Château Barthès Bandol Rouge 2020 is a dark, savoury Mourvèdre-led red from Bandol on the Provençal coast, built on firm tannin and Mediterranean scrub rather than plush fruit. Give it air and it moves from brooding to fragrant across an evening.

The nose leads with dark cherry and plum skin, then wild herbs, leather and a faint gaminess that Mourvèdre picks up as it settles in bottle. There is a dusty, sun-warmed edge to it, more garrigue than orchard.

Concentration on the palate comes with real grip: the tannins are fine-grained but firm, the acidity keeps the middle taut, and the finish runs long and salty-savoury, closer to cured meat and dried thyme than sweet fruit. Bandol asks for at least half Mourvèdre in its reds, and that structural backbone is unmistakable here.

Roast lamb with rosemary and garlic is the obvious match, though a slow-braised Provençal daube, duck, or grilled sausages with lentils all work. Aged hard cheeses suit the tannin, and decanting an hour ahead helps if you are drinking it young.

Château Barthès Bandol Rouge 2020 is approachable now with food and decanting, and has the structure to reward cellaring for another five to ten years, softening into leather, dried fig and undergrowth as it goes.