With Bandol pricing going the way of Cornas in its ability to take over-looked and shelf-lingering regions OUT of the geek-osphere and into searing wallet-crunchers, finding a gem like this ranks up there. 37 dollars on a wine-shop shelf and 8 years under its belt, it exudes the kind of Mourvedre magnificence difficult to put in words. Few regions leave me speechless, but there’s something about Bandol that doesn’t so much leave you speechless–trust me I have PLENTY of words–but it’s more like: the words in my banal and elementary vocabulary never seem validating enough. Smelling and drinking this wine is a rush of nuances, all layered down on one thing: complexity. There’s no one word for Mourvedre in the English language. I defy you to find one. Fuck your Riesling, fuck your cab and Grenache and Chablis and allocated Syrah: NOTHING raises the hair on my neck like one word: Bandol.

And this one? Everything you look for in top quality Bandol. Just a stupidly delicious bottle of wine. All the nasty funk and dirty dusty earth and ridiculously rich fruit laid down on a rocky bed of structure. Probably has another 10 on it. And I’m out of words. I don’t have to explain this wine to you.

2014 CHATEAU JEAN-PIERRE GAUSSEN ‘Cuvee Longue Garde’ MV/GR 95/5 Bandol France 13.0

www.maisondesvins-bandol.com/fr/detail-dun-domaine/domaines/74-chateau-jean-pierre-gaussen.cfm