Domaine La Suffrène - Bandol Les Lauves 2018

Bettane & Desseauve

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

About the wine:

After a magnificent series of coups de cur in rosé, La Suffrène returns to the fundamentals of the appellation with this superlative red. Superlatives that were not lacking during the tasting: "precise", "modern", "impressive"... Behind its intense ruby color lies a delicious bouquet of ripe black and red fruits (wild strawberry, morello cherry, blackberry), toasted hazelnut and leather, with a lightly spicy undertone. Supple on the attack, then full and silky, structured by fine tannins, the palate unfurls an unctuous body bursting with ripe fruit that marries perfectly with the wood. The balance between power and delicacy is perfect.

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

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.