{"product_id":"domaine-tempier-bandol-la-migoua-2025","title":"Domaine Tempier Bandol La Migoua 2023","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e93 points Vinous Media\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eDrinking window: 2026 - 2053\u003cbr\u003eThe 2023 Bandol La Migoua, from a late-ripening, high-altitude site with old-vine Cinsault in the blend, offers a beautifully layered nose of black and red fruits, dried herbs, crushed flowers and licorice. Full-bodied yet finely composed, the 2023 is shaped by gently chalky tannins that give it soft grip. Freshness is impeccably preserved all the way through to the refined finish. This is a lovely La Migoua, already showing its pedigree and class.\u003c\/p\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\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLa Migoua is made up of heterogeneous clay that varies in color between red, ochre, and blue. At 270 meters, it sits at the highest altitude of all the vineyards. The parcel’s complex sedimentation is largely due to the subduction of a tectonic plate which has surfaced the oldest rock outcroppings in the whole of the appellation. Surrounded by garrigue and pine forest, the grapes translate to earthy, gamey wines. La Migoua has the smallest amount of Mourvèdre in the blend, with the highest percentage of Grenache of the three cuvées.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eComposition: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e50% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache, 26% Cinsault, 4% Syrah. \u003cspan\u003e40 + year old vines planted in clay and limestone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinemaking: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAfter de-stemming, grapes are fermented with natural yeast and vinified for 2 to 3 weeks in stainless steel. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAfter maceration is finished and must is pressed, the wine is moved to oak foudres for malolactic fermentation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAging: \u003c\/strong\u003eAged in oak foudres (25 to 50 hl) for 18 to 20 months\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bandol","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67897844170886,"sku":"TRY-KL-TEMP-MIGOUA","price":87.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0075\/0338\/0543\/files\/TempierBandolMigoua_d06ff571-fc05-4dab-ad4e-e27ed594271e.png?v=1763897734","url":"https:\/\/www.winesolutions.com\/products\/domaine-tempier-bandol-la-migoua-2025","provider":"Wine Solutions","version":"1.0","type":"link"}