At 14 years in the bottle it is very slightly past peak. Still an amazing but very mellow Domaine Tempier Bandol. Paired well with a medium rare t-bone.
Opened after finishing my “Transatlantic” binge on Netflix which takes place in Marseille. Plus it’s summer and I love Bandol in summer. That said, this is a big disappointment. In fact, this cements my feeling that these “special” cuvées are a crock. I have been lucky to drink a fair amount of Tempier and almost to a bottle, I have preferred the “normal” bottling. This is just too polished, too monolithic and lacking a sense of place. Good color is not too youthful. The nose is loaded with blackberries, espresso and dark chocolate. Where is the spice and garrigue? It’s not heavy or alcoholic but it is kind of generic. It’s a very well made wine technically but I fear it’s soul has been removed. (89) but I like it less than the score. This should delight, don’t you think?
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Clear ruby center. Reticent blackberry and a touch of herbs. Medium weight, clean, crisp black and blue fruit, but very little dimension or complexity beyond that. One of the most curiously boring and anonymous Tempiers I've ever had. Will keep the remaining half of the bottle to see if it blossoms overnight.
And indeed, after being recorked and opened 18 hours later, it is spicier and generally more lively. Funny thing wine...
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I was guessing Loire here for it's chalky, vibrant character; extremely young, elegant, a wee bit of oak showing, but first and foremost the exceptional vintage. Will be great in ten years and on. #BoutDuMonde#Beaune
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A very dark colour; full, intense, blackberry fruit, with smoke and tar, well rounded and with good length. Drinking well, but still vigorous and with plenty of life.
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A very dark colour; full, rich and slightly sweet, with dark fruit flavours, spice and tar, and fresh acidity. Good balance and length. Very approachable now, but should keep well.
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Ruby fading to garnet. Displays charming complexity with a medley of red and black berries followed by tar, blood and cured meat. Rich and layered with grainy tannins. Still youtful and obviously has much more to offer.
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Always love me some Tempier, has some saddle and red fruit on the nose, still fresh and juicy, this has not entered into maturity yet, still, the rustic, balanced personality shows up, earthy, with dried red cherry, blueberry, leather and herbal flavors, La Migoua always strikes me as the dry and complex version of classic Tempier Bandol, beautiful with prime rib roast tonight
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A very deep colour; rich, tarry fruit, quite intense and rather spirity from the high alcohol (14.5%). This is now ready to drink, but it should keep well for several years yet. Excellent.
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I really enjoyed this. Quite full bodied, with good tannic grip. Still got plenty of fruit, with savoury and meaty notes overlaid. Powerful, with good length. This is delicious now but will last for many more years so no rush to drink.
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A fairly dark colour; the palate has flavours of raspberry, dark cherry and blackberry, with a little spice; medium to full weight, with some discreet tannin holding it back a little. Attractive now, but should develop further over the next few years.
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Decanted and poured, this bottle was more stern and structured than the last experience with this wine. At this stage this wine remains somewhat backwards and stern. Hopefully additional bottle age will allow the wine to give a more approachable showing.
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This was excellent. Every time I drink one of the Tempier reds I wonder why I don't more often. The nose is lovely with gamy, feral notes exploding, followed by dense red and blue berry fruits, garrigue, and damp earth. The palate is very young, but still quite enjoyable, lots of ripe fruits, iron, and herbs. This has loads of upside, but is still very good to drink now with robust foods.
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Bandols (Trent's): The groups WOTN and my #2. Dark ruby in color. The nose has sour cherries and dark cherries. Nice lush texture. This is delicious. Sour cherries and some earthiness. Deep but tight complexity that unwinds in the glass. Needs time but really good right now. Worth the money IMO.
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Sweet, exuberant black fruit with a fair amount of peppery reduction and some nice meaty and herbal notes. Perhaps a little too exuberant, the alcohol pokes out slightly and the acidity is not well-integrated. I think this needs some time in bottle to settle down and come together.
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Young Tempier-White, Rose, and Red (SF Wine Trading Company): Medium ruby (clearly lighter color than the 2011 Classique). Already perfumed. This seems to be shutting down. Lean, crisp black fruit, terrific acidity. Tannic. A bit hard to read to today, but evident underlying quality.
