Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
This fuller-bodied rosé features lightly mulled blood orange, cherry and tea notes, with hints of garrigue and warm paving stone emerging on the finish. Open this with duck rillettes on the beach. Cinsault, Grenache and Mourvèdre.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2021 Domaines Bunan Bandol Mas de la Rouvière is attractive and persistent on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This delicious rosé is true to the earth and vine. Pair it with pan-fried, panko-coated Petrale. (Tasted: August 2, 2022, San Francisco, CA)
In 1961, Paul and Pierre Bunan, men steeped in the wine-growing lore of the Mediterranean, fell in love with an estate in the Bandol region, a noble and widely respected wine growing area in the south of France.
Paul’s son, Laurent, returned to the family estate after completing his studies in oenology and winemaking in California. He was the first of the next generation to open the doors to a newer and more modern approach. Today he is in charge of the export and development of the Domaines Bunan. His sister Françoise is in charge of the communications with art playing a central role in her strategy. Pierre’s daughter Claire, has qualified in the field of wine marketing. Her brother Philippe hopes to become an agricultural engineer.
The combined talents of this family unite to create a warm, welcoming and highly skilled team. Excellence and authenticity are the hallmarks of this family who pride themselves on producing wines of exceptional quality.
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.