Bandol: Red of Provence

Garrigue springs to mind when I consider Provence. This is a land of pine trees, almond groves, miles of lavender, chaparral, and fresh herbs. It’s an expanse of rocky soils, sand, and mustard seed; chatting around pétanque, workers in the olive groves, and idyllic scenes from Jean de Florette wist about your mind when you visit.

To the north it’s as rustic as a Soubeyran, directly to the south it’s a billionaire’s yacht club: the Miami of Europe. Along the French Riviera, anyone is welcome, so long as you have money to spend. Tourists line the beaches working on their tan, while those feeling their fortunes line the blackjack tables at the casinos. Not all towns along the Côte d’Azur are all play and no work, however.

Mourvèdre Growing in Provence

Bandol may not be the most widely recognized or heavily praised appellation in France, but it may well be the shiniest pearl in all of Provence, when it comes to quality wine. Bandol has been the sophisticates wine of choice along the Côte d’Azur since 1941, when the appellation was created. It umbrellas all three colors of wine as well, notably; red, rosé and white wines all can be labeled with this town’s name.

Just up the road from famed St. Tropez, the region is spread around the town itself along a fifteen hundred hectare stretch of vines throughout eight communes. Bandol is notably hot, and summer’s here are known to get into the triple digits from time to time, with hours of sun exposure, which means that producers must use grapes that can withstand immense heat and not end up with cooked flavors.

Spanish grape Mourvèdre is the grape of choice. But a mere common blending grape to producers of the Southern Rhône, to the north of Bandol, it is king, and on full display. Mourvèdre is used to make reds and rose wines, and must be at least fifty percent of any blend - there are several other grapes allowed to soften Mourvèdre, but not in quantities large enough to tame its weight.

Also known as Monastrell, or Mataro, experts estimate Mourvèdre arrived in France from Spain, and with its late-ripening prowess, quickly began to undermine the local varietals. The grape is known for having a desirable rustic quality to it, and imparting these qualities on the wine. Horse, sweaty saddle, and barnyard are all common descriptors - these features can be exasturbated by the winemaking process. But the wines are also lush, plummy, peppery and racy, giving them lovely complexity, and ageability.

The gaminess of Mourvèdre is commonly toned down by a number of other common warm-climate grapes. Cinsault, and Grenache are used interchangeably. The thin-skinned Grenache puts up with the heat noticeably poorly, and must be planted on the opposite slopes as Mourvèdre - The northern ones, away from the sun’s rays. Twenty percent of the blend may also be Syrah, or Carignan, but these grapes are on the decline in plantings due to the abject versatility of the more much suitable thick-skinned Mourvèdre. This has been a trend as temperatures rise.

The South of France has long been associated with pink drink, that Is, Rosé, as much as it has been associated with les Fruits de Mer with which it is consumed. Bandol, of course, is no exception. Of the fifty-five hundred hectoliters of Bandol-labeled wine produced each year, approximately a third of that is Rosé. Not even Jeremy Clarkson could consume that much pink drink in one sitting.

Bandol Rosé is far superior to any other found in Provence, because of its incredible nuance. There has been somewhat of a Provençal rebound of epic proportions due to an apoplectic trend towards quaffable beach rosé, like the ghastly Whispering Angel, and overpriced hairspray manufacturer Mireval. Both of which seem to be able to churn out bottles in the hundreds of thousands every springtime in celebration of, yes way rosé, a slogan-based holiday which increasingly seems to defy any capitalistic logic.

It’s difficult to describe exactly what I’m on about, but every time I have a Bandol rosé I’m instantly taken aback by the pleasant aroma of white truffle that permeates every sip. It adds to the flavors of sour strawberry, and ripe cantaloupe so well. There’s almost a cheesy funk to this wine that is subtle, yet pervasive and mouthwatering. Acidity is also extremely fine, like a bolt of energy on the scene just as needed; a balance lacking in some Provençal rosé resulting in unpleasant aromatic intensity that is candy-like, and unappetizing.

White wine is produced on northern facing slopes, generally of the Clairette grape. I say generally because AOC rules stipulate that, like Mourvèdre in red wines, Clairette must make up at least fifty percent of the blend. This is a spiced wine showing striking acidity and great floral aromas, highly contrasting the richer Marsanne and Rousanne of the Southern Rhône. It is strident, and auspicious in nature, a bit reminiscent of Arneis, across the boarder in Piemonte.

The wine, due to its bright, florally-perfumed essence, is often blended with Languedoc standby Bourboulenc and Ugni Blanc (Vermentino). These grapes add a honeyed quality to the wine, and are a favorable compliment. While the whites of Bandol are often very nice to drink, it is the least common wine produced here, and for good reason - the cooler spots are reserved for the more favorable red varietals meant to distinguish the regional treasure that is Mourvèdre, and often, the nicer of these sites are not awarded to white grapes.

Mourvèdre plantings loom across the terraced hills of Bandol from the city itself, all the way north to Castellet. The appellation is broken down locally into uncategorized sub-regions, of which there are seven ranging in various terroir, and reputations for quality. The grapes must be grown on terraces, due to the elevations of the hills that run along this Mediterranean city. That means all grapes must be hand-picked, inclining the price of the coveted wines. Bandol, La Cadière d’Azur, Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer, Le Castellet, Le Beausset, Évenos, Ollioules, and Sanary-sur-Mer, are all of the subregions from warmest, in the south to the much more coveted northern regions. You can see them all on the map above.

