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Bandol Rouge for a Summer Evening
Bandol Rouge for a Summer Evening
by Dustin Soiseth by Dustin Soiseth
2020 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
2020 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
![- Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant](https://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2020-Bandol-iRougei-Lulu-et-Lucien-product-image-6518-medium.jpg)
![- Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant](https://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2020-Bandol-iRougei-Lulu-et-Lucien-product-image_alt-6518-medium.jpg)
Domaine Tempier France | Provence | Bandol
“Summertime wine? Certain reds work and others don’t. When it turns hot, some reds we import reveal unexpected virtues if served at a cool temperature. Either uncork one right up from a cool cellar, or, particularly if you are dining outdoors, place the bottle in a lightly iced bucket. Or put the red in the fridge until it’s cool, not cold. We have red wines that shine under such conditions. Domaine Tempier’s is one.”
— Kermit in the August 1987 newsletter
Tempier’s flagship Bandol rouge is a sophisticated wine, but it never hides its country roots. It is as equally suited to ribeyes for a special occasion as it is to homemade pizza on a Thursday night. You can even enjoy it as Lulu Peyraud did, and just put a slight chill on it before popping the cork on a warm summer evening. A cool glass of Tempier rouge, sweating in a small tumbler, can be more refreshing than any burly red has a right to be.
But no matter how you enjoy Tempier rouge, beneath the pure dark fruit, the intense depth of flavor, the energy, the enticing Provençal aromatics, lurks a wildness—perhaps owing to the large percentage of Mourvèdre—that is never tamed. Or as Kermit wrote, “there is always something wild and unpredictable about it, spirited, shall we say, yet it is honest and impeccable, full of warmth and finesse.”
![- Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant](https://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2020-Bandol-iRougei-Lulu-et-Lucien-product-image-6518-medium.jpg)
![- Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant](https://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2020-Bandol-iRougei-Lulu-et-Lucien-product-image_alt-6518-medium.jpg)
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 75% Mourvèdre, 14% Grenache, 9% Cinsault, 2% Carignan |
Appellation: | Bandol |
Country: | France |
Region: | Provence |
Producer: | Domaine Tempier |
Winemaker: | Daniel Ravier |
Vineyard: | 40 + years |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Aging: | Aged in oak foudres (25 to 50 hl) for 18 to 20 months |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 14.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
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2020 Bandol Rouge“La Tourtine”
France | Provence
La Tourtine perhaps best expresses the paradoxical combination of power and elegance that is a trademark of the Domaine's wines.
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2021 Bandol Rouge“La Tourtine”
France | Provence
There are few pleasures like aged Bandol rouge from Tempier.
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2021 Bandol Rouge“La Migoua”
France | Provence
At the domaine's highest-elevation site, Mourvèdre's might is gently enveloped by Grenache and Cinsault to yield a Bandol of great finesse.
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2021 Alpes-Maritimes Grassenc “Les Planches de Lunel”
France | Provence
A single barrel was produced of this delicate, peppery, low-alcohol red from a forgotten grape variety. Serve chilled.
![2022 Bandol Rosé Domaine de la Tour du Bon](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2022-Bandol-Ros-product-image-7077-medium.jpg)
2022 Bandol Rosé
France | Provence
Experience the delicate side of Bandol—gentle and full of charm, it offers notes of clementine, white peach, and lavender.
![2015 Bandol <i>Rouge</i> Domaine de Terrebrune](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2015-Bandol-iRougei-product-image-3227-medium.jpg)
2015 Bandol Rouge
France | Provence
Deep, opulent Mourvèdre fruit, a hint of game, ample flesh, and earthy nuances framed by bright acidity
![2021 Bandol <i>Rouge</i> “Lulu et Lucien” Domaine Tempier](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2021-Bandol-iRougei-Lulu-et-Lucien-product-image-8375-medium.jpg)
2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
France | Provence
As Kermit wrote, “there is always something wild and unpredictable about it, spirited, shall we say, yet it is honest and impeccable, full of warmth and finesse.”
![2023 Cassis <i>Blanc</i> Clos Sainte Magdeleine](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2023-Cassis-iBlanci-product-image-9531-medium.jpg)
2023 Cassis Blanc
France | Provence
May Chevalier ~ A blend of Ugni blanc, Claudette, Marsanne, and Sauvignon blanc, here is the wine to enhance seafood and shellfish.
![2023 Bandol Rosé Domaine Tempier](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2023-Bandol-Ros-product-image-9471-medium.jpg)
2023 Bandol Rosé
France | Provence
Embodying what Tempier is all about—celebration, gaiety, and delicious simplicity.
![2020 Bandol <i>Rouge</i><br>“La Migoua” Domaine Tempier](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2020-Bandol-iRougeibrLa-Migoua-product-image-6761-medium.jpg)
2020 Bandol Rouge“La Migoua”
France | Provence
At the domaine's highest-elevation site, Mourvèdre's might is gently enveloped by Grenache and Cinsault to yield a Bandol of great finesse.
About The Producer
Domaine Tempier
About The Region
Provence
There is perhaps no region more closely aligned with the history of Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant than Provence. While Kermit began his career as a Burgundy specialist, he soon fell in love with Provence and its wines, notably the legendary Bandols of Domaine Tempier, which he began importing in 1977. He later began living in the area part-time, returning frequently between tasting trips, and today he spends most of his time at his home just outside of Bandol.
Provence is thought to be France’s most ancient wine region, established when Greek settlers landed in the modern-day port city of Marseille in the 6th century BC. The conditions here are ideal for cultivation of the grapevine, with a hot, dry climate and a prevalence of poor, rocky soils, primarily limestone-based, suitable for vines and not much else. The ever-present southern sunshine as well as the mistral, a cold, drying wind from the northwest that helps keep the vines free of disease, are crucial elements of Provençal terroir. Wild herbs from the pervasive scrubland, called garrigue, and cooling saline breezes from the Mediterranean also contribute to the quality and character of wines in all three colors.
Provence is well known for its rosés, but red wines have always held importance here. The very best, such as those from Bandol, possess great depth and a capacity for long-term aging. The white wines, notably those of Cassis, offer weight balanced by a maritime freshness, making them ideal pairings for the local seafood. Mourvèdre reigns king for red grapes, supported mainly by Grenache and Cinsault, while Clairette, Marsanne, Rolle, and Ugni Blanc are the region’s principal white grapes.
More from Provence or France
2023 Bandol Rosé
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2015 Bandol Rouge
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2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
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2023 Bandol Rosé
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2015 Bandol Rouge
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2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
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2020 Côtes de Provence Rouge
Clos Saint-Joseph France | Provence
2022 Bandol Rosé HALF BOTTLE
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2022 Bandol Blanc
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rosé
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2022 Alpilles Blanc “Jaspe”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2020 Bandol Rouge
Domaine de la Tour du Bon France | Provence
2020 Côtes de Provence Syrah “Les Planches de la Garedivole”
Clos Saint-Joseph France | Provence
2018 Bandol Rouge
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2018 Bandol Rouge MAGNUM
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Kermit once said...
![Old cob-webbed wine bottles](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/content/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-Kermit-once-said-image_img_1-13437-medium.jpeg)
Kermit once said...
Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.