France

Bandol at its finest – Domaine Tempier
There are a couple of estates whose reputation precedes their appellation. Chateau Simone in Palette, Huet in Vouvray, and of course Domaine Tempier in Bandol. As I mentioned previously, Lucien
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Burgundian Bandol – Domaine de Terrebrune
Terrebrune is in more ways than one an outlier in the appellation of Bandol. It is the lone estate located in Ollioulles, whereas most of its Bandol producing colleagues can
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An in depth look at Bandol (II)
Whole-bunch fermentation is a hot topic in winemaking these days. As anyone who walked passed a vine come harvest time has surely noticed, a grape bunch contains not only grapes
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An in depth look at Bandol (I)
Bandol is considered as the only region where Mourvèdre reaches its full potential, thanks to its sun-drenched terroir. Mourvèdre, a late ripening grape variety, needs as much sun as it
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The greatest appellation of the Provence: Bandol
Bandol is the greatest appellation in the Provence. Sure, you may think that there are certain estates that deliver superior wines like Richeaume or Trévallon, and I would agree with
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The Wines of Cassis – Clos Sainte Magdeleine
On holiday, people tend to let the setting influence their opinion on what they eat and drink. It’s a decent explanation as to why so many Belgians come back from
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A Provençal Cru: Clos Cibonne
You will be forgiven if you are ignorant of the Provence’s classification des crus. The Oxford Wine Companion makes no mention of it, nor does l’Atlas des Vins de France.
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The Wines of the Provence (II)
The AOPs talked about earlier this week cover 10% of what the Provence has to offer appellation wise. The remaining 90% (27,000ha) consists of three generic designations: Côtes de Provence
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The wines of the Provence (I)
So sunny temperatures and an ongoing drought like Belgium hasn’t seen for a while make this the ideal time to focus on a region that turns this climate into an
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