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2019 Bandol Rouge
Domaine de la Tour du BonBandol rouge: that iconic dark, brawny nectar with unmistakable tannic grip. Agnès Henry’s version is trademark Bandol but also a horse of a different color. Her blend includes a little less Mourvèdre and a little more Grenache than may be typical, translating into a softer structure and an almost ethereal weightlessness. The 2019 Tour du Bon rouge, with its juicy nose and bright, crunchy fruit, its mouthwatering acidity and peppery verve, is particularly elegant. We opened it on a perfectly ordinary Sunday evening with a bowl of butternut squash soup and fresh crusty bread. It made our quiet dinner feel like a fête.
—Emily Spillmann
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2019 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 55% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache, 15% Cinsault, 5% Carignan |
Appellation: | Bandol |
Country: | France |
Region: | Provence |
Producer: | Domaine de la Tour du Bon |
Winemaker: | Hocquard-Henry Family |
Vineyard: | 38 year average, 11 ha total |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone, Silt, Sandstone |
Aging: | Wines age in foudres for 18 months before bottling |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 14.2% |
More from this Producer or Region
2021 Cassis Blanc “Bel-Arme”
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2020 Bandol Rouge
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2015 Bandol Rouge
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Deep, opulent Mourvèdre fruit, a hint of game, ample flesh, and earthy nuances framed by bright acidity
2020 Bandol Rouge “Saint Ferréol”
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Soulful and slightly wild, but beautifully balanced, this rouge has an irresistible notes of garrigue.
2020 Côtes de Provence Rouge
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Contrary to the usual rough and tannic reds of the far-reaching Côtes de Provence appellation, this is fresh and lively! A gem hidden in the hills.
2022 Bouches-du-Rhône Rosé “Marie de Magdala”
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Experience the delicate side of Bandol—gentle and full of charm, it offers notes of clementine, white peach, and lavender.
2016 Alpilles Blanc “Dolia”
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2020 Bandol Rouge
France | Provence
The 2020 Tour du Bon rouge, with its juicy nose and bright, crunchy fruit, its mouthwatering acidity and peppery verve, is particularly elegant.
2019 Bandol Rouge “Saint Ferréol”
France | Provence
Soulful and slightly wild, but beautifully balanced, this rouge has an irresistible notes of garrigue.
About The Producer
Domaine de la Tour du Bon
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
2022 Bandol Blanc
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2022 Bandol Rosé
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2014 Bandol Rouge
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2016 Alpilles Blanc “Dolia”
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2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
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2021 Vin de Pays du Mont Caume Rouge “Terre d’Ombre”
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2022 Bandol Rosé HALF BOTTLE
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2022 Méditerranée Blanc
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2018 Alpilles Rouge “Amethyste”
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2021 Côtes de Provence “Blanc de Blancs”
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2022 Alpilles Rouge “Grenache”
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2020 Bandol Rouge “Saint Ferréol”
Domaine de la Tour du Bon France | Provence
2022 Bandol Blanc
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2022 Bandol Rosé
Domaine du Gros ’Noré France | Provence
2014 Bandol Rouge
Domaine du Gros'Noré France | Provence
2016 Alpilles Blanc “Dolia”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2021 Vin de Pays du Mont Caume Rouge “Terre d’Ombre”
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2022 Bandol Rosé HALF BOTTLE
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2022 Méditerranée Blanc
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2018 Alpilles Rouge “Amethyste”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2021 Côtes de Provence “Blanc de Blancs”
Clos Saint-Joseph France | Provence
2022 Alpilles Rouge “Grenache”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2020 Bandol Rouge “Saint Ferréol”
Domaine de la Tour du Bon France | Provence
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
I want you to realize once and for all: Even the winemaker does not know what aging is going to do to a new vintage; Robert Parker does not know; I do not know. We all make educated (hopefully) guesses about what the future will bring, but guesses they are. And one of the pleasures of a wine cellar is the opportunity it provides for you to witness the evolution of your various selections. 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.
Inspiring Thirst, page 171