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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 Bandol Rouge “Saint Ferréol”
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Soulful and slightly wild, but beautifully balanced, this rouge has an irresistible notes of garrigue.
2018 Bandol Rouge
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May Chevalier ~ Here is a full-bodied dose of Terrebrune terroir you can enjoy over the next thirty years.
2022 Cassis Blanc
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May Chevalier ~ A blend of Ugni blanc, Claudette, Marsanne, and Sauvignon blanc, here is the wine to enhance seafood and shellfish.
2016 Les Baux de Provence Rouge “Cornaline”
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After seven years, the 2016 is in its sweet spot, evoking sumptuous fruits like sour plum and fig, which make this cuvée distinctly Provençal.
2022 Méditerranée Blanc
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A 50/50 assemblage of Ugni Blanc and Vermentino, the two varieties meld together to create a white that breaks the mold entirely for what we’ve come to expect from this magical stretch of Provençal coastline.
2021 Côtes de Provence “Blanc de Blancs”
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This gorgeous blend of Vermentino, Ugni Blanc, Sémillon, and Clairette is both fleshy and mineral-driven.
2022 Bandol Rosé
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Terrebrune’s Bandol epitomizes this idea of a terroir-driven rosé, from the nose of thyme and white peach, redolent of a Provençal summer, to its mouthwateringly salty finish.
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.
2022 Bandol Rosé
France | Provence
Comfort wine, the way it slides down one’s gullet. A luxurious physical sensation from start to finish.
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.
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
2014 Bandol Rouge
Domaine du Gros'Noré France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rosé
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2022 Bouches-du-Rhône Rosé “Marie de Magdala”
Clos Ste Magdeleine France | Provence
2021 Alpes-Maritimes Grassenc “Les Planches de Lunel”
Clos Saint-Joseph France | Provence
2022 Bandol Blanc
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2018 Bandol Rouge
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2020 Bandol Rouge “Saint Ferréol”
Domaine de la Tour du Bon France | Provence
2020 Bandol Rouge
“La Migoua”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2016 Les Baux de Provence Rouge “Cornaline”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2020 Bandol Rouge
Domaine de la Tour du Bon France | Provence
2022 Alpilles Rouge “Grenache”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2014 Bandol Rouge
Domaine du Gros'Noré France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rosé
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2022 Bouches-du-Rhône Rosé “Marie de Magdala”
Clos Ste Magdeleine France | Provence
2021 Alpes-Maritimes Grassenc “Les Planches de Lunel”
Clos Saint-Joseph France | Provence
2022 Bandol Blanc
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2018 Bandol Rouge
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2020 Bandol Rouge “Saint Ferréol”
Domaine de la Tour du Bon France | Provence
2020 Bandol Rouge
“La Migoua”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2016 Les Baux de Provence Rouge “Cornaline”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2020 Bandol Rouge
Domaine de la Tour du Bon France | Provence
2022 Alpilles Rouge “Grenache”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
Where the newsletter started
Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch
Promo Code Terms
There are two types of promo codes
1) a code that gives you a percentage off your order
2) a code that gives you a dollar amount off your order
How do promo codes or coupon codes work?
When you place an order with a percentage coupon code, the discount only applies to discount eligible items. An eligible item typically is a product that does not already have a discount. Sampler packs that already have discounts applied to them do not count towards the minimum of 12 eligible items. In your shopping cart, you'll see percentage discounts next to each bottle.
When you place an order with a dollar amount code, the dollar amount is added to your discount. In your shopping cart, the dollar amount is subtracted from your total, and does not show next to each bottle.