2022 Tempier, Bandol, La Tourtine

Domaine Tempier manages the 5. 5-hectare La Tourtine parcel with certified organic and biodynamic viticulture, prioritizing 40-year-old Mourvèdre to define the cuvée’s significant structural weight. Situated on a wind-exposed, south-facing hillside in Le Castellet, the Santonian limestone and deep clay soils provide the hydric stability required for consistent physiological ripening on this arid site. Winemaker Daniel Ravier utilizes native yeast fermentation in concrete followed by 18 months of elevage in large oak foudres to refine the variety's powerful tannins without sacrificing the wine's characteristic mineral nerve. The 2022 vintage, shaped by record heat and drought, produced a wine of substantial mid-palate density and tightly woven, fine-grained tannins while maintaining a surprising linear acidity. This cuvée is a brooding, muscular expression of Bandol that reflects the estate’s precise technical management of an intensely concentrated and low-yielding growing season.