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Decanted and poured, this bottle gave an excellent showing. This bottle seems more detailed, expressive and complete than previous experiences with this wine. This bottle gives a balanced display of accessibility and structure and leaves the impression that this wine will benefit from additional bottle age.
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ruby in color. pepper, salt, oak, black fruit, toast, on the aroma. oak, blackberry, spice, pepper, salt, mineral, on the palate. medium acid and tannins, on the finish.
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Decanted and poured, this wine was tasted side by side with the 2010 Tempier Tourtine and Cabassaou. Of the three, the Migoua seems the most accessible; however, all three give a sense of structure and being somewhat reserved. This does give a similar showing to the last two encounters with this wine.
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Decanted and poured, this bottle seemed more expressive than the last encounter with this wine; however, it does not seem as complete as the bottle tasted on 02/14/2013.
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Decanted and poured, this bottle gave an excellent showing; however, this time the wines seems slightly more reserved and austere compare to a previous encounter with this wine.
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Medium ruby. Very tight to start, this really benefited from decanting. Blackberry, boysenberry, and finally blueberry in a steady ascent out of the bottle. Medium weight. Some inner mouth perfume, licorice and herb in addition to the great fruit and prominent acidity. Restrained and not lush but immensely satisfying and great potential. Completely clean, very powerful. After starting out so wound up, I was surprised by how much it gave after some time in the decanter, but that said, this is very much for the future.
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Decanted and poured, this wine gave an excellent showing. The youthful aromatics show a mix of primary red and black fruit that mingle with stone, spice, licorice, fig and herb notes. The color is a dark ruby to purple that is concentrated and almost opaque. The robust, full bodied palate shows excellent balance. The wine shows structure and density while still showing finesse and not coming across as weighty or over extracted. The palate shows ample primary fruit and firm tannin structure. The wine gives a medium to long finish. This wine drinks well now for it youthful intensity and leaves the impression it will reward additional bottle age.
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Decanted for an hour. Eggplant and garnet, with a lighter rim. The nose is very evocative - there's melted licorice, fig paste, coffee grounds, pomegranate, incense, rain-soaked rose petals and warm river rocks. Layer upon layer of tannin and flavor, with so much fineness. The blanketed effect is sonorous with so much exotic dried fruit, holding back on the elegant fervor. So approachable and statuesque enough for a long slumber in the cellar. I'm in love with '10 Tempiers. The thought of this five years from now is laden in joy. The best La Migoua ever! Drink 2018 -.
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Like the regular bottling I drank two nights ago, this was superb. Great purity and balance with a lengthy and lingering finish. Time in the cellar will be rewarded.
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Tempier 2010 release party (Andrea's Restaurant): Purple. Riper than the regular bottling. Dark fruits, white pepper, meat and persimmon. Much more like a northern Rhone wine than southern. Forward and expressive, but still in need of 5 years or so. Very nice.
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4/10/2024 - winepig1075 wrote: 90 Points
At 14 years in the bottle it is very slightly past peak. Still an amazing but very mellow Domaine Tempier Bandol. Paired well with a medium rare t-bone.
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7/6/2023 - dbkitc wrote: 89 Points
Opened after finishing my “Transatlantic” binge on Netflix which takes place in Marseille. Plus it’s summer and I love Bandol in summer. That said, this is a big disappointment. In fact, this cements my feeling that these “special” cuvées are a crock. I have been lucky to drink a fair amount of Tempier and almost to a bottle, I have preferred the “normal” bottling. This is just too polished, too monolithic and lacking a sense of place. Good color is not too youthful. The nose is loaded with blackberries, espresso and dark chocolate. Where is the spice and garrigue? It’s not heavy or alcoholic but it is kind of generic. It’s a very well made wine technically but I fear it’s soul has been removed. (89) but I like it less than the score. This should delight, don’t you think?
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12/3/2022 - drwine2001 wrote:
Clear ruby center. Reticent blackberry and a touch of herbs. Medium weight, clean, crisp black and blue fruit, but very little dimension or complexity beyond that. One of the most curiously boring and anonymous Tempiers I've ever had. Will keep the remaining half of the bottle to see if it blossoms overnight.
And indeed, after being recorked and opened 18 hours later, it is spicier and generally more lively. Funny thing wine...
