Bandol (Bandol) is a key appellation of the Provence region in the South-West of France. Created in 1941.
Bandol AOC includes the red, white and rose wines from vineyards with a total area of about 1,550 hectares in the vicinity of the same city on the Mediterranean coast. They are scattered irregularly over the territory of the eight communes of the var Department (Var). The main part is located to the North of the Bandol: in Le boss (Le Beausset), La Cadière-d Azur (La Cadière-d’azur), Le Castellet (Le Castellet) and Menos (Évenos).
Bandol is famous primarily for red wines, which account for a large part of the issue.
The main varieties: mourvèdre. According to the regulations of the AOC Bandol it needs to be at least 50% of the bottle contents.
The use of so many and so powerful spicy varieties means that wine is of strong character, which is difficult to reproduce in another part of France. Mourverdre can consistently ripen only in a Sunny and hot climate, are inherent to the Mediterranean coast.
Grenache – the second most important component in red and rose wines of Bandol. He has an earlier date of maturation, and therefore for him there is a risk of pereset in terms of local heat, which can lead to a too high content of alcohol in the finished wine. Local growers solve this problem is quite simple: planting Grenache on the Northern slopes, and mourvèdre in the South.
Senso is the third in a series of key varieties for local red. Besides it, up to 20% blend can take varieties Carignan and Syrah.
Rosé wines, with approximately a third of all wines produced here, known for their spicy, earthy character and are among the most vivid in France. As local red, rosé are produced from a mixture of varieties, dominated by mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsault. In the novel of Dumas ‘ the count of Monte Cristo enjoys a glass of well chilled rose from Bandol.
White wine Bandol consists mainly of varieties claret, which according to regulations should be 50% to 90% of any white blend, AOC Bandol. The rest is given to the varieties burbulenk, Ugni Blanc and in modest amounts – Marsanne and Vermentino or white flagship Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.
Low mountain ridges and ranges running through Provence, to create zones with different mesoclimate. The warmest of them – the ones in close proximity to the sea, which has a smoothing of the temperature effect on the entire coastal strip, which is divided between the appellations of Bandol and Cassis (Cassis). Here the vines can enjoy the calm warm conditions during the growing season and maturation.
The incredible attractiveness of real estate on the French Riviera, which is surrounded by the vineyards of Bandol, coupled with the intensive tourist flow in the region mean that the main threat to the local wine-making are concrete and excavators, not climate change or consumer trends. Resort, villas and Golf course have already conquered the landscape, occupying areas which were formerly of the vine. This is especially noticeable to the West of the city centre.
Source: portal WineSearcher