This Bandol red opens "with scents of iris, stewed blackberry and gingerbread, followed by a full, caressing palate, framed by silky tannins that accompany an elegant finish with a hint of menthol". (Le Guide Hachette 2024)
Features
Estate
Domaine La Suffrène
Vintage
2020
Designation
Bandol
Region
Provence
Grape varieties
55% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache, 15% Cinsault, 10% Carignan
Terroirs
Clay-limestone soils, on various plots of land in La Cadière and Le Castellet, favouring a diversity of soils: silty soils (e.g. les safres du brulat), very clayey soils (e.g. quartier des cotes), and superficial, clayey and very stony soils (e.g. quartier les lauves).
Viticulture
In conversion to organic farming
Harvest
Manual
Winemaking
Destemming-milling, light pre-fermentation cold maceration for 48 hours at 12-14°C, alcoholic fermentation: indigenous yeasts, 3 to 4 weeks in concrete or stainless steel vats, extraction.
Breeding
12 months with 2 or 3 rackings and pre-blending, malolactic fermentation on fine lees in recent round foudres (less than 10/15 years old) with a capacity of around 50hl, end of ageing for 6 months in older round foudres (over 30 years old).
Alcohol content
15%
Tasting & pairing
Eye
Deep, dark red colour
Nose
Fresh and open, aromas of ripe red fruit and spicy notes
Mouth
Powerful, typical of Bandol in this sunny vintage, full-bodied structure, persistent, spicy finish, very fine vintage.
Serve
AT 18°C
Open
1 hour before decanting
Drink before
2031
Food and wine pairing
Enjoy with daube, grilled lamb, grilled meats, chocolate desserts...
Domaine La Suffrène
Bandol
Expert opinion
Bettane & Desseauve
Domaine rated (guide 2021) 3*Stars (High-quality production that can serve as a benchmark in its sector)
About the domain :
The friendly Cédric Gravier has been managing this family estate since 1996, with an open mind and an innate sense of hospitality. With him comes a big change, and the grapes previously brought to the cooperative are now vinified on the estate. This renaissance was made possible by his grandfather, who knew every vineyard inside out. Today, the estate covers almost 60 hectares, and in 2017 Cédric began his conversion to organic farming. Situated in the west of the appellation, on a predominantly clay-limestone soil, the estate's varied number of plots ensures the diversity of expression of Mourvèdre, Bandol's flagship grape variety, whose proportion of old vines here reaches 90%.
Guide Hachette des vins
Wine rated (guide 2024) 1*Star (Very successful wine)
Domaine noté (guide 2023) Award-winning wines (The wines of this producer are regularly awarded by the guide)
About the wine:
Half Mourvèdre (60%), the rest Grenache, Cinsault and Carignan: a little diversity goes a long way, especially when the aim is to produce a "thirst-quenching" Bandol, i.e. accessible in its early years without compromising its ageing potential. This red wine opens with scents of iris, stewed blackberry and gingerbread, followed by a full, caressing palate framed by silky tannins and an elegant, minty finish.
About the domain :
La Suffrène - said to have once been the residence of one of Bailli de Suffren's companions - is the location of part of the vineyards of this key Bandol appellation estate. A 60-hectare family vineyard, divided into a hundred or so plots, whose grapes were taken to the cooperative until the arrival of Cédric Gravier, who took over from his grandparents in 1996. In organic conversion.
RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France
Wine rated (guide 2024) 90/100
Domaine noté (guide 2023) Sélectionné (We remind you that this guide is a prize list and as such, all the estates that appear in it, even without a star, represent, in our eyes, the excellence of French production).
About the wine:
A good note for Bandol 2020, in the canons of the Provençal red appellation: textured and powerful, but dry on the finish.
About the domain :
For a long time, the Gravier-Piche family contributed the fruits of their labor to the Cave Coopérative. When Cédric Gravier returned to the family land in 1996, he decided to make his own wines and bottle the expression of old Mourvèdre grapes, mainly from La Cadière d'Azur. Over the years, his entrepreneurial spirit led him to vinify the 58 hectares. Marked more by strawberry than citrus flavors, the rosés show no skimping on color or concentration. The fatness and rich texture of these early terroirs can be found in the dense reds, with their seductive tannins, an illustration of the clayey softness of his terroir. A consensual classic that hasn't sold its Mediterranean soul.
Customer reviews
Customer rating
4/5
out of 3 reviews
Note and review by M. FABRICE & MATHIS P. Published on 24/08/2024
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Note and review by M. REMI R. Published on 04/05/2024
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Note and review by M. JEAN-MICHEL M. Published on 04/01/2024
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