone, now $19.
Bandol rose has more muscle than pale Provence
Bandol is the smallest, most tightly held rose appellation in Provence, and Mourvedre is the grape that gives it weight. Charles Bieler pulls this Reserve from Le Castellet, limestone and sandy marl a stone's throw from the sea. Direct press, tank ferment, a bead of salinity. Vinous 91: textbook Bandol, slightly muscular, spicy, with a spine of citrus acidity. James Suckling 91. This is not a candy-pink picnic wine.
The house
Philippe Bieler founded Chateau Routas in 1992. In 2005 the family sold it and launched Bieler Pere et Fils as a rose-only house. Charles runs the wines.
The wine
Mourvedre-led Bandol from Le Castellet. Direct press. Indigenous yeast. Fermented and aged in tank. Pale copper, more substance than typical Provence.
The scores
Vinous 91. James Suckling 91. Grapefruit, sea air, mineral, a judged acid line.
The drinker
Peach and wet stone first. Serve 46 to 50 F. No decant. Shrimp green curry or fried chicken.
Peach and raspberry, then salt and wet stone
The winery opens on peach, white cherry, and wild raspberry against summer flowers, white tea, and Provence herbs. The palate is creamy yet lifted, rose petal and wet stone. Vinous found grapefruit, mango, papaya, salty sea air, and minerals: slightly muscular, spicy, textbook Bandol.
A snappy, refreshing 2023. James Suckling drank tangy raspberry, cherry, and blood orange on a light body with good acidity. Drink now, cold.
Peach, white cherry, wild raspberry, grapefruit, summer flowers, white tea, herbs de Provence.
Creamy yet lifted, Mourvedre weight, tank ferment, a saline mineral line.
Rose petal, wet stone, sea spray. Serve 46 to 50 F. No decant.
Direct press, tank, Mourvedre for the frame
Bieler sources Bandol fruit in Le Castellet on deep limestone and sandy marls. Mourvedre leads because that is Bandol's grape, especially this close to the water, where it gives color, spice, and a little chew that Grenache-led Provence rose does not have. Direct press keeps the copper pale. Indigenous yeast. Fermentation and aging stay in stainless steel so peach, herbs, and salinity stay in front of oak.
Bandol rose is typically fuller than the rest of Provence. Bieler wants equal parts power and finesse: ripe tangerine and herbs, white cherry, peach, a bead of salinity from the Mediterranean.
Chill it hard. This is a food rose for salt, crunch, and a little heat, not a cellar speech.
A rose house that still goes to Bandol
Bieler Pere et Fils exists because Philippe, Charles, and Mira wanted to make rose as the whole point, not a leftover.
Philippe Bieler founded Chateau Routas in Coteaux Varois in 1992. Charles and Mira turned that estate into one of the more dynamic Provence rose brands of the 1990s.
They sold Routas in 2005 and founded Bieler Pere et Fils the same year, named for Philippe, with a single-minded focus on dry rose.
Bandol Reserve is the serious end of that lineup: Le Castellet, Mourvedre, limestone, the appellation other regions copy.
Salt, crunch, and a little heat
Dry Bandol rose wants salt, spice, and a cold glass. Shrimp green curry loves the citrus and herbs. Fried chicken loves the acid.
Two plates. One shrimp green curry. One crispy fried chicken. Both can take a cold 2023 Bandol rose.
Serve 46 to 50 F. No decant. A cold glass keeps peach, herbs, and salt in front of the cream.
Thai Green Curry with Shrimp
Coconut milk, green chile, basil, and shrimp call for a dry rose with both fruit and drive.
Why it works: Raspberry and citrus cool the curry. Acidity resets coconut richness. Mourvedre weight keeps the plate from feeling thin.
View Recipe for Thai Green Curry with Shrimp (opens in a new tab)
Crispy Buttermilk Fried Chicken
A crunchy crust and a dry Bandol rose. Salt, spice, and a cold glass.
Why it works: Acid and red-fruit lift cut the crust. Wet stone and herbs keep the plate from going heavy.
View Recipe for crispy buttermilk fried chicken (opens in a new tab)Put this Bandol Reserve in the cart
Charles Bieler, two 91s, Mourvedre-led Bandol rose from Le Castellet. Nineteen dollars.
Put it in the cart. This is Bandol with a cold glass and a plate that has salt on it.