A northern aspect is arguably more important to growers here than soil content. As previously stated, Mourvèdre and other red grapes are often grown on terraces dominated by the Mistral wind which blows in from the north to cool the grapes in the latter season. Like the Northern Rhône, these vines risk being tossed from their workable perches by this powerful force of nature. Unlike in the northern Rhône, the crop is protected somewhat by the obstruction of the Massif de la Sainte-Baume, and Chaîne de Saint-Cry, another massif to the westerly aspect.

The Mediterranean Sea acts as a climate regulator, adding some cooling effects of its own, and keeping the air from stagnation, but good canopy management is a virtue and important trick of the trade to keep the grapes from sunburn. Fortunately, due to all of the moving air, mold and rot are not a huge problem in Bandol. The region is incredibly windy, but the grapes are ripened by the extraordinary sunlight that this area receives.

The northern, more coveted plots, like those soils owned by the respectable Domaine Tempier are a shallow sandstone marl, flanked by rich earthen clay at lower depths. The sandstone is well-draining but the clay can often come is a source for key minerals for the vines, and moisture during the dry Bandol summers. This also can mean that a lack of rain to charge the moisture in the clay during the spring can be a problem for growers later in season. If a vine lacks moisture, it shuts off grape production to keep from dying, and Mourvèdre is a rare grape that makes its best wines with a relatively consistent pattern of moisture.

Gypsum, and greenstone can be found littered upon the surface. These help to deflect the sun onto the grape skins for assured ripening of the tannin. Good terroir also depends on good breeding stock, and a winegrower must know what offspring to pick when he is planting, experienced producers like Domaine Tempier, have new plantings down to a science, strategically selecting the most resourceful Mourvèdre possible.

Viticulturist and winemaker Jean-Philippe believes in biodynamic farming, following the lunar-cycles for harvest and pruning, and swearing off any inorganic fertilizer, or pestilence solution. Likewise, burying the poo-filled cattle horn is not unordinary sight on his property either. Weed killing is done by sheep, berries picked by hand, and garrigue acts as a natural pest deterrent. This attention to detail gives the wines their incredible reputation.

La Tourtine is the jewel of their terroir, made of only five and a half hectares. Comprised of eighty-five percent Mourvèdre, and aged in French oak for eighteen months, this cuvée is an inordinate blast of dark fruit, cassis, and red plum, followed by the organic earthiness of truffle, and sanguine. Leather follows suit, and unfurls on the palette into an amalgamation of treebank and anise. This spiciness lingers on the palette for a thorough finish. The wine never feels as hot as the environment in which it is grown. This wine is very well layered, nuanced and pleasant expressing all of the complexity of a cooler climate domaine.

If you’re looking for a Charcuterie board partner, look no further than Gouda - not the cheap stuff from the grocery store, I’m referring to Beemster Gouda, from the city in Holland itself. These sharp cheeses provide enough funnel at various ages to compliment the strength of the wine very nicely. They go wonderfully into the mold of dark fruit, and have the fattiness to accord acidity nicely as well.

Gouda has been made since the early middle ages and is named after the city in the Netherlands called Gouda - pronounced a bit more like [how-duh] not [goo-duh]. Processors start by taking thew raw curds from cow’s milk, they wash the curd with water, draining some of the protein off of it. This will shed lactic acid from the cheese, richening up its adored sweet flavors of honey. The curds are then loaded into molds, and the rinds are washed over with brine, done traditionally as a preservative. This brine gives the cheese a ripe, salty characteristic.

If you’re going to pair this cheese with wine, I would recommend paying attention to the following age categories for the cheese. This can make a big difference texturally, and in regards tot he flavor profile. I would avoid young cheese altogether and go for the more illustrious, funky, and floral matured cheese. These cheeses start at sixteen weeks of aging on the rind.

In texture they are soften, and slightly gooier in the center, and lack the crystalline granules that you can find in more aged cheeses. Despite their youth, thanks to the brining and ripening, there is still a good waft of cave-funk to the younger cheeses. They have a solid texture, with a lovely creaminess that is just begging to be cut texturally by an acidic rosé offering flavors of earthiness to compliment those in the cheese and ripe strawberry to add some sweetness to the flavors of cream.

Old cheese is a good fit for the Clairette-based white wines of Bandol. Old cheese will be labeled as such after ten months of age and will have begun to develop some age crystals. These are the salt-like textural components of an older cheese that can often offer some crunch These cheeses will also be full flavor, and likely be reminiscent of a funky, honeyed tangerine. They are delectable with Claudette because the light, acetic wines can cut through the fatty cheese, offering complimentary flavors of clementine, mandrake, and sharp lime.

Vlaaskaas is the oldest cheese that Beemster offers aged a whole year on the rind, and it is certainly full-flavor. Crystalline aggregates are in full bloom and plentiful. These wines are no longer fatty, but lean and tart - similar to a mandrake-flavored Parmesan. The whole cheese is crystalline, and breaks apart on the mouth. It speaks of mushrooms, and clementine, potting soils and honey. This cheese calls for a full-flavor Mourvèdre with its rich dark fruit palatability dirt and truffle flavors on full display. This is not just a pairing, it can be a full fledged fist fight between the cheese and wine that is both energetic and delicious.

Another fantastic Mourvèdre to try at more of a modest price-point, yet lacking no palatability, is Bunan Bandol, Moulin des Costes. The nuance here leaves nothing to be desired. The wine opens with a symphony of crisp blackberry, pomegranate and rich cassis. It then displays tantalizing aromas of fresh dirt and truffle, a bit of musk, and leather, then drifts off into gravel and cedar with some fennel on the finish. Despite its complexity, and nearly fifteen percent alcohol, It’s incredibly easy to drink, so take heed. A superb fit for Vlaaskaas nonetheless.

That's All,

~K