Domaine Tempier Tourtine and Migoua

• 2005 Domaine Tempier Bandol La Tourtine

  France, Provence, Bandol

  Gorgeous deep purple. Creosote, smoke, and blackberry. In the mouth, like 2 separate wines, with nice weight and upfront sweetness, but then you are quickly sucked into a vortex of searing acidity and tannin which leaves a dry finish. Lots of soil on the end. Pretty brutal, severe young wine which is nowhere near drinkability, but I can see it turning out well if given a lot of time in bottle.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2005 Domaine Tempier Bandol La Migoua

  France, Provence, Bandol

  Slightly less saturated than the Tourtine of the same year. Remarkable aromatics of damp soil more than fruit, but the fruit is definitely there on the palate, with rich blueberry tones. Strong acidity although not as prominent as in the Tourtine, and the tannins are initially less fierce but pick up as the wine aerates. Again, strong soil tones on the finish and just a hint of barkiness of young Mourvedre. This is easier to drink than its stablemate, not that I would advise consuming it in the short term.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2006 Domaine Tempier Bandol La Tourtine

  France, Provence, Bandol

  Deep purple with pure blue and blackberry fruit, really squeaky clean for a young Tempier. Softer, much more supple style than the '05. Lower acidity, some licorice, and that earthy finish is still there. Very good.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2006 Domaine Tempier Bandol La Migoua

  France, Provence, Bandol

  As with the '05s, slightly lighter and less depth of color than the Tourtine. Much more perfumed and floral. Softer, sweeter, albeit with black fruits. Of the 4 wines so far, this was by far the least concentrated and most forward, surprisingly easy in fact. It also has the most complex, Provencale array of spices of herbs. Approachable and very pleasant, although not great due to some mid-palate dilution.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2001 Domaine Tempier Bandol Cuvée Spéciale La Tourtine

  France, Provence, Bandol

  Medium ruby and youthful appearing, clearly without the purple of the '05s and '06s. Captivating nose that is piercing, a bit pungent, with higher tones, blackberry and bark-already very secondary. Tastes as it smells-sinuous, maturing with much less density than the younger vintages, some red fruit, and wonderful complexity. Sound acidity but tannins have largely receded. Lovely natural sweetness balanced by herb elements, and the longest finish of all these wines. Prototypical and my clear favorite of the flight.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2001 Domaine Tempier Bandol Cuvée Spéciale La Migoua

  France, Provence, Bandol

  Same color as Tourtine. Also very fragrant but a strange brew of a wilder funkiness mixed with candied fruit. Medium bodied but weightier than the Tourtine. Very unpleasant off note at the end (like sour licorice if you can imagine that) which gives it a very bitter finish. Out of balance. Well, it took 6 wines, but finally a Tempier with the funk and idiosyncrasy I've experienced so many times before!

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

While the very last wine provided the wild ride that Tempier wines can, I was stunned by how relatively tame and clean the younger wines were. I haven't tasted the wines consistently enough since the '80s and early '90s to know whether this really represents a long term stylistic change, but they sure tasted cleaner than my recollection of tasting young vintages back then. This is especially impressive in that there was no shortage of terroir in the wines. It was smart to sequence the '05s before the '06s, since the younger vintage has much less structure, and if I had a choice, I'd drink anything other than the '05s over the near term.