Chateau de Pibarnon is in La Cadiere d’Azur, in the Bandol appellation of southern France. It was founded in 1978 when Comte Henri de Saint Victor and his wife moved to the area and bought a 13th-century Provencal chateau and 10 acres of land. Today the chateau owns 150 acres and son Eric de Saint Victor is the winemaker. The rocky vineyards are exceptionally sited on hills where the telegraph lines once ran between Toulon and Paris. The grapes are exposed to southern facing sun and the hot, dry mistral winds, which the Saint Victor family believes adds to the richness of the grapes. The classic grape of the Bandol region is Mourvedre, and the chateau’s acclaimed red wine is Mourvedre. However the estate also makes a rose of Mourvedre and Cinsault. It makes a white wine of Clairette, Bourboulenc and sometimes such grapes as Marsanne and Roussane.