2012 Bandol Rose

Tasted blind. Cinsault, Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre. Pale orangey pink. Light note of Victoria plum and wild strawberry. Fragrant and fresh. Dry, almost a touch sour on the finish, but preferable to extreme fruit sweetness. Persistent. (JH)

Luscious, creamy, generous – but slightly underpowered fruit. Certainly doesn't offer twice the pleasure of many a rosé at £10. (RH)

Always one of the top 2-3 roses produced (from anywhere – and it’s priced as such), the 2012 Bandol Rose (50% Mourvedre, 28% Grenache, 20% Cinsault and the balance Carignan) has fantastic notes of rose petal, orange rind, citrus blossom and distinct minerality on the nose. Classy, elegant and yet beautifully textured and long, even showing some structure, it’s a knockout rose to drink with food over the coming 2-4 years. (It will evolve for much longer as well.) One of the leading domaines in Bandol, Domaine Tempier is, without a doubt, the most visible producer from the appellation in the U.S. marketplace today. I think this is well-deserved (and a good thing for Bandol), as the wines are at the top of the hierarchy in terms of quality. The estate has been in the Peyraud family for generations and has a long, storied history that’s beautifully documented in Kermit Lynch’s newsletters and book, Adventures on the Wine Route (an absolute must read for any wine lover). The family is still going strong today, yet the wines are now made by Daniel Ravier. At this tasting, all of the wines showed brilliantly and possessed a surprising level of polish and texture, with no rusticity or coarseness at all. In addition to the wines I was able to review here, they also produce a white (60% Clairette, 19% Bourboulenc, 18% Ugni Blanc and the balance Marsanne), and a very limited red, the Cabassaou (95% Mourvedre, 4% Syrah and a splash of Cinsault). Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524