Domaine Tempier Bandol Rouge 'Lulu & Lucien' 2023 - 750ml

Winemaker Notes

The Estate’s prominent cuvée blends the discrete strength of Bandol with the elegance and finesse which characterize Tempier. Remarkably fresh and approachable for a region known for brawn. Perfectly balanced, delicious with a slight chill; wonderfully perfumed of sandalwood and spring blossoms.

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.

Blend: 75% Mourvèdre, 14% Grenache, 9% Cinsault, and 2% Carignan

Winery Notes

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.

Tempier’s flagship Bandol rouge is a sophisticated wine, but it never hides its country roots. It is as equally suited to ribeyes for a special occasion as it is to homemade pizza on a Thursday night. You can even enjoy it as Lulu Peyraud did, and just put a slight chill on it before popping the cork on a warm summer evening. A cool glass of Tempier rouge, sweating in a small tumbler, can be more refreshing than any burly red has a right to be. But no matter how you enjoy Tempier rouge, beneath the pure dark fruit, the intense depth of flavor, the energy, the enticing Provençal aromatics, lurks a wildness—perhaps owing to the large percentage of Mourvèdre—that is never tamed.