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2012 Bandol Rouge
Domaine de la Tour du BonOn a lovely summer day, you stroll into the village of Le Brûlat in Bandol. As the salty wind envelops you, you amble along the garrigue-scented hills with aromas of lavender and thyme flowing in the air. You happen to stumble upon the picturesque Domaine de la Tour du Bon—a magical place that shelters a small farmhouse bed-and-breakfast where you feel like you immediately belong.
As the night creeps in and it starts to cool off, why not enjoy a glass or bottle of the classic Tour du Bon Bandol rouge—one of my favorite Bandols in the shop and a steal at this moderate price. This Bandol captures the essence of the Mediterranean. It has lush fruit with hints of rosemary, squid ink, and peppery meaty flavors. Why not pair it with its perfect counterpoint, spicy Moroccan lamb sausages, or a traditional Provençal dish like bouillabaisse? –Bryant Vallejo
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2012 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 55% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache, 15% Cinsault, 5% Carignan |
Appellation: | Bandol |
Country: | France |
Region: | Provence |
Producer: | Domaine de la Tour du Bon |
Winemaker: | Hocquard-Henry Family |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone, Silt, Sandstone |
Aging: | Wines age in foudres for 18 months before bottling |
Alcohol: | 14.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
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2020 Bandol Rouge “Saint Ferréol”
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2022 Bandol Rosé
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2019 Bandol Rouge “Saint Ferréol”
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2020 Bandol Rouge
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The 2020 Tour du Bon rouge, with its juicy nose and bright, crunchy fruit, its mouthwatering acidity and peppery verve, is particularly elegant.
2021 Bandol Rouge“La Tourtine”
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There are few pleasures like aged Bandol rouge from Tempier.
About The Producer
Domaine de la Tour du Bon
About The Region
Provence
Perhaps there is no region more closely aligned with the history to Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant than Provence. Provence is where Richard Olney, an American ex-pat and friend of Alice Waters, lived, and introduced Kermit to the great producers of Provence, most importantly Domaine Tempier of Bandol. Kermit also spends upwards of half his year at his home in a small town just outside of Bandol.
Vitis vinifera first arrived in France via Provence, landing in the modern day port city of Marseille in the 6th century BC. The influence of terroir on Provençal wines goes well beyond soil types. The herbs from the pervasive scrubland, often referred to as garrigue, as well as the mistral—a cold, drying wind from the northwest that helps keep the vines free of disease—play a significant role in the final quality of the grapes. Two more elements—the seemingly ever-present sun and cooling saline breezes from the Mediterranean—lend their hand in creating a long growing season that result in grapes that are ripe but with good acidity.
Rosé is arguably the most well known type of wine from Provence, but the red wines, particularly from Bandol, possess a great depth of character and ability to age. The white wines of Cassis and Bandol offer complexity and ideal pairings for the sea-influenced cuisine. Mourvèdre reigns king for red grapes, and similar to the Languedoc and Rhône, Grenache, Cinsault, Marsanne, Clairette, Rolle, Ugni Blanc among many other grape varieties are planted.
More from Provence or France
2022 Alpilles Blanc “Jaspe”
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2020 Bandol Rouge
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2014 Bandol Rouge
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2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
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2019 Bandol Rouge Magnum
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2020 Bandol Rouge
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2021 Bandol Rouge
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2022 Alpilles Blanc “Jaspe”
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2020 Alpilles Rouge “Amethyste”
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2022 Alpilles Rouge “Grenache”
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2021 Bandol Rosé MAGNUM
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2014 Bandol Rouge
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2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2019 Bandol Rouge Magnum
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2020 Bandol Rouge
Domaine du Gros ’Noré France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge
“La Tourtine”
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Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
Let the brett nerds retire into protective bubbles, and whenever they thirst for wine it can be passed in to them through a sterile filter. Those of us on the outside can continue to enjoy complex, natural, living wines.
Inspiring Thirst, page 236