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2020 Bandol Rouge
Domaine du Gros ’NoréAlain Pascal
After Domaine Tempier, Gros ’Noré represents our second-oldest relationship in Bandol, going back twenty-five years to when Kermit came across the burly former boxer who had stopped selling his prized grapes to big-name Provençal estates and begun bottling his own wine. It didn’t take long for the jovial and endlessly generous Alain Pascal to become one of the great producers of the region, fashioning reds that remarkably mirror his personality and stature in so many ways.
His vineyards are situated along the rolling hillsides around La Cadière d’Azur, where the hot summer sun and clay soils impart impressive power to his grapes. Alain’s blend features eighty percent Mourvèdre—above the appellation minimum of fifty percent—a choice that results in additional concentration and brawn in his soulful Bandol. The power of Alain’s rouge is always balanced by plenty of freshness and finesse, making it an outstanding bottle to pair with a wide range of grilled and braised meats. The flavors of dark fruit, garrigue, and smoke sing beautifully alongside Chris Lee’s duck breast with tapenade for a sublime winter feast.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2020 |
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: | 30 years average, 14 ha |
Soil: | Clay |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 14.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
2020 Cassis Blanc “Bel-Arme”
France | Provence
With a touch of creaminess following the crisp stone fruit, it’s a Mediterranean white in a cashmere sweater.
2014 Bandol Rouge
France | Provence
The inky purple juice staining your tongue as you wash down a garlicky morsel of rosemary-studded lamb tastes not unlike it did shortly after the grapes were crushed and racked into Alain’s large oak casks.
2018 Bandol Rouge MAGNUM
France | Provence
Here is a full-bodied dose of Terrebrune terroir you can enjoy over the next thirty years.
2022 Bouches-du-Rhône Blanc “Baume Noire”
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It is a seafood lover’s dream wine.
2022 Bandol Rosé
France | Provence
Comfort wine, the way it slides down one’s gullet. A luxurious physical sensation from start to finish.
2018 Alpilles Rouge “Amethyste”
France | Provence
Cinsault raised in concrete egg: all about finesse.
2020 Alpilles Rouge “Amethyste”
France | Provence
Cinsault raised in concrete egg: all about finesse.
2022 Bandol Blanc
France | Provence
From the iconic Domaine Tempier, this mineral white wine smells like the Mediterranean.
2022 Bandol Blanc
France | Provence
This mineral blend has an ethereal perfume, reminiscent of blossoming flowers with a hint of fennel.
2021 Bandol Rouge“La Tourtine”
France | Provence
There are few pleasures like aged Bandol rouge from Tempier.
About The Region
Provence
Perhaps there is no region more closely aligned with the history to Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant than Provence. Provence is where Richard Olney, an American ex-pat and friend of Alice Waters, lived, and introduced Kermit to the great producers of Provence, most importantly Domaine Tempier of Bandol. Kermit also spends upwards of half his year at his home in a small town just outside of Bandol.
Vitis vinifera first arrived in France via Provence, landing in the modern day port city of Marseille in the 6th century BC. The influence of terroir on Provençal wines goes well beyond soil types. The herbs from the pervasive scrubland, often referred to as garrigue, as well as the mistral—a cold, drying wind from the northwest that helps keep the vines free of disease—play a significant role in the final quality of the grapes. Two more elements—the seemingly ever-present sun and cooling saline breezes from the Mediterranean—lend their hand in creating a long growing season that result in grapes that are ripe but with good acidity.
Rosé is arguably the most well known type of wine from Provence, but the red wines, particularly from Bandol, possess a great depth of character and ability to age. The white wines of Cassis and Bandol offer complexity and ideal pairings for the sea-influenced cuisine. Mourvèdre reigns king for red grapes, and similar to the Languedoc and Rhône, Grenache, Cinsault, Marsanne, Clairette, Rolle, Ugni Blanc among many other grape varieties are planted.
More from Provence or France
2020 Cassis Blanc “Bel-Arme”
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge
“La Tourtine”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2022 Cassis Blanc
Clos Ste Magdeleine France | Provence
2020 Bandol Rouge
“La Tourtine”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2020 Alpilles Rouge “Amethyste”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2022 Côtes de Provence Rosé
Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2022 Bandol Rosé
Domaine de la Tour du Bon France | Provence
2021 Alpes-Maritimes Grassenc “Les Planches de Lunel”
Clos Saint-Joseph France | Provence
2020 Côtes de Provence Rouge
Clos Saint-Joseph France | Provence
2018 Alpilles Rouge “Amethyste”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2015 Bandol Rouge
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2020 Cassis Blanc “Bel-Arme”
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge
“La Tourtine”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2022 Cassis Blanc
Clos Ste Magdeleine France | Provence
2020 Bandol Rouge
“La Tourtine”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2020 Alpilles Rouge “Amethyste”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2022 Côtes de Provence Rosé
Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2022 Bandol Rosé
Domaine de la Tour du Bon France | Provence
2021 Alpes-Maritimes Grassenc “Les Planches de Lunel”
Clos Saint-Joseph France | Provence
2020 Côtes de Provence Rouge
Clos Saint-Joseph France | Provence
2018 Alpilles Rouge “Amethyste”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2015 Bandol Rouge
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.
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