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7/9/2020 - La Grappe wrote: flawed
My last bottle: sadly, it was corked.
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1/15/2020 - La Grappe wrote: 90 Points
A very dark colour; quite full, black-fruited, slightly smoky and now developing more complex mature flavours. Should still keep well.
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11/24/2019 - jdhannah Likes this wine:
Drank alongside a 2008 not SV, and a 2004 miguoa.
Opened bottle 2 hrs ... still closed. Good but not as good as the other 2. Then decanted... better. Very promising but needs more time.
Great with sausage.
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11/20/2019 - ledocq wrote: flawed
Suspect improper storage.
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11/15/2019 - beatles wrote: 93 Points
I was guessing Loire here for it's chalky, vibrant character; extremely young, elegant, a wee bit of oak showing, but first and foremost the exceptional vintage. Will be great in ten years and on.
#BoutDuMonde#Beaune
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9/25/2019 - La Grappe wrote: 91 Points
A very dark colour; full, intense, blackberry fruit, with smoke and tar, well rounded and with good length. Drinking well, but still vigorous and with plenty of life.
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4/14/2019 - La Grappe wrote: 90 Points
A very dark colour; full, rich and slightly sweet, with dark fruit flavours, spice and tar, and fresh acidity. Good balance and length. Very approachable now, but should keep well.
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3/10/2019 - Umay Ceviker wrote: 93 Points
Ruby fading to garnet. Displays charming complexity with a medley of red and black berries followed by tar, blood and cured meat. Rich and layered with grainy tannins. Still youtful and obviously has much more to offer.
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12/21/2018 - whits Likes this wine: 93 Points
Always love me some Tempier, has some saddle and red fruit on the nose, still fresh and juicy, this has not entered into maturity yet, still, the rustic, balanced personality shows up, earthy, with dried red cherry, blueberry, leather and herbal flavors, La Migoua always strikes me as the dry and complex version of classic Tempier Bandol, beautiful with prime rib roast tonight
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12/18/2018 - La Grappe wrote: 91 Points
A very deep colour; rich, tarry fruit, quite intense and rather spirity from the high alcohol (14.5%). This is now ready to drink, but it should keep well for several years yet. Excellent.
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10/13/2018 - aknot13 wrote: 93 Points
Lost my notes but remember it as being very earthy, animal notes and all black fruits. Very young to drink now - will improve! 93 pt.
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6/17/2018 - bvin Likes this wine: 92 Points
I really enjoyed this. Quite full bodied, with good tannic grip. Still got plenty of fruit, with savoury and meaty notes overlaid. Powerful, with good length. This is delicious now but will last for many more years so no rush to drink.
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3/5/2018 - La Grappe wrote: 90 Points
A fairly dark colour; the palate has flavours of raspberry, dark cherry and blackberry, with a little spice; medium to full weight, with some discreet tannin holding it back a little. Attractive now, but should develop further over the next few years.
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2/16/2018 - danstrings Likes this wine: 93 Points
Gorgeous inky dark heady nose of cassis and spice, animale notes, lovely
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10/10/2016 - sehill wrote:
Decanted and poured, this bottle was more stern and structured than the last experience with this wine. At this stage this wine remains somewhat backwards and stern. Hopefully additional bottle age will allow the wine to give a more approachable showing.
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9/18/2016 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:
This was excellent. Every time I drink one of the Tempier reds I wonder why I don't more often. The nose is lovely with gamy, feral notes exploding, followed by dense red and blue berry fruits, garrigue, and damp earth. The palate is very young, but still quite enjoyable, lots of ripe fruits, iron, and herbs. This has loads of upside, but is still very good to drink now with robust foods.
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2/22/2016 - ccn wrote: 89 Points
Very young, marked by VA (as Tempier often is)
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7/8/2015 - admid wrote:
Took it to a tasting by a mistake. The wine is totally out of focus and need more time, or we had a off-bottle.
Right now I would rate it on low 80.
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1/28/2015 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 94 Points
Bandols (Trent's): The groups WOTN and my #2. Dark ruby in color. The nose has sour cherries and dark cherries. Nice lush texture. This is delicious. Sour cherries and some earthiness. Deep but tight complexity that unwinds in the glass. Needs time but really good right now. Worth the money IMO.
