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BANDOL
The tiny appellation of Bandol is located directly on the Mediterranean coast, just east of Marseilles, where the finest red wines of the French Riviera are produced. Only 4,000 cases of red Bandol is produced annually from their organically tended, terraced vineyards. The young Celine Pascale has recently taken over the winemaking reins from her father Achille, who started the winery. This development has brought about significant changes in the physical plant and the winemaking practices, bringing greater focus and clarity to the wines.
The ancient steep vineyards of Bandol - first planted by Phocaean Greeks c.600BC - are the
perfect home of Mourvedre, and here the grape produces wines which can age at least three decades. As at le Galantin, the best vineyards are planted on poor clayey and sandy soil on old terraces, known locally as restanques. The appellations's 1400 hectares of largely south facing vineyards get an extraordinary 3,000 hours of sun a year, but the heat is tempered by constant wind and also humidity from the sea. |
| Bandol Blanc |
This delicious blend of Clairette 60% and Ugni Blanc 40% comes from terraced, low-yield vineyards of clay and limestone; the classic soils of Domaine le Galantin. White wine is rare in Bandol, accounting for only 5% of the appellation's wines.
Following a cool fermentation the wines are bottled early, in the spring following the harvest, in order to preserve the fresh qualities of this wine.
The bouquet offers floral notes with a hint of the wild herbs of the garrigue coming from the mature Clairette vines. The palate is dominated by fresh fruits and a vivacious finish. Perfect with all shellfish and grilled fin fish.
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| Bandol Rose |
The Domaine Le Galantin Rose is a classic Provencal rose with delightful fresh berry fruit flavors and a crisp finish. It is composed of 50% Cinsault, 25% Mourvedre and 25% Grenache. After the grapes are hand-harvested from their organic vineyards, they cool down the bunches to 50 degress for a two day cold soak in order to extract fruit, color and aromatics. The juice is then racked off and the grapes are pressed to stainless steel tanks. 10% of the wine is Saignee, the rest come from grapes treated as for making white wine.
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| Bandol Rouge |
This organically-grown wine is a powerhouse of dark berry fruit flavors with a lingering, complex finish. Produced from 95% Mourvedre, 5% Old-Vines Grenache, the wine is aged 18 - 24 months in oak cuves before release, which makes this tasty giant more approachable in its youth. Celine is now employing 25% whole cluster fermentation and pressing after 20 days. She has also removed Cinsault from the red blend. A wine to cellar or drink tonight with red meat and grilled dishes, these wines are an ideal accompaniment to game.
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| Bandol Rouge - Longue Garde |
Made only in special vintages, this wine is made for "long ageing" as the name implies. It is a huge wine with depth and compexity, made from the oldest parcels on the property and gets a longer cuvaison than the regular cuvee. Pacal holds his Longue Garde back for at least 5 years before release so the wine is approachable.
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