Renamed in the 2020 vintage en hommage à Lulu & Lucien (Peyraud), this most important cuvée of Domaine Tempier blends the discrete strength of Bandol with the elegance and finesse which characterize the production of the domaine. This complexity is a result of different terroirs of the estate and the variety of its clay/limestone soils located around the estate but also in La Cadière, Sainte‑Anne d'Évenos, and Ollioules: sandy marls, limestone greseux from santonien, rudist limestone and recent barely deep horizons of colluvions with various sun and wind exposures. Produce of about ¾ Mourvèdre with Grenache, Cinsault and a smaller proportion of Carignan and Syrah from vines an average age of 35 to 40 years. Clusters are hand‑selected in the vineyard and in the cellar, destemmed, crushed and put into concrete vats for 3 to 4 weeks to ferment on indigenous yeasts. The wine is then aged in large oak casks for a minimum of 18 months before bottling.

Deep ruby in color with wild, almost feral aromas upon opening, gamy, then with air a dark bramble and berry emerge, along with earth and stone (by all means do give this one a full throttle decanting) the wine seems to gain in body and heft with air; dark, brooding, potent and stony on the tongue, with visceral pulverized stone‑like tannins and eventually a heartiness and warming quality on the finish.

60% Grenache, 30% Cinsault and 10% Syrah fruit from vines on average 30 years old and planted to the clay and limestone soils of the Mont Saint-Victoire at elevations of around 250 mètres. Alluring delicate sunset pink in color with what the Famille Sumeire call « peach reflections » and aromas of « fresh violet and wild strawberries »; back here in Austin we noted its ultra-fresh aromas suggesting taut red berry fruits, peach and pith of watermelon, a palpably delicious equilibrium and vivid mouthwatering quality with gentle but lasting intensity of flavor on the finish. All in all, we all found this to be another winner from (perhaps?) our favorite source for pink wine - oui - c'est la Provence.

No estate expresses the salt‑kissed limestone‑driven terroir of the idyllic Provençal seaside village of Cassis like Domaine du Bagnol, and the current generation, Sébastien Genovesi, crafts a rosé of scintillating energy, chiseled calcareous musculature, and gleaming red fruits. Comprising 50% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, and 20% Mourvèdre, Bagnol's Cassis Rosé is pressed directly and rapidly (in under two hours) to extract as little color as possible, and the bottled wine (certified organic) contains only 20 milligrams per liter of total sulfur — a factor which contributes to its gorgeous purity of texture and intense evocation of limestone soil. ‑ https://rosenthalwinemerchant.com/