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
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
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
Roche Redonne Bandol Rouge Les Bartavelles is made from 95% Mourvedre and 5% Grenache.
This cuvée is named "Bartavelles" which is French for the "Rock Partridge".
The wine is quite aromatic, with boysenberry, blackcurrant, peppery and graphite notes. Ample in the mouth with a creamy structure, soft, harmonious and elegant tannins. The finish is long and juicy.
Excellent with grilled red meat or game. Also excellent with cheese
Roche Redonne Bandol Rouge Les Bartavelles is made from 95% Mourvedre and 5% Grenache.
This cuvée is named "Bartavelles" which is French for the "Rock Partridge".
The wine is quite aromatic, with boysenberry, blackcurrant, peppery and graphite notes. Ample in the mouth with a creamy structure, soft, harmonious and elegant tannins. The finish is long and juicy.
Excellent with grilled red meat or game. Also excellent with cheese
Review:
The 2016 Bandol Cuvee les Bartavelles is lush, open and inviting. Marked by hints of pencil shavings and boysenberries, this 95% Mourvèdre cuvée is medium to full-bodied, creamy textured and easy to drink. It should be consumed over the next decade. - Joe CZERWINSKI"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (May 16th 2019), 90 pts
Mas Redonne Bandol Rose is made from 55% Mourvèdre, 35% Cinsault, 10% Grenache.
Nice light salmon color, typical of Bandol.
The wine expresses some citrus, Pomelos (a delicious type of grapefruit) and lots of white fruit aromas and minerality.
The flavors are fresh, fruity and very aromatic with tons of apricot and mango.
Grilled salmon, chicken dishes as well as salads, sushi and sashimi.
Begude Bandol Rouge 2010 is made from 85% Mourvèdre, 15% Grenache.
Manual harvest.
The grapes are sorted in the vineyard and in the vinification building. The grapes are totally destemmed.
8-10 days of alcoholic fermentation, maceration for 35 days, malolactic fermentation, oak aging for 18 months in French barrels (Allier) - 1/3 new.
Every year, they change one quarter of their oak casks. A racking is done every three months, except for the vintage that make their second fermentation in barrels.
Pairs well with red meat, beef rib, duck fillet, roasted lamb, wild boar, deer, cheese.
"Generous and opulent, this is a wine that has both fine perfume and ripe black-fruit flavors. There is a deliciously juicy element to the wine, yet it’s balanced with ample acidity. With its attractive, herbal edge, this is a wine that can age. Drink from 2016. -R.V."
- Wine Enthusiast (March 2014), 94 pts + CELLAR SELECTION
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.
Emilio Rojo Ribeiro Blanc is made from 80% Trajadura, 20% others.
Emilio Rojo is produced on the hillside facing the morning sun of the Avia Valley. The vineyard has been tirelessly worked for over 30 years and through these efforts it shaped an iconic landscape that is defined by its perfect terraces and artisanal viticulture.
Emilio Rojo has been designed to transcend time. A wine made in communion with Nature and attached to the roots of the vines that faithfully express the character of the place. Emilio Rojo is the perfect fusion of the man and the vineyard.
Emilio Rojo is a blend of different local varieties (treixadura, lado, godello, caíño blanco, albariño and torrontés) that resulted in a delicate, but tense and lively wine. A complex nose that opens with time, marked by round, citrus fruit notes and floral nuances. An energetic and elegant feel with great depth that leads to a long, full finish. An honest representation of this unique plot.
Review:
"Shimmering yellow. A wild, highly complex bouquet evokes ripe citrus and orchard fruits, succulent herbs, fennel and chamomile, and a smoky mineral element adds urgency and lift. Stains the palate with concentrated Meyer lemon, pear and peach nectar, honey and floral flavors that are supported by an undercurrent of juicy acidity. Deftly combines depth and energy and finishes extremely long and minerally, with resonating orchard fruit and floral notes. - Josh RAYNOLDS"
- Vinous (June 2021), 95 pts
A very deep purple, red in color. This wine showcases Shiraz with its depth of Barossa Valley and the alluring, aromatic freshness of Eden Valley. Vibrant aromas of dark cherries, anise and red raspberry. A distinctive wine with richness and dark berry, fruit compote palate. Perfectly balanced, elegant and refined.
Enjoy with beef filet, roast beetroot and horseradish, or Korean fried cauliflower.