{"product_id":"domaine-tempier-bandol-la-cabassaou-2023","title":"Domaine Tempier Bandol La Cabassaou 2023","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"vin-introduction playfair block-vin-content\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e95 points Vinous Media\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eDrinking window: 2028 - 2053\u003cbr\u003eUsually the last Tempier cuvée to come around, the 2023 Bandol Cabassaou is utterly dark and brooding. It offers succulent black fruit, melted licorice and black olive tapenade on the nose, with a full-bodied, concentrated palate shaped by ripe tannins. There is excellent balance and verve here, making it a thoroughly delicious Bandol. For all its depth and structure, the 2023 remains impressively light on its feet. Outstanding.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"space-y-2\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"p-4 bg-gray-100 rounded flex flex-col space-y-2 md:space-y-0 md:flex-row\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"w-full\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"font-light text-sm border-t pt-4 pb-2 mt-4 [\u0026amp;\u0026gt;p]:mb-4 [\u0026amp;\u0026gt;p:last-child]:mb-0\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHead Winemaker Antoine Cunin welcomed me at Domaine Tempier, one of Bandol’s benchmark estates. The domaine now comprises 60 hectares of vineyard divided among over 200 individual parcels, a fragmented holding that reflects both the complexity of the appellation and Tempier’s longstanding commitment to expressing distinct sites. Production remains more focused on reds than the Bandol norm. Rosé still accounts for the largest share of the domaine’s production at about 55%, with reds representing around 40% and whites 5%. In the broader appellation, Rosé is far more dominant, making Tempier’s sustained emphasis on serious reds a defining part of the domaine’s identity. That identity is reinforced by a cellar approach built around precision. Across whites, Rosés and reds, all fruit is sorted and fully destemmed. For the whites and Rosés, malolactic fermentation is consistently blocked in order to preserve freshness in a warm climate. The whites are raised in large oak casks ranging from 12 to 30 hectoliters. The domaine consistently employs a little longer élevage for the white Bandol than many peers, followed by additional bottle time before release—a measured approach that allows the wines to gain harmony and complexity. The same philosophy of patience and control shapes Tempier’s iconic reds. Fermentation takes place in either concrete or stainless-steel tanks depending on the parcel, with only very few and light daily pumpovers. The aim, as Cunin explained, is infusion rather than extraction. Punchdowns and rack-and-return are avoided entirely, and maceration lengths rarely exceed three weeks. After a few days in tank, the wines are moved to the foudre cellar, where malolactic fermentation finishes in wood over the winter. The overall effect encourages fine tannins, avoids vegetal hardness and allows Mourvèdre to speak with clarity.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThat nuance becomes especially clear in the red range. The classic Lulu \u0026amp; Lucien (formerly labeled simply as Bandol), is based on 75% Mourvèdre, with the balance made up of Grenache, Cinsaut, Carignan and Syrah. At the next level are three single-terroir wines: La Tourtine comes from a 5.5-hectare site near Le Castellet, planted to 85% Mourvèdre with the remainder split between Grenache and Cinsaut. Windy and fully exposed from sunrise to sunset, with sandstone and marl soils over clay, La Tourtine blends power and elegance remarkably well, often with just a touch of Grenache flamboyance. Cabassou, by contrast, is a warmer and more protected 1.5-hectare site at the foot of La Tourtine. Despite its position lower on the slope, the soils are shallow and yields are tiny. With the highest proportion of Mourvèdre among the three single-terroir wines (around 94%), Cabassou is typically the most powerful and slowest to mature. Finally, La Migoua, from higher-elevation parcels around 300 meters above sea level, is the most open-knit of the trio, with only about 55% Mourvèdre and a notably larger share of Cinsaut, supported by Grenache and Syrah. The white, a blend of 60% Clairette with Ugni Blanc, Rolle, Bourboulenc and Marsanne, is now largely sourced from vineyards acquired from Domaine de La Laidière in 2016. This tasting made it abundantly clear why Domaine Tempier remains one of the appellation’s reference points. These are wines of authority and fine detail, built to age with confidence, including in the Rosé category.\u003c\/em\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eNicolas Greinacher May 2026\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Cabassaou cuvée (ça cabasse = gives a hefty punch) is from a terroir with small stone walls, at the bottom of the Tourtine, protected from the Mistral wind. The vines benefit from a very warm micro-climate with thermal winds. Paradoxically the vines are located at the bottom of the hill but the soil is not deep and the yields are very small. They give a very dense, tight wine, typically Mourvèdre, with an exceptional aging potential.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"vin-composition block-vin-content\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"vin-subtitle\"\u003eComposition: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eMourvèdre (92 to 94%), with Syrah and a bit of Cinsault\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAverage age of the vines: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e60 years minimum\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"wysiwyg-content\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"vin-subtitle\"\u003eWinemaking: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003ethe grapes are hand-selected in the vineyard and in the cellar; de-stemmed, crushed and put into concrete vats for 3 or 4 weeks to ferment thanks to indigenous yeasts\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"vin-elevage block-vin-content\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"vin-subtitle\"\u003eAging: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn large oak vats for 18 months before being bottled\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Bandol","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67897838731398,"sku":"TRY-KL-TEMPIER-Cabassaou","price":129.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0075\/0338\/0543\/files\/TempierBandolCabassaou.png?v=1763897481","url":"https:\/\/www.winesolutions.com\/products\/domaine-tempier-bandol-la-cabassaou-2023","provider":"Wine Solutions","version":"1.0","type":"link"}