Domaine Tempier has been the leading Bandol name for decades. Tempier's owners, the Peyraud family, almost single-handedly brought the wine world's attention to the Bandol appellation. Their wines have always been flamboyantly rich and powerful, but recent vintages have been sweeter and fleshier. Domaine Tempier offers an earthy, dense rosé with the texture of a red wine. A distinctly powerful style of rosé that matches well with grilled meats and hearty fish courses. Kermit Lynch has been importing the Tempier rosé for over 30 years now.
Varietals: mourvedre, grenache
Color: bright orange pink. Almost golden salmon color.
Body: light, dry
Aromas: peach skins, nectarine, red currents, dried flowers, and smokey minerals.
The rosé is fermented in steel after a cold soak, then matured in vat for 6-8 months before bottling.
Tasting Notes: juicy red berries, pit fruit flavors, melons, cherry skins, and zesty minerals. Dry, focused and chewy, with strong finishing punch and lingering notes of talc-y minerals. Rated: 92 by Josh Raynolds, Jun 09 Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
Domaine Tempier is a place in Provence, a home with its winery and vineyards, its olive trees and cypresses. It is home to a large joyful Provencal family. It is a wine. And while it must be inadvertent, one of those fortuitous miracles that embellish existence (there is no recipe for it dispensed at wine school), there is a certain vital spirit that one imbibes with each gorgeous swallow of Domaine Tempier’s wine.
Domaine Tempier is located at Le Plan du Castellet. Its vineyards stretch over three different communities- Le Castellet, Le Beausset and La Cadière. The plots of land are thus far apart and require extra work. But the soil of these different areas yield distinctive cuvées -Spéciale, Migoua, Tourtine and Cabassaou - as well as interesting and complex blends for white, rosé and red wines.
Domaine Tempier lies in the heart of the vineyard boundaries. It already existed during the reign of King Louis XV, and the "bastide" was built on the family's property in 1834. The Domain has remained a family owned estate since 1834. In 1885, it obtained recognition with a first gold medal. In 1880, after the phylloxera epidemic had ruined the French wine trade, Léonie Tempier began the renewal by having her vineyard completely replanted on root-stocks, and a cellar built with wooden and cement vats. However, the 1929 crash caused the wine business to plunge; the vines were partly replaced by peach and apple trees.
This was done in 2000, and Daniel Ravier was appointed as manager of the 35 hectare estate. Today it is Ravier that you are most likely to encounter, whether he is traveling abroad to market the wines, or working at the domaine. He continues to manage the vineyards, which range in age from 20 to 50 years, along straightforward organic lines, without fertilizer or other chemicals. The soil is ploughed to discourage weeds, and there is a green harvest to control yields which are typically 30-35 hl/ha.
The harvest is 100% manual and the fruit is fully destemmed before temperature-controlled fermentation. The reds are fermented in steel or today possibly also in concrete, these latter vats having been installed in 2007. The wines will macerate in vat and undergo malolactic and blending in tank, before spending 18-20 months in large foudres of varying size and also material, with some oak sourced from as far away as Austria. The end results, bottled without filtration or fining, are wines of interest which are, at all levels, worthy of bottle age. obtained from www.thewinedoctor.com2008 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé (France, Provence, Bandol)
Orange rind, wild strawberry, minerals and salty sea breeze aromas jump from the glass of the 2008 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé and in the mouth, it has beautiful freshness paired with sweet fruit, a round, full texture and a long finish. While this doesn’t show the fruit of the ‘07, it’s a fantastic Rosé to drink over the next year or two. (91 pts.) The Rhone Report
