DOMAINE TEMPIER BANDOL LULU & LUCIEN ROUGE 2020

In 2020 Mrs Lucie Peyraud, better known as Lulu, passed away soon after the harvest, at the age of 103. She joined her husband Lucien in ‘Winemakers’ Paradise.’ To express gratitude to these renowned persons of the domain (and the region), the family decided to rename their basic “Classique” cuvée to “Lulu & Lucien” upon release of the 2020 red wines. This name will no doubt live on in the years to come.

Bandol is a small appellation on the Mediterranean, granted AOC status in 1941. For centuries it has produced some of the longest-lived wines in France, using primarily the Mourvedre grape. Wines from this region have unique aromatic properties which many claim come from the dry Provencal herbs which cover the hillsides: thyme, savory, rosemary, wild mint and fennel. Domaine Tempier’s rose, considered to by many to be the finest in France, is fuller and creamier on the palate and shows dimensions not often found in rose. Perhaps the addition of young Mourvedre is responsible, or the Peyraud’s allowance for the wine to follow its natural inclination and complete malolactic fermentation.