DOMAINE TEMPIER - Cabassaou 2022
Domaine Tempier is located in Provence in the Bandol appellation. The estate was created in 1830 but fully revealed itself under the influence of Léonie Tempier in 1885 when she won a Gold Medal for her red wine made from Mourvèdre. Domaine Tempier suffered the phylloxera crisis at the beginning of the 20th century, so new grape varieties were planted. In 1941, Bandol became an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée , one of the regulations of which is to produce wines with a minimum of 50% Mourvèdre , and an aging of 18 months in barrels for red wines. Today, Domaine Tempier cultivates vines using sustainable agriculture in three communes and produces four wines.
The Cabassaou vintage (ça cabasse = gives you punch) comes from a terroir surrounded by small stone walls, at the foot of the Tourtine, sheltered from the Mistral wind. The vines benefit from a very warm microclimate with thermal winds. Paradoxically, the vines are located at the bottom of the hillside but the soil is not deep and the yields are very low. It is produced mainly from Mourvèdre (92 to 94%) with Syrah and a little Cinsault . The grapes are selected by hand in the vineyard and in the cellar; destemmed, crushed and placed in concrete vats for 3 to 4 weeks to ferment with indigenous yeasts. The aging lasts 18 months in large oak vats .
Grape varieties: 92-94% Mourvèdre, Syrah, Cinsault