2007 Bandol Tourtine

More substantial and rich than the La Migoua, the 2007 Domaine Tempier Bandol Cuvée Spéciale La Tourtine is dense and thick, sporting brilliant aromatics of smoked meat, tree bark, leather, and crushed rock-like nuances that are all supported by ripe, lush black fruits. Full-bodied and powerful on the palate, this certainly doesn’t lack for concentration and has loads of texture, superb balance, and a very long finish. This bottle took a full day to start to open up and was still going strong on day four. Where the La Migoua has enough going on to warrant cracking bottles now (although it too will be better with age), this really needs to be hidden in the cellar for a decade or longer.