Bandol gold

Cedric Gravier waves goodbye to 20 sommeliers from Lyon. They wanted to know more about Bandol's red wines - the so-called "Lafite-Rothschild of the Côtes de Provence". The Bandol producer has just given them barrel samples from the 1998 vintage, then followed with a few older bottles to show them what the region is really capable of. "We have to make people understand that these are not simple wines," says Gravier. "These are wines for the connoisseur."

In other words, they're a bit of an acquired taste. There's not much of it around (only 48 producers), and they cost a bit (about £8 excluding VAT). That's too dear for the rest of France and, as Walter Gilpin, another Bandol producer, puts it, the rest of France just thinks "rosé" when they think of Provence.

But they're missing a trick - red Bandol is Provence's jewel. It is, however, a rather tiny jewel. You can drive across the appellation in about 10 minutes. The AOC Bandol boundary starts at the Golfe des Lecques in the west, then follows the N8 across the Gorges d'Ollioules before running back to the sea along the River Reppe.

The vineyards lie only a few kilometres inland from the coast, in a sort of natural amphitheatre formed by a semicircle of hills. There isn't a premier cru system in place - "because every place is good," declares Gravier - but AOC Bandol vines are up on the slopes, facing seawards and southwards, while vins de pays and the communes get the valley floor.

Wild and rugged

It couldn't be more different, either, from those glitzy resorts a few miles away on the coast. The wild, rugged countryside