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Provençal 6-Pack Sampler
Summer in Provence
The six wines in this sampler have featured prominently on the Lynch table this summer, successfully accompanying garden salads, grilled fish, ratatouille, lamb chops, and more...
I write to you as KLWM’s foreign correspondent, having spent most of the last several months visiting our longstanding domaines in France and Italy, tasting and blending, living out of a suitcase with an eye and nose out for exciting new wines. The job has taken me from the quaint banks of the Loire Valley to the rustic contrade of Sicily’s Mount Etna, and many places in between. But after each trip, it's been a true pleasure to return home, to Provence, to recharge my batteries and savor the delights that are unique to this part of southern France.
Summer is the perfect time to revisit our selections from Provençal vignerons. As you might expect, nothing pairs better with the local rosés, whites, and reds than the scent of flowering broom, lavender, and pine needles wafting through the air, rays of sun beating down generously, and a fresh breeze on a shady terrace providing welcome refreshment.
The six wines in this sampler have featured prominently on the Lynch table this summer, successfully accompanying garden salads, grilled fish, ratatouille, lamb chops, and more. The rosés from Gros ‘Noré and Hauvette are valiant contenders to the hotly disputed title of Rosé of the Year—with an extra year under its belt, the Hauvette is all the wiser. Among the whites, you’ll find a pleasant contrast between the lively charm of the Cassis and the deeper nuances offered by the Côtes de Provence. Hailing from the seaside and the mountains, respectively, both offer calcareous minerality and salinity in spades. As for the two Bandol reds, they could not be more different: the carnal chewiness of the Tour du Bon lies in stark opposition to the Terrebrune’s cool focus. Give them a slight chill for optimum summertime refreshment.
—Anthony Lynch
This item is not eligible for discounts |
Wine Type: | sampler |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Country: | France |
Normally $235.00 SPECIAL SAMPLER PRICE $188.00 (a 20% discount) |
2017 Cassis Blanc • Clos Ste Magdeleine $35
2017 Côtes de Provence “Blanc de Blancs” • Clos Saint-Joseph $49
2016 Les Baux de Provence Rosé “Petra” • Domaine Hauvette $38
2017 Bandol Rosé • Domaine du Gros 'Noré $35
2015 Bandol Rouge • Domaine de la Tour du Bon $36
2014 Bandol Rouge • Domaine de Terrebrune $42
More from this Producer or Region
2022 Côtes de Provence Rosé
France | Provence
The quintessential Provençal refresher—a nectar of bright citrus, fresh berry fruit, wild herbs, and salty sea air.
2020 Côtes de Provence Rouge
France | Provence
Contrary to the usual rough and tannic reds of the far-reaching Côtes de Provence appellation, this is fresh and lively! A gem hidden in the hills.
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.
2022 Bandol Blanc
France | Provence
This mineral blend has an ethereal perfume, reminiscent of blossoming flowers with a hint of fennel.
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.
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.
2015 Bandol Rouge
France | Provence
Deep, opulent Mourvèdre fruit, a hint of game, ample flesh, and earthy nuances framed by bright acidity
2022 Bouches-du-Rhône Blanc “Baume Noire”
France | Provence
It is a seafood lover’s dream wine.
2020 Bandol Rouge
France | Provence
The 2020 Tour du Bon rouge, with its juicy nose and bright, crunchy fruit, its mouthwatering acidity and peppery verve, is particularly elegant.
2022 Bandol Rosé HALF BOTTLE
France | Provence
Peach-scented Bandol rosé is the bee’s knees on a warm summer afternoon.
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 Bandol Rouge
“La Migoua”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2016 Les Baux de Provence Rouge “Cornaline”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2016 Alpilles Blanc “Dolia”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2021 Cassis Blanc “Bel-Arme”
Clos Ste Magdeleine France | Provence
2022 Alpilles Blanc “Jaspe”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rosé MAGNUM
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2018 Côtes de Provence Rouge
Clos Saint-Joseph France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2022 Côtes de Provence Rosé
Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2022 Méditerranée Blanc
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2019 Bandol Rouge “Saint Ferréol”
Domaine de la Tour du Bon France | Provence
2020 Cassis Blanc “Bel-Arme”
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge
“La Migoua”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2016 Les Baux de Provence Rouge “Cornaline”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2016 Alpilles Blanc “Dolia”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2021 Cassis Blanc “Bel-Arme”
Clos Ste Magdeleine France | Provence
2022 Alpilles Blanc “Jaspe”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rosé MAGNUM
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2018 Côtes de Provence Rouge
Clos Saint-Joseph France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2022 Côtes de Provence Rosé
Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2022 Méditerranée Blanc
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2019 Bandol Rouge “Saint Ferréol”
Domaine de la Tour du Bon France | Provence
2020 Cassis Blanc “Bel-Arme”
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
Where the newsletter started
Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch