Domaine Le Galantin, Bandol Longue Garde, 2014
Old terraced vineyards perched above the Mediterranean sounds like the setting of a novel; in Bandol it's simply where the work gets done. The Pascal family has farmed their corner of the appellation for six decades, and today Céline and Jérôme run it organically, chasing quality over volume from vines rooted in stubbornly poor clay and limestone — soil so lean the roots have no choice but to dig deep. Mourvèdre has been at home here since Greek settlers planted it some two and a half millennia ago, and it needs exactly this combination: days hot enough to ripen a famously stubborn grape, nights cool enough to keep the wine from turning soft and heady. Longue Garde is the cuvée built for the long haul, and with more than a decade behind it, this one is drinking beautifully right now — the tannins have relaxed and the wild, meaty, garrigue-scented side of Mourvèdre has come forward. If you don't have the cellar space, and honestly who does, somebody else has already done the waiting for you.
Domaine Le Galantin, Bandol Longue Garde, 2014
Old terraced vineyards perched above the Mediterranean sounds like the setting of a novel; in Bandol it's simply where the work gets done. The Pascal family has farmed their corner of the appellation for six decades, and today Céline and Jérôme run it organically, chasing quality over volume from vines rooted in stubbornly poor clay and limestone — soil so lean the roots have no choice but to dig deep. Mourvèdre has been at home here since Greek settlers planted it some two and a half millennia ago, and it needs exactly this combination: days hot enough to ripen a famously stubborn grape, nights cool enough to keep the wine from turning soft and heady. Longue Garde is the cuvée built for the long haul, and with more than a decade behind it, this one is drinking beautifully right now — the tannins have relaxed and the wild, meaty, garrigue-scented side of Mourvèdre has come forward. If you don't have the cellar space, and honestly who does, somebody else has already done the waiting for you.
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Description
Old terraced vineyards perched above the Mediterranean sounds like the setting of a novel; in Bandol it's simply where the work gets done. The Pascal family has farmed their corner of the appellation for six decades, and today Céline and Jérôme run it organically, chasing quality over volume from vines rooted in stubbornly poor clay and limestone — soil so lean the roots have no choice but to dig deep. Mourvèdre has been at home here since Greek settlers planted it some two and a half millennia ago, and it needs exactly this combination: days hot enough to ripen a famously stubborn grape, nights cool enough to keep the wine from turning soft and heady. Longue Garde is the cuvée built for the long haul, and with more than a decade behind it, this one is drinking beautifully right now — the tannins have relaxed and the wild, meaty, garrigue-scented side of Mourvèdre has come forward. If you don't have the cellar space, and honestly who does, somebody else has already done the waiting for you.
