By Michael Franz
Wednesday, July 4, 2001; Page F07
Unless you are a devoted student of wine with a willingness to stray from famous labels in search of little-known gems, there's a good chance that you've never tasted a wine from Bandol. I would guess that most Americans who have tried a Bandol did so not as the result of a purposeful quest but by dint of dumb luck (or unwitting good fortune, if you prefer) while visiting Provence or the French Riviera. In those cases, the lucky tourists were probably so blissed-out by the spectacular surroundings and amazing food that the wine is now recalled as little more than a peripheral element of a generally wonderful experience.
We need to do better. Americans seem to know less about Bandol than any of France's great wines, and few importers are inclined to do the missionary work required to make the wines commercially viable. (Bandol is made by 54 producers and three cooperatives, but only 17 of these make it to the United States and only a handful of those are available nationally.) Consequently, we are missing out on some of the world's most delicious and versatile reds, as well as dry rosés that are rarely equaled anywhere.
The wines are made from sloping, sun-drenched vineyards in the eight villages that ring the seaside town of Bandol. Bandol itself has almost no vineyards of significance, but as a Mediterranean port of some historical renown, its name has long been used for the wines from the immediate vicinity (a practice that was formalized when the appellation was granted legal status in 1941).
The climatic key to Bandol's greatness is intense sunlight that burns for roughly 3,000 hours each year. This makes it possible to plant Mourvedre, a grape of modest fame but truly great potential. Mourvedre remains rather obscure relative to its qualitative equals partly because it can be ripened reliably only in the warmest and sunniest sites in France, and also because it travels under other names elsewhere in the world (Mataro in California and Australia, and Monastrell, Morastell or Morrastel in Spain, where it is planted on nearly 250,000 acres).
Although Mourvedre is Bandol's star, there is also a supporting cast of red grapes including Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Carignan. These grapes are grown largely as constituents for Bandol rosé (which totals 53 percent of the appellation's output), though they are also added in small amounts to bottlings of Bandol's reds. The appellation laws stipulate that red Bandol must be a blended wine rather than a true varietal Mourvedre, though the greatness of this grape is recognized by a requirement that it must make up at least 50 percent of the blend. In practice, many top producers acknowledge that they add only ceremonial dashes of anything other than Mourvedre. White grapes are also grown in minor quantities and, though local blends of Ugni Blanc, Bourboulenc, Clairette and Sauvignon Blanc can be very pleasant in their youth, they make up only 7 percent of production and rarely escape the seafood eateries that dot the local coastline.
Most of the rosé is likewise consumed locally, but Americans who can track down a bottle and overcome their fear of white Zinfandel are strongly advised to give it a try. Pale and dry but amply flavored and very refreshing, Bandol rosés are delicious sippers and peerless partners for grilled fish and vegetables. Bandol's top bottling -- which happens to be available in our area -- is Domaine Tempier 1999 ($24, distributed in D.C. by Wine Source). Unusually pricey but worth every penny, this is a complete wine of great complexity. When I covered rosés from around the world last summer, this same vintage trounced every other contender, and a year later its quality has not faded in the least. The 2000 vintage is just arriving in our area, and is equally fine. Also very good is Domaines Ott "Cuvee Marine" 1999 ($21, Wines, Ltd.), which is fleshy and fruity and full of fun.
Regardless of the charms of the whites and rosés, international recognition of Bandol's greatness will depend largely on the reception of its reds. Classic renditions feature deep color and lovely blackberry fruit, with alluring aromas of tobacco, roasted meat and fresh herbs. Although these reds are generously flavored and capable of improving for 15 years in the bottle, they are almost always enjoyable within three years of the vintage. Of the wines currently available at the wholesale level in our area, the best include (in order of preference) four bottlings from Domaine La Bastide Blanche "Longue Garde" 1998($27), Rouge 1998($19), Rouge 1999($21), and "Cuvee Fontanieu" 1997($18; Bacchus), as well as Domaine Roche Redonne "Cuvee Les Bartavelles" 1998($18, Kysela), Chateau Ste. Anne 1997($21, Wines, Ltd.) and Domaine de Terrebrune 1997 ($26, Franklin). The outstanding 1998s from the justly famous Domaine Tempier are sold out at the wholesale level, but the 1999s will arrive late this summer.
"The Grapevine" will be dormant today, but Michael Franz will be back on washingtonpost.com in two weeks.