Domaine de Terrebrune Bandol 2017
-
Wine &
Spirits
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Deep, opulent Mourvèdre fruit, a hint of game, ample flesh, and earthy nuances framed by bright acidity.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine & Spirits
Terrebrune means “brown earth” in French, a reference to the color of the soil that overlays the blue-limestone bedrock at Reynald Delille’s estate in Ollioules. Mourvèdre thrives here, taking on the chewy density that defines Bandol reds—a quality that also informs this rosé. Close your eyes and you may, in fact, mistake it for a darker wine, with its musky, floral fruit scents and meaty cherry flavors; meanwhile, notes of forest floor and sea spray place the wine squarely on the Mediterranean coast. It’s ready for sliced steak salads this summer, or a long spell in the cellar.
Other Vintages
2016-
Wine &
Spirits
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
-
Wine
Spectator -
Wine
Enthusiast
Before acquiring vineyards, Georges Delille trained as a sommelier in Paris. In 1963, he bought what would become Domaine de Terrebrune, a property in Ollioules, just east of Bandol, framed by the Mediterranean and the mountain called Gros-Cerveau (Big Brain), dotted with olive groves and scenic views—an idyllic spot. During the years following the declaration of A.O.C. Bandol (1941), mass overhauling and reconstruction of vineyards were commonplace, and vignerons were eager to revive the noble Mourvèdre grape. Georges spent ten years just renovating the property; he terraced hillsides, refashioned the masonry, replanted vineyards following the advice of Lucien Peyraud, designated soils to lie dormant and regenerate, and built a new cellar. In 1980, his son Reynald joined him after finishing winemaking school, and together they launched their first bottled vintage of Domaine de Terrebrune, which Reynald named in honor of the rich, brown soils they farm.
Full of ripe fruit, and robust, earthy goodness, Mourvèdre is actually of Spanish provenance, where it still goes by the name Monastrell or Mataro. It is better associated however, with the Red Blends of the Rhône, namely Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Mourvèdre shines on its own in Bandol and is popular both as a single varietal wine in blends in the New World regions of Australia, California and Washington. Somm Secret—While Mourvèdre has been in California for many years, it didn’t gain momentum until the 1980s when a group of California winemakers inspired by the wines of the Rhône Valley finally began to renew a focus on it.
Provence’s leader in concentrated and age-worthy red wines, Bandol is home to the dense, deep and earthy Mourvèdre grape. Like Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Bandol produces characterful reds that, while approachable in their youth, are typically designed for the cellar.
Given its coastal, Provencal situation, Bandol also naturally produces an assortment of charming, aromatic rosés made of Mourvèdre, Grenache and Cinsault.