Bandol Rouge

This Bandol Rouge pairs beautifully with robust dishes such as slow-braised lamb shank, beef daube Provençale, duck confit, game meats, and hard aged cheeses like Comté or Pecorino.

Sourced from 38-year-old vines rooted in a classic Bandol mix of clay, limestone, silt, and sandstone soils. The estate, under Agnès Henry, is practicing organic, ensuring the natural expression of Mourvèdre and supporting biodiversity in the vineyard.

Aged for 18 months in foudres, this wine is designed to benefit from further cellaring. It can be enjoyed now with decanting but will improve and develop secondary complexity over the next 10–15 years.

Fermented traditionally with minimal intervention to preserve varietal character. The wine is then matured for 18 months in large foudres (wooden vats), allowing it to develop complexity and polish without excessive oak influence before bottling.

The domaine is situated at an altitude of 150 meters above sea-level—a high point on this coastal appellation where maritime breezes cool the arid climate. Fourteen hectares of red earth, clay, sand, and gravel rest upon sturdy limestone bedrock. Brow-beating excavation and focused determination alone have built these vineyards. Agnès still has early photographs of the Mauric family, who lived here before the Hocquards, working the soil. Knee-deep into the red earth, behind heavy plows, vineyard workers toiled to bring this land to its current glory. (The tradition continues even today.) The copious rock served as sturdy material for building the house and walls that surround the property. The limestone has most importantly left its trace in the wines, instilling them with tremendous complexity, long length, and fresh elegance that makes them ideal for cellar-aging.