Begude Bandol Rouge La Brulade is made from 95% Mourvedre and 5% Grenache.
"La Brulade" is the name of a select slope located at an altitude of 400 meters overlooking the Mediterranean sea between La Baie d'Amour (the town of La Ciotat) in the South and La Sainte Baume in the North. This is one of the highest parcels in the Bandol appellation.
The wine is only produced in exceptional vintages. This carefully selected blend is made of 95% Mourvedre and 5% Grenache, aged in large French oak barrels for 24 months.
The wine shows a deep purple color. It is fresh and fruity on the nose with intense garrigue aromas. Structured, elegant and well-balanced on the palate with strong tannins. Licorice, ripe black fruits, garrigue flavors and some peppery freshness on the finish.
The 35-year old grapes are grown on clay and limestone soils and are farmed organically. Yield is very low - 15hl/ha. The grapes are harvested manually.
Winemaking: Double selection, destemming, crushing before skin contact fermentation. No filtration. Aging for 24 months in French oak casks (600L).
Grilled meat (lamb, beef, boar), Mediterranean cuisine, spicy dishes.
Review:
"Complex nose with deep black berry fruits, spice and hints of polish. Really lovely texture with layers of creamy red and black fruits, spices and powerful but super fine tannins. Great expression of the appellation; powerfully long."
- Decanter World Wine Award 2020 - 97 pts & Platinum Medal
Begude Bandol Rouge is made from 90% Mourvèdre, 10% Grenache.
Eye: dark ruby colored
Nose: Intense, aromatic, fresh and elegant
Mouth: Structured on black fruits flavors, lightly woody , tanins are strong an firm in their early days (<5years) Good acidity give freshness backbone and great fruit/alcoholic balance . Delicate final on spices.
Opening: Decant 4-6 hours before serving
Soil: Clay-limestone Culture: Organic without pesticides nor chemicals additives Yield: 20 hectoliters/hectare Harvest: Manual in small cases Winemaking: Double sorting, 100% destemming, skin contact, with daily sticking in order to optimize color and aromatic extraction Alcoholic fermentation 15 days followed by malo lactic fermentation. Aging: 18 months in oak cask Bottling:
Grilled lamb, meat cooked with sauce, southern French cuisine and tasty dishes (tajines, couscous, paellas).
Review:
"Inviting spicy oak, malt and blackberry cream scents. Powerfully structured tannins, spicy liquorice and clove flavours as well as bramble fruit; very long finish. Its best years are far into the future. Terrific stuff."
- Decanter World Wine Awards 2020, 97 pts & Platinum Medal
Guilhem Tournier Bandol Rouge Cuvee Luisa Jeanne is made from 95% Mourvedre and 5% Syrah.
The wine takes its name from a goddess, Luisa Jeanne. It has a deep red color with dark brick hues, a very intense and complex nose with strong sensations of dark fruit, compote, spice, earth and garrigue, with a minty touch. Palate intense, complex and silky, full and opulent with olfactive sensations and a slightly mineral saline aftertaste accompanied by rich but ripe tannins wrapped in a fruity robe. Approachable, long, harmonious, elegant.
Late manual harvesting of left grapes, their selection according to ripeness, harvesting parcel by parcel, variety by variety, separate vinification. Long fermentation with natural yeasts to oxygenate the must, gentle extraction of color and tannins, decanting and dipping of the matoline cap to absorb the tannins and make the wine silky and expressive. Aged for 18 months in old foudres.
A gastronomic wine for major occasions, ideal for red meat, game, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate and Provençal cuisine.
Review:
- Wine Enthusiast (July 2022), 93 pts
Landes Caprices d'Anais Rose is made from 50% Merlot + 50% Cabernet Sauvignon
This cuvée was created in 2005 to honor Nicolas's first daughter Anais. Caprice d'Anais means "Anais' Whim".
Color: Pale pink with salmon hues.
Aromas: quite aromatic nose dominated with floral (linden and elderberry) and fruity (cherry, strawberry and raspberry) notes.
Flavors: Quite similar to the aromas, with red fruit and floral flavors. The wine is easy to drink with a good fresh and zesty finish.