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7/7/2014 - coremill wrote: 87 Points
Sweet, exuberant black fruit with a fair amount of peppery reduction and some nice meaty and herbal notes. Perhaps a little too exuberant, the alcohol pokes out slightly and the acidity is not well-integrated. I think this needs some time in bottle to settle down and come together.
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7/4/2014 - cooberp wrote: 88 Points
Potent, pungent, quite young. Ripe cherry and palpable alcohol. A little sharp. Lightweight.
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5/24/2014 - BradE wrote:
A fun wine to drink, and really was enjoyable during the afternoon
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2/26/2014 - danstrings Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lovely inky dark, juicy, unctuous goodness. Yet balanced with good minerality, black olive, espresso.
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1/11/2014 - drwine2001 wrote:
Young Tempier-White, Rose, and Red (SF Wine Trading Company): Medium ruby (clearly lighter color than the 2011 Classique). Already perfumed. This seems to be shutting down. Lean, crisp black fruit, terrific acidity. Tannic. A bit hard to read to today, but evident underlying quality.
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11/21/2013 - sehill Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted and poured, this bottle gave an excellent showing. This bottle seems more detailed, expressive and complete than previous experiences with this wine. This bottle gives a balanced display of accessibility and structure and leaves the impression that this wine will benefit from additional bottle age.
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5/31/2013 - affordableCollector wrote: 90 Points
ruby in color. pepper, salt, oak, black fruit, toast, on the aroma. oak, blackberry, spice, pepper, salt, mineral, on the palate. medium acid and tannins, on the finish.
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5/25/2013 - sehill Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted and poured, this wine was tasted side by side with the 2010 Tempier Tourtine and Cabassaou. Of the three, the Migoua seems the most accessible; however, all three give a sense of structure and being somewhat reserved. This does give a similar showing to the last two encounters with this wine.
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5/2/2013 - sehill wrote:
Decanted and poured, this bottle seemed more expressive than the last encounter with this wine; however, it does not seem as complete as the bottle tasted on 02/14/2013.
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4/3/2013 - sehill Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted and poured, this bottle gave an excellent showing; however, this time the wines seems slightly more reserved and austere compare to a previous encounter with this wine.
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3/21/2013 - drwine2001 wrote:
Medium ruby. Very tight to start, this really benefited from decanting. Blackberry, boysenberry, and finally blueberry in a steady ascent out of the bottle. Medium weight. Some inner mouth perfume, licorice and herb in addition to the great fruit and prominent acidity. Restrained and not lush but immensely satisfying and great potential. Completely clean, very powerful. After starting out so wound up, I was surprised by how much it gave after some time in the decanter, but that said, this is very much for the future.
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2/14/2013 - sehill Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted and poured, this wine gave an excellent showing. The youthful aromatics show a mix of primary red and black fruit that mingle with stone, spice, licorice, fig and herb notes. The color is a dark ruby to purple that is concentrated and almost opaque. The robust, full bodied palate shows excellent balance. The wine shows structure and density while still showing finesse and not coming across as weighty or over extracted. The palate shows ample primary fruit and firm tannin structure. The wine gives a medium to long finish. This wine drinks well now for it youthful intensity and leaves the impression it will reward additional bottle age.
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2/1/2013 - Matt Scott wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for an hour. Eggplant and garnet, with a lighter rim. The nose is very evocative - there's melted licorice, fig paste, coffee grounds, pomegranate, incense, rain-soaked rose petals and warm river rocks. Layer upon layer of tannin and flavor, with so much fineness. The blanketed effect is sonorous with so much exotic dried fruit, holding back on the elegant fervor. So approachable and statuesque enough for a long slumber in the cellar. I'm in love with '10 Tempiers. The thought of this five years from now is laden in joy. The best La Migoua ever! Drink 2018 -.
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1/24/2013 - cardsandwine Likes this wine:
Like the regular bottling I drank two nights ago, this was superb. Great purity and balance with a lengthy and lingering finish. Time in the cellar will be rewarded.
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11/30/2012 - BobJohnson1 wrote:
Tempier 2010 release party (Andrea's Restaurant): Purple. Riper than the regular bottling. Dark fruits, white pepper, meat and persimmon. Much more like a northern Rhone wine than southern. Forward and expressive, but still in need of 5 years or so. Very nice.
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