Bandol Rosé Domaine Tempier 2020

£32.95 per bottle

ABV 13.5%

Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Carignan

This famous Rosé is made from fruit grown on steep slopes mostly facing the sea. With low yields and hand harvesting into small boxes and then a further hand sorting in the winery, you realise just how much care and attention the team here put into making this wine. The grapes are fully de-stemmed and then pressed with a cold maceration on the skins to extract just the right amount of fruit aromas and colour. The Mourvèdre, about 50% of the blend, in the blend lends body and complexity whilst the Grenache lends fruit weight, Cinsault and Carignan bring spice and floral notes. Uniquely salmon-pink, this is a wine with a huge character, with a nice weight of fruit - peach, pomegranate and strawberry, but with a touch of herbs de Provence. Refreshing core of acidity and a fine stucture make this is the perfect match to Provençal food.

Domaine Tempier
Domaine Tempier is an old family estate, owned by the Peyrauds since Lucien Peyraud married Lucie Tempier in 1936. The family was largely instrumental in getting the appellation of Bandol established in 1941. The reds are the quintessential expression of Mourvèdre, grown on terraced vineyards on steep hills around the 'plan du Castellet'.

Traditional vinification using indigenous yeasts, the wines are aged in a variety of different sized oak (25 to 75hl) for between 18 and 20 months. These are wines which are capable of long ageing, but even young they have a finesse of fruit and earthy flavour, coupled with fine-grained tannins, which lift them above the generality of Provençal reds.