When I was 20, I ran around the south of France in glorified hotpants, subsisted entirely on banana and nutella crepes and took lots of pictures of window flowerboxes.
I had absolutely no concept of the utterly beautiful wine being produced in the region.
Located in Provence, Bandol is easily my favorite, and go-to, region in the summertime for rose wines. Take a bit of funky earth and combine it with a bit of strawberry and watermelon, make it pink and cold and you have happiness, right there in a bottle, at least for me.
Bandol is a small seaside fishing town, located between Marseille and Cannes. It's known mainly for the aforementioned ravishing roses, and even more so for its wild and leathery reds. The spicy and structured red mourvedre grape dominates the region, and must make up at least 50% of red Bandol wines by law. Other red grapes include grenache and cinsault, with a sprinkling of syrah and carignan. Roses from Bandol are produced via skin contact from these red grapes.
White wines from Bandol are lesser known. Produced from ugni blanc, clairette, bourboulenc and sometimes sauvignon blanc, these wines tend to be light and zesty, and pair well with artichokes, seafood and, apparently, veal brains.
I had absolutely no concept of the utterly beautiful wine being produced in the region.
Located in Provence, Bandol is easily my favorite, and go-to, region in the summertime for rose wines. Take a bit of funky earth and combine it with a bit of strawberry and watermelon, make it pink and cold and you have happiness, right there in a bottle, at least for me.
Bandol is a small seaside fishing town, located between Marseille and Cannes. It's known mainly for the aforementioned ravishing roses, and even more so for its wild and leathery reds. The spicy and structured red mourvedre grape dominates the region, and must make up at least 50% of red Bandol wines by law. Other red grapes include grenache and cinsault, with a sprinkling of syrah and carignan. Roses from Bandol are produced via skin contact from these red grapes.
White wines from Bandol are lesser known. Produced from ugni blanc, clairette, bourboulenc and sometimes sauvignon blanc, these wines tend to be light and zesty, and pair well with artichokes, seafood and, apparently, veal brains.
Tonight I decided to give one of these unheralded white Bandols a try.
My darling friend Ilissa, who, by a happy twist of fate, works at my local natural wine store, Wine Therapy, helped me choose the 2009 Domaine Le Galantin ugni blanc and clairette blend.
My darling friend Ilissa, who, by a happy twist of fate, works at my local natural wine store, Wine Therapy, helped me choose the 2009 Domaine Le Galantin ugni blanc and clairette blend.
A female winemaker is apparently at the helm of Domaine Le Galantin. She took over winemaking from her father. While Ilissa and I suspect lees contact, I couldn't find vinification specifics. Its website does indicate that grapes are grown on terraced vineyards with low yields, and the soils are a mixture of clay and limestone.
Translation: The grapes are probably hand-harvested, as terraced vineyards usually can't accommodate machine harvesters. Low yields generally translate into a wine with higher character and concentration of flavor. Clay and limestone soils typically produce grapes that are higher in acidity.
Here is what my palate told me:
- A nose of white pepper
- Lemon curd as the wine hits the palate
- A zestiness from high acidity
- Light in weight, though with a creaminess in the midpalate (perhaps from lees contact?)
- Juicy and crisp, with a short finish
This wine would be lovely on its own or as an apertif, and would be a fantastic accompaniment to seafood.
Now, who would like to come with me to Provence for some Bandol blanc and bouillebaisse?
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