Notify me
2016 Bandol Rouge
Domaine du Gros ’Noré
A visit with Alain Pascal in La Cadière d’Azur in June confirmed that his vintage 2016 rouge is one that will grace my California table often. Most likely as Jim Harrison might have enjoyed it, with copious quantities of crushed garlic and red meat (wild game, if I can get my hands on some—my southern roots are distant out here in California—I need to find someone who will trade me hunting rights for wine!). Alain’s largely whole-cluster Mourvèdre in 2016 is a dark beauty, a tapenade of black olives infused with wild southern herbs, earth, and stones, with a glorious tannin that shows no aggression.
—Dixon Brooke
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2016 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 80% Mourvèdre, 15% Grenache, 5% Cinsault |
Appellation: | Bandol |
Country: | France |
Region: | Provence |
Producer: | Domaine du Gros ‘Noré |
Winemaker: | Alain Pascal |
Vineyard: | 14 ha |
Soil: | Clay |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 14.5% |
More from this Producer or Region

2020 Bandol Rouge“La Tourtine”
France | Provence
La Tourtine perhaps best expresses the paradoxical combination of power and elegance that is a trademark of the Domaine's wines.

2024 Bandol Rosé
France | Provence
Crisp and characterful, and loaded with Provençal complexity, it’s a balanced blend of structured Mourvèdre with equal parts Cinsault, a more delicate variety, and fruit-forward Grenache.

2024 Bandol Rosé
France | Provence
Experience the delicate side of Bandol—gentle and full of charm, it offers notes of clementine, white peach, and lavender.

2020 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
France | Provence
With this chewy, fragrant cuvée, something garlicky cooked over coals will do just fine.

2020 Bandol Rouge
France | Provence
This full-bodied rouge, with notes of dark fruit and fragrant garrigue, is built for grilled lamb or pork chops.

2021 Bandol Rouge“La Tourtine”
France | Provence
There are few pleasures like aged Bandol rouge from Tempier.

2022 Alpilles Rouge “Grenache”
France | Provence
A thoroughbred of pure Grenache, this unbridled rouge is fresh and lithe, teeming with juicy dark fruit and ample goût de terroir.

2024 Méditerranée Rouge “Terre d’Ombre”
France | Provence
A vivid purple color, it is akin to fresh-pressed wild berries and perfumed hints of flowers and pepper, without the dense, grippy tannin characteristic of a true Bandol made from older vines.

2020 Côtes de Provence Syrah “Les Planches de la Garedivole”
France | Provence
If Hermitage were grown in the Provençal Alps...

2022 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
France | Provence
As Kermit wrote, “there is always something wild and unpredictable about it, spirited, shall we say, yet it is honest and impeccable, full of warmth and finesse.”
About The Producer
Domaine du Gros ‘Noré
Former boxer and avid hunter Alain Pascal is a gentle giant, whose physique matches both his spirit and his wine. He farms sixteen hectares of vineyards on the rolling hillsides around La Cadière d’Azur in Bandol, the appellation regarded as the grand cru of Provence. The vineyards are composed of both clay and limestone, imparting a pronounced structure of earthy, splintered rock. This microclimate near the Mediterranean brings warm weather and full sun, tempered by the persistent Mistral. Alain leaves his grapes to mature fully on the vine, lending great intensity to the fruit. Where appellation law demands that each blend includes at least 50 percent Mourvèdre, Alain uses 80 percent—a choice that gives more power and concentration to the final assemblage. Do not be fooled by the strength and boldness of the Gros ’Noré Bandol, though; underneath a big exterior is a wine of character, depth, complexity, soul, and finesse.
About The Region
Provence
There is perhaps no region more closely aligned with the history of Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant than Provence. While Kermit began his career as a Burgundy specialist, he soon fell in love with Provence and its wines, notably the legendary Bandols of Domaine Tempier, which he began importing in 1977. He later began living in the area part-time, returning frequently between tasting trips, and today he spends most of his time at his home just outside of Bandol.
Provence is thought to be France’s most ancient wine region, established when Greek settlers landed in the modern-day port city of Marseille in the 6th century BC. The conditions here are ideal for cultivation of the grapevine, with a hot, dry climate and a prevalence of poor, rocky soils, primarily limestone-based, suitable for vines and not much else. The ever-present southern sunshine as well as the mistral, a cold, drying wind from the northwest that helps keep the vines free of disease, are crucial elements of Provençal terroir. Wild herbs from the pervasive scrubland, called garrigue, and cooling saline breezes from the Mediterranean also contribute to the quality and character of wines in all three colors.
Provence is well known for its rosés, but red wines have always held importance here. The very best, such as those from Bandol, possess great depth and a capacity for long-term aging. The white wines, notably those of Cassis, offer weight balanced by a maritime freshness, making them ideal pairings for the local seafood. Mourvèdre reigns king for red grapes, supported mainly by Grenache and Cinsault, while Clairette, Marsanne, Rolle, and Ugni Blanc are the region’s principal white grapes.
More from Provence or France
2023 Alpilles Blanc “Jaspe”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2024 Bandol Rosé
Domaine du Gros 'Noré France | Provence
2020 Bandol Rouge
“La Migoua”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2024 Côtes de Provence Rosé
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2022 Alpilles Blanc “Clairette”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2024 Méditerranée Rouge “Terre d’Ombre”
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2017 Alpilles Blanc “Dolia”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2022 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2023 Cassis Blanc
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge
“La Tourtine”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2022 Alpes-Maritimes Grassenc “Les Planches de Lunel”
Clos Saint-Joseph France | Provence
2023 Alpilles Blanc “Jaspe”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2024 Bandol Rosé
Domaine du Gros 'Noré France | Provence
2020 Bandol Rouge
“La Migoua”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2024 Côtes de Provence Rosé
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2022 Alpilles Blanc “Clairette”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2024 Méditerranée Rouge “Terre d’Ombre”
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2017 Alpilles Blanc “Dolia”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2022 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2023 Cassis Blanc
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge
“La Tourtine”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2022 Alpes-Maritimes Grassenc “Les Planches de Lunel”
Clos Saint-Joseph France | Provence
Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
You don’t have to be rich to cellar a great wine.