Great on its own during summer time, it will also pair very well with grilled salmon, salads, roasted chicken or any white meat dish.
Landes Caprices d'Anais Rose is made from 50% Merlot + 50% Cabernet Sauvignon
This cuvée was created in 2005 to honor Nicolas's first daughter Anais. Caprice d'Anais means "Anais' Whim".
Color: Pale pink with salmon hues.
Aromas: quite aromatic nose dominated with floral (linden and elderberry) and fruity (cherry, strawberry and raspberry) notes.
Flavors: Quite similar to the aromas, with red fruit and floral flavors. The wine is easy to drink with a good fresh and zesty finish.
Great on its own during summer time, it will also pair very well with grilled salmon, salads, roasted chicken or any white meat dish.
Lodovico Barolo Cannubi is made from 100% Nebbiolo.
With a ruby-red color, the Barolo Cannubi has a rich bouquet which gradually recalls the scents of roses flowers, truffles and wood spice. The palate is at first elegant and refined, then is begins to gain in complexity with a little breathing or decanting.
Vine: Nebbiolo, sub-variety Lampia and Michet
Grapes provenance: Cannubi Boschis vineyard in the village of Barolo
Soil: composed mainly of large clayey limestone marls and sands
Vineyards: South-est facing with Guyot pruning (6-8 buds / vine)
N° Vines / hectare: 5000
Yield / hectare: 50-55 q / Ha
Plant year: 1970
Size of the vineyard: 1.3 hectare (3.21 acres) in the family since 1996 out of 40 hectares (98.8 acres) total for Cannubi.
Average height: 250-260 mt
Nebbiolo is a native black grape variety of Piedmont that gives birth also Barolo and Barbaresco. The name ‘Nebbiolo’ derives from the word ‘fog’ and there could be two reasons. The first hypothesis traces the name of Nebbiolo back to the obscured, almost clouded appearance of the grape, covered with abundant bloom. The second hypothesis, more suggestive, is linked to the very late ripening of the grapes: the Nebbiolo grape harvest often takes place in late October, when the vineyards are enveloped in morning mists.
Pairs with aged cheeses, red meat, rich/earthy dishes, truffle risotto, pasta with sausages and mushrooms. Braised or roasted meats.
Begude Bandol Rose L'Irreductible is made from 95% Mourvèdre, 5% Grenache
Eye: Deep Youthful Coral color.
Nose: Intense Fruity notes of Strawberry, Cherry blossom and watermelon.
Mouth: Superb mouthfeel, with an excellent acidity and structure, that gives the wine a long and balanced finish with some spicy aromas.
Opening: ½ hour before serving if possible.
It traditionally pairs well with fish, seafood, white meat and provencal dishes, such as Bouillabaisse (fish soup). It is also excellent with cheese and "international cuisine", spicy Indian, Chinese, Thai, Japanese cuisine.
Also try it with lobster ... pleasure guaranteed.
Review:
"Light red. Herbal nuances on the nose complemented by red berries. This is a big, mouth filling wine with spicy, herbal, pomegranate and raspberry flavors. It has excellent depth and a long finish. A blend of 60% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache, 20% Cinsault. Give this wine a year or two in bottle, and it'll be even better."
- International Wine Review (The World of Rose Report, June 2018), 91 pts
Domaine de La Begude was founded in 1996 by Guillaume and Louis Tari who continue an old family wine tradition (Chateau Giscours, 3rd Cru, Margaux). They are devoted to elaborating wines that express the characteristics of the Bandol terroir. The ageing cellars are the ancient Merovingian chapel of the 7th century from the "Conil" seigneury. This village has since disappeared, but it is mentioned as early as 966 in Saint Victor's maps. The estate produced some wine in the 16th century, and some ancient vinification tanks have been discovered there.
The Domaine de la Bégude Vineyard
The vineyard is situated at the top of the Bandol appellation (400 meters), overlooking the Mediterranean sea. The estate measures 1,240 acres of which 37 acres are in vines (15 hectares). The vines are cultivated on terraces facing south. The terraces are divided because of the very uneven relief of the wooded massif on which lies the estate. Olive trees surround most of the vine plots and take part in perfecting a typical landscape of the Bandol area.
