France Bandol
Somewhat over half way between Marseilles and Toulon lies the small seaside resort of Bandol. Once a major port, it now doubles as a fishing village and holiday centre as well as giving its name to one of Provence's most individual and exciting wines.
History has it that viticulture was established here around 600 BC by the Phocaean founders of Marseille, making it some of the oldest currently-producing vineyard land in the world. By 125 BC the Romans had taken over and, according to archaeological evidence (principally, large quantities of Roman jars), developed a thriving wine export trade. By the 18th century, Bandol's reputation was such that Louis XV was reported to have drunk "carefully prepared" wine from the Le Rouve district of Le Beausset at court at Versailles, and the consumption of Bandol continued to increase throughout his reign.
Phylloxera devastated the vineyards between 1870-72, after which recovery was slow, growers preferring high-yielding varieties to the Mourvedre which, by tradition, formed the backbone of the red wine. Between 1880 and 1914 Mourvedre was virtually forgotten here.
In 1941 Bandol was granted the AC, allowing production of red and rose (minimum 50% of Mourvédre, the rest Grenache and Cinsault) and white from Clairette and Ugni Blanc. Only designated slopes - not the valley floor - are zoned AC, from all or part of eight communes extending in a rough semi-circle from St-Cyr in the west to Ollioules in the east, with Bandol itself and Sanary as southern outposts. The heart of the vignoble is in the communes of La Cadière-d'Azur and Le Plan-du-Castellet, where most of the top domaines are to be found.
The Vineyard
The area under vine has grown from 900ha in 1986 to 1,250 in 1994. However, there is strong temptation for growers, particularly those who can't make ends meet, to sell land for housing. This urbanisation is vigorously resisted by those who do not wish to see Bandol diminish, but money talks, and local authorities with a wider economy to consider are bending with the wind and re-zoning vineyards for development. The area is becoming hideously over-built: in one village, Le Beausset, the population has risen tenfold in the last 20 years, a trend which at present shows no signs of abating.
Bandol is Mourvedre territory par excellence and, since 1988, the AC rules have stipulated a minimum of 50% of this grape. Although this structure applies to planted vines, conscientious producers follow this through to the finished wine. The proportion is frequently higher, with many estates now offering cuvees containing 100% Mourvedre.
The vignoble area covers a large semicircular south-facing amphitheatre, surrounded by garrigue and protected to the north by hills. The maritime micro-climate is of prime importance, with long, hot summers that are tempered by the drying, cooling Mistral, yet have enough air-borne humidity to avoid the drought this variety so dislikes. Growing conditions are ideal. There are on average more than 3,000 hours of sunshine. Most of the 650mm of rain falls during the autumn and winter little or none during the summer. Sanitising winds greatly reduce odïum and mildew (visiting Burgundians contemplating the 20th treatment for their vines are flabbergasted to find that only one or two are needed here)
The soils are almost entirely clay/limestone, mixed with differing proportions of sand, stones and calcium carbonate derived from the erosion and decomposition of the surrounding hills. The best sites are on the higher outcrops of 250 million-year-old Triassic soils (eg Chateau de Pibarnon and Mas de la Rouviere); beneath are less good cretaceous soils, and beneath these, coal. The vineyards rise to around 400 metres and are either on cleared slopes or steep terraces (restanques). Training is either en gobelet or en cordon de Royat and the base yield is 40hl/ha- a level good growers rarely reach, let alone surpass, even in prolific vintages. To qualify for appellation controlled, the vines must be at least eight years old - elsewhere in France the minimum is four.
Climate
It would be illusory to think that vintages don't vary in this southerly Mediterranean climate. Some - for example 1982, 1985, 1988, 1990 - are distinctly more successful than others, such as 1983, 1984, 1986 and 1987 - although time sometimes transforms apparently ugly ducklings into graceful swans.
Severe drought, to which Mourvedre is particularly sensitive, and rainfall just before or during harvest (which dilutes the berries and spreads rot in grapes that are not fully ripe), are critical determinants of quality. Coulure - particularly for Grenache, less for Mourvedre - disrupts flower-set and thus reduces quantity, a less serious matter.
Grapes
Although the rules specify a minimum of 50% Mourvedre for both red and rose, many estates are now producing one or more red cuvees with a much higher percentage - 100% in some instances - while rosés generally contain less (unofficially, of course). Even with the mandatory minimum of 18 months in wood before it can be presented for agrément, young Bandol can be austere to the point of brutality. While Grenache adds alcohol and flesh and Cinsault acidity, which combine to blunt any raw edges, Mourvédre's natural anti-oxidant properties make it a slow developer, inscrutable and unforthcoming until softened by a few years in bottle.
Time brings a striking change - earthy, often leathery, tarry flavours giving way to those of fruits noirs, spice and liquorice, always accompanied by an earthy edge: the Mourvedre signature. In fine vintages, those with sufficient patience to wait are well recompensed. A mature Bandol is the equal of a great Medoc .- with which, tasted blind, it is frequently confused. With some 50 independent producers and three cooperatives, it is not surprising that quality and styles vary. However among the eight top domaines standards are uniformly high. Unfortunately, the move towards lower yields and better quality has split the growers, many of whom see larger volumes as more income - understandable in the short term but a hopeless foundation for a secure future.
On top of this, internecine strife has resulted in two separate producers' Syndicats - one run from Le Beausset, the other from St -Cyr - making cohesive marketing even more difficult.
Styles
Despite these divisive local politics, there is much excellent wine to be had, and at attractive prices. Styles range from the uncompromisingly traditional nil or partially de-stemmed wines of Ray-Jane, Vannieres and others, to the more readily tractable styles of Tempier, Bunan and the like.
Blends encompass everything from 50-100% Mourvédre, while some growers use new wood, others not and there is the usual gamme of long and short cuvaisons with more or less pigeage or remontage to contend with.
The main general winemaking fault seems to be over-extraction, which, with the naturally tannic, ungenerous Mourvédre, results in unbalanced wines lacking in centre. This is something that is readily correctable, but older growers appear to regard an element of palate punishment as part of Bandol's personality.
The current trend of releasing prestige blends in good vintages has produced some magnificent wines; however, once this market is created, the temptation for the grower to offer a premium product (at, of course, a premium price) every year has often proved irresistible. Hiving off the best lots, especially in lesser vintages, inevitably detracts from the "regular" blend.
Domaine Témpier produces yardstick Bandol; elsewhere, with varying degrees of reliability, you have to pick and choose. The following, all excellent sources, merit special mention as first-class: Bunan, Ray-Jane, Chateau de Pibarnon and Chateau Pradeaux.
Unfortunately, the wider wine world has largely ignored Bandol, which has yet to receive the recognition it entirely merits. The wines are in reasonable supply, and are relatively inexpensive compared with - for example - the Syrahs of the northern Rhone, so this neglect is doubly inexplicable.
From Rhone Renaissance- Remington Norman
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