Bandol French wine appellation guide: location, history, wines, climate & soil
Bandol is Provence's most prestigious appellation, celebrated for powerful, long-lived Mourvèdre reds and some of France's most serious, gastronomic rosés, grown on terraces overlooking the Mediterranean.
More info about Bandol
Geographic position
Southeastern France, in the Var department, on the Mediterranean coast between Marseille and Toulon, around the port of Bandol and eight villages including Le Castellet, La Cadière-d'Azur and Le Beausset, in a natural amphitheatre of terraced hills (restanques).
Origin & history
The Phocaean Greeks planted vines here around 600 BC, and the port of Bandol shipped wine across the Mediterranean and to the Americas in the 18th century; its wines were favoured by King Louis XV. Bandol became an AOC in 1941, one of the first in Provence.
Wines & grape varieties
Reds are based on Mourvèdre (at least 50%), with Grenache and Cinsault, aged at least 18 months in oak; expect blackberry, plum, leather, liquorice, garrigue and firm tannins, with decades of ageing potential. Rosés are structured and spicy; whites use Clairette, Ugni Blanc and Bourboulenc.
Climate & soil
Hot, sunny Mediterranean climate with sea breezes. Limestone, sandy marl and siliceous soils.
Wine region: Provence
Grape varieties: Bourboulenc, Cinsault, Clairette, Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre, Ugni Blanc