Provence in a Bottle

Originally posted March 19, 2015.

Here francetoday.com introduces readers to one of our favorite and indeed most underrated French red wines, Bandol. Perhaps the finest of all Bandols is, as America’s number one French wine importer Kermit Lynch underscores, Domaine Tempier.

Francetoday.com writes:

So many things make the Provencal commune of Bandol a unique place: its micro-climate, use of Mourvèdre as its primary varietal, steep slopes requiring manual harvests and a pure pedigree as an ancient wine-making region.

Bandol is one of the eight Provençal appellations. AOC Côtes de Provence seems to get all of the attention – apart from Bordeaux, it’s the only other region in France that has its own classified growth ranking. Burgundy, Champagne, Alsace and the Loire, for example, all classify their vineyards by area and not by château or estate.