BANDOL and MOURVEDRE

United for better

Just say “Mourvèdre” to a fine wine drinker and he or she will answer “Bandol”. Mourvèdre is a late-ripening, difficult and demanding grape variety. In Bandol, the character of the geology and microclimate constitute an ecological niche in which the Mourvèdre grape’s strong personality can blossom. Being enthusiastic fans of Mourvèdre, the Bandol wine growers have made Bandol its best-suited terroir. Today, their expertise in growing this uncommon grape variety is acknowledged all over the world.

Refusing to do it the easy way
Mourvèdre is an upright bush vine that bears its stems with majesty. In time it forms a short stumpy trunk that will stand up to the mistral wind of France with vigor if carefully tended by the vine grower. Bandol vine growers give preference to “gobelet” pruning in order to reduce the amount of foliage and help the low-producing vine to bear triangular bunches with small, tight, dark grapes.

In other wine regions, Mourvèdre is used very sparingly because of the strength of its character. Nowhere else is Mourvèdre added in such proportions to the varietal mix. Bandol is the only appellation wine in which Mourvèdre is the dominant grape variety: it represents at least 50% of the blend in red wines. Inspired by the challenge of working with Mourvèdre, Bandol wine growers often go beyond this limit, adding up to 80% or even 95% of it to the mix. Where the authorized yield is 40 hectolitres per hectare, the wine growers do their best to control the productivity of Mourvèdre and keep it within lower yields (25 to 30 hl), so as to express its essence.

Part of the secret
Mourvèdre is a late-season grape variety that keeps the wine grower waiting until it reaches its full potential. Every essence of the Bandol terroir (soil, subsoil, optimal sun exposure, sea influence and prevailing winds) collaborates to obtain beautiful, slow and full maturity. Rich in tannins, Mourvèdre contributes to the extraordinary aging ability of Bandol red wines and gives them an original and complex typicity, or their distinctive feature. Mourvèdre also gives rosé wines power and remarkable aging ability. This superb grape variety has found its home in Bandol.