The Château Barthès Bandol Rosé 2023 is a pale, dry rosé from Bandol in Provence, made in equal parts from Mourvèdre, Grenache and Cinsault. Fine-boned and savoury rather than sweetly fruity, it has the grip and length that separate serious Bandol rosé from the pack, and the 1.5L magnum gives it a room to fill.

The colour is barely more than a blush. Hand-picked fruit macerated on skins for a single day at 10°C brings lifted citrus, wild raspberry and rose petal to the nose, with dried herbs and a chalky, almost flinty edge sitting behind the fruit.

Across the palate the wine is dry and softly textural, red berry and pink grapefruit carried on firm acidity that comes from the limestone under Bandol's deep red clay. Mourvèdre lends a light phenolic pull through the middle, and the finish is long, saline and clean, with none of the confection you find in lesser Provençal pink.

A magnum asks to be shared, so treat it as a table wine rather than an aperitif: whole roasted snapper, bouillabaisse, a leg of lamb off the barbecue, salt-and-pepper squid, or a board of jamón and hard sheep's cheese. Chill it properly and pour it into decent-sized glasses.

Drink from now to 2027. The larger format ages more slowly than a 750mL bottle, so this magnum will hold its freshness that bit longer and reward a summer or two in the cellar.