JANUARY 2021 91
If you’ve heard of the wines of
Bandol, chances are you’ve
heard of Domaine Tempier. Its
associations with Richard Olney,
wine importer Kermit Lynch,
Alice Waters, and the novelist
Jim Harrison have made it, over
the 40-plus years that Lynch
has imported Domaine Tempi-
er’s wines into the U.S., as much
an American phenomenon as a
French one—as entwined into
the history of Chez Panisse and
California cuisine as it is into
the low, rugged, Mediterranean-
facing mountain amphitheater
that makes up its territory.
The arc of those mountains
creates a coastal microclimate
ideal for Mourvèdre vines,
which, it is said, should have
their feet in water (near the sea)
and their heads in sunshine.
Bandol is considered the single
great Provençal wine appella-
tion, thanks in part to Domaine
Tempier’s founder (and Lulu
Peyraud’s husband) Lucien
Peyraud, who lobbied tirelessly
to seat Mourvèdre—low-yielding
and difficult to grow—on the
throne as Bandol’s king.
Most years, Domaine Tempier
bottles six cuvées. Domaine
Tempier Bandol Blanc ($56) is
a classic Mediterranean blend
of primarily Ugni Blanc and
Clairette. Domaine Tempier
Bandol Rosé ($56) is consid-
ered among the greatest rosés
in France—wine critics Jancis
Robinson and Robert Parker
have both called it the finest
rosé they have ever drunk. Its
winemaker Daniel Ravier calls
the wines
of domaine tempierit a rosé de gastronomie: a
full, balanced, structured rosé
meant for the table.
Four reds complete the
lineup. Domaine Tempier
Cuvée Classique ($65) is
a blend of 75% Mourvèdre
with Grenache, Cinsaut, and
Carignane, with characteristic
Bandol intensity and power.
There are three separate single-
vineyard bottlings, vinified
identically to the Classique, but,
like strong-willed siblings, each
asserts its own personality. La
Migoua ($95) is a parcel high
in the hills, infused with the
wild, aromatic herbiness of sur-
rounding garrigue. L a Tour tine
($95), an obsession for Jim
Harrison, is grown on a ter-
raced, south-facing slope and is
a showstopper, ready to age for
generations. And Cabassaou
($140) is a Mourvèdre show-
case, made with around 95% of
that variety.
Bandols are food wines, not
sipping wines. They begin their
lives big, burly, and tannic,
made to contend with the brawl-
ing flavors of the region’s food—
anchovies, garlic, olives, daube,
ratatouille, bouillabaisse. So,
expect lots of black fruits and
spiciness early on. But Mourvè-
dre, with its exceptionally fine
tannins, also ages silkily, from
five to 50 years if done right,
and even in its senescence
holds onto a bit of youthful fruit.
Ravier recommends decanting
any Bandol, even young, to let
the occasionally tight-fisted
Mourvèdre unwind. —S.H.Lulu Peyraud among Domaine
Tempier’s vines (top) and the
wood-burning hearth where
she used to cook—at least
when she wasn’t visiting
Richard Olney, writer, cook,
and longtime friend, at his own
house nearby (bottom two).