Winemaker Notes
Goes well with many kinds of food especially provencal food.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Tempier's 2017 Bandol Rose continues to drink well. A blend of 55% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache and 20% Cinsault, it offers entrancing aromas of crushed stone, peach and raspberry on the nose. On the palate, it's silky, medium-bodied and intense, with plenty of bright, zesty lime on the long finish. My original blind-tasting notes include the query, "Too fruity?" but in retrospect, I suspect this just bodes well for the wine's potential longevity for those who like to cellar them.
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.
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.