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2020 Bandol Rouge “Saint Ferréol”
Domaine de la Tour du BonTour du Bon can sometimes be overlooked among our more spotlight-stealing Bandol producers such as Tempier. But meeting Agnès Henry at this incredible domaine last spring felt like a revelation. As I swirled and sniffed and jotted my notes in her quaint little tasting room off the sunny courtyard—wafts of garrigue and citrus blossom drifting in through the open door—I found myself battling an internal dilemma: part of me wanted to shout this vinous discovery from the rooftop; the other part wanted to tuck it away like a prized jewel. Consider this page my rooftop. Saint Ferréol is a Mourvèdre masterpiece, produced only in exceptional vintages. Deeply complex with a stony minerality steeped in herbal aromatics, it calls for a luxurious cut of meat or a spot in your wine treasure trove.
—Madison H. Brown
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 90% Mourvèdre, 10% Carignan |
Appellation: | Bandol |
Country: | France |
Region: | Provence |
Producer: | Domaine de la Tour du Bon |
Winemaker: | Hocquard-Henry Family |
Vineyard: | 38 year average; 11 ha total |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone, Silt, Sandstone |
Aging: | Wines age in foudres for 18 months before bottling |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13.8% |
More from this Producer or Region
2019 Bandol Rouge “Saint Ferréol”
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Soulful and slightly wild, but beautifully balanced, this rouge has an irresistible notes of garrigue.
2022 Bandol Blanc
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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 Rosé MAGNUM
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September Club Chevalier Selection
2022 Alpilles Rouge “Grenache”
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A thoroughbred of pure Grenache, this unbridled rouge is fresh and lithe, teeming with juicy dark fruit and ample goût de terroir.
2020 Alpilles Rouge “Amethyste”
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Cinsault raised in concrete egg: all about finesse.
2022 Bandol Rosé
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Experience the delicate side of Bandol—gentle and full of charm, it offers notes of clementine, white peach, and lavender.
2022 Côtes de Provence Rosé
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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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This sandstone amphora-aged rosé spotlights old-vine Grenache grown on limestone terraces with a view of the sparkling Mediterranean.
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
2021 Vin de Pays du Mont Caume Rouge “Terre d’Ombre”
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2021 Côtes de Provence “Blanc de Blancs”
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2016 Alpilles Blanc “Dolia”
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2020 Cassis Blanc “Bel-Arme”
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2022 Bouches-du-Rhône Rosé “Marie de Magdala”
Clos Ste Magdeleine France | Provence
2022 Bandol Rosé MAGNUM
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2017 Alpilles Blanc “Dolia”
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2020 Côtes de Provence Rouge
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2020 Bandol Rouge
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2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
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2022 Bandol Rosé
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2021 Vin de Pays du Mont Caume Rouge “Terre d’Ombre”
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2021 Côtes de Provence “Blanc de Blancs”
Clos Saint-Joseph France | Provence
2016 Alpilles Blanc “Dolia”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2020 Cassis Blanc “Bel-Arme”
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2022 Bouches-du-Rhône Rosé “Marie de Magdala”
Clos Ste Magdeleine France | Provence
2022 Bandol Rosé MAGNUM
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2017 Alpilles Blanc “Dolia”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2020 Côtes de Provence Rouge
Clos Saint-Joseph France | Provence
2020 Bandol Rouge
“La Tourtine”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge
“La Migoua”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2022 Bandol Rosé
Domaine du Gros ’Noré France | Provence
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
A good doctor prescribed the wine of Nuits-Saint-Georges to the Sun King, Louis XIV, when he suffered an unknown maladie. When the king’s health was restored the tasty remedy enjoyed a vogue at court. Lord, send me a doctor like that!
Inspiring Thirst, page 117