2015 Domaine Tempier Bandol: Pre-shipment Offer

Vintage Notes

When we visited the mesmerizing Tempier estate at the end of last year it was a great chance to taste through the sexy, succulent 2015 vintage releases. As we huddled around the barrels in the gorgeously cool cellar, winemaker, Daniel Ravier was at pains to point out that because of the recent bottling some of the wines were looking a little shy - a touch dumb. Well, the volume may have been temporarily ‘down’ but the quality of this warm, long vintage was clear. Pure joy shone bright with every wine we tasted.

This is a super vintage, a lovely inviting style that will appeal to any wine lover. These are serious wines and will repay some patience, as ever, but one of the joys of 2015 is that they will not need quite so long to come around. If 2014 was a vintage for the cellar, this year's releases will be relatively approachable and offer quite early rewards. We will be able to enjoy the rich fruit and gorgeous meaty, savoury elements of these magnificent wines over the next 5 to 10 years.

2015 was certainly hot, but to understand the secret to Tempier’s success this year, we must look at the whole season not just the headlines of a long, hot summer. Daniel explains it like this: ‘..after a very wet winter that brought massive water supplies and filled up the water table, the dry spring period didn’t seem as hot as in other regions. As in 2014, the water supplies were good, even excellent, with rainfalls twice as heavy as on average. The weather was certainly warmer than the previous year but there was no hot spell during the spring period. Thus the 2015 vintage went on growing smoothly and by the end of July, it was about 10 days ahead of the 2014 vintage. But the heat was never overwhelming like in 2003, despite very high averages. This allowed the vine to flourish all summer. And in these conditions, we had little risk of disease, though we remained watchful.’ Daniel Ravier, Vintage Report, 2015.

Even in a warm year, these are wines capable of ageing, but in their youth, as well as the nicely ripened fruit, the 2015s have a finesse and a refined feel, which lift them head and shoulders above their neighbours. Domaine Tempier is rightfully seen not just as a top producer of Provençal wines, but one of the world's great wine estates.

We are therefore delighted to offer the following pre-shipment offer for this unique vintage which should offer excellent medium to long term drinking.