The grape percentages are: 65% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache,10% Cinsault, and the vines average 20 years of age. Grapes are hand harvested and totally de-stemmed before 3 – 4 weeks of fermentation on the skins. Egg white fining finishes the winemaking process before bottling. Production in total is 2,500 – 3,000 cases annually. This property makes clean and focused Bandol, as opposed to the rustic style so commonly seen from this A.O.C.
The Tari family also produces a Cotes de Provence (Rose and Red) made from grapes grown in the heart of the Provencal oak forest, dominating the Maures Mountains.
Anakota Wines Helena Dakota Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
Helena Dakota is defined by its power, structure and sophistication. It is an intricate Cabernet Sauvignon that reflects both the terroir of the site and the influence of the surrounding Knights Valley AVA. It possesses layers of plums, anise, cassis, leather, bay leaf and cedar. Galvanized by a streak of minerals and bold tannins. Helena Dakota is a solidly-built wine that stands the test of time.
This sloping, 12-acre vineyard runs southwest to northeast at roughly 750 feet above sea level. It features soft, reddish brown, gravelly, silt loam soils speckled with rocks. Prevailing westerly winds blow over a large pond and continue uphill parallel to the rows of vines. These cooling breezes slow the ripening process creating wines that are both powerful and balanced with red fruit flavors, notable minerality and graceful tannins. Pierre says the Cabernet from Helena Dakota remind him of Pauillac or Saint-Estèphe.
Fragrant, opulent, and complex, bursting with fresh blueberry and black currant, Crème de Violette, and subtle fresh bay leaf aromatics. The palate is luxurious and rich, perfectly balancing this wine’s firm structure.
Review:
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard explodes with violets, aniseed and cast iron, with a deep core of crushed blueberries and black cherries, evolving continually with each approach to the glass. The palate is stunning with its intensity and lift, pure fruits, pixelated tannins and focused acidity that drives the very long finish. Its exceptional balance and super pure flavors, plus that characteristic streak of iron that appears across the Anakota portfolio, really take the 2019 Helena Dakota to the next level.
-Wine Advocate 99 Points
Luis Canas Reserva Seleccion de la Familia Rioja is made from 85% Tempranillo and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
Aged for 20 months in new oak barrels - 50% French 50% American.
45 years old vines
Alcohol: 14,5º
Total acidity: 5,73 g./l.
Volatile acidity: 0,73 g./l.
PH: 3,53
Free SO2: 28 mg./l.
Reducing sugars: 1,3 g./l.
The “family reserve” from one of Rioja Alavesa’s most enduring family-run wineries. Wines destined to be the Reserva de la Familia label are made from a selection of grapes from old vines, those which combine a series of characteristics such as good orientation and exposure to the sun, and a poor soil which ensures low yields.
This wine is one of very few Rioja wines to blend Cabernet Sauvignon with Tempranillo. Bodegas Luis Cañas was granted permission by the D.O.Ca. to plant this variety as an experiment in the early 1980s.
Tasting notes
A brilliant garnet color with cherry hints on the edges.
The nose offers a complex variety of aromas that combine to bring an intense and sophisticated wine. Initially we can find very ripe berry fruits, smoky notes, raisins and liquor. After a certain amount of aeration, the cinnamon and jam notes appear and, with a little more time, the roasted and spiced aromas are noticed more clearly.
The palate is full, with a good presence of tannins, although these are offset by the glycerine like character, resulting in a fleshy sensation. Long lasting and lingering finish.
Winemaking and aging:
The grapes were cold macerated for 72 hours upon arrival at the winery. They underwent fermentation at 26º C in sealed cement tanks under constant thermal control, with the must pumped over daily. With the paste devatted by gravity, spontaneous malolactic fermentation took place after 45 days.
The wine was aged for 20 months in 50% medium toasted American and 50% French oak barrels. The barrel ageing not only adds tannins from the wood, but stabilizes the wine naturally. After the final racking, it was clarified in tanks with a small amount of natural egg white, decanted after 30 days and bottled directly without any type of filtration. Because this wine’s evolutionary cycle is quite slow, only corks of the highest quality available were used to ensure that it could be prolonged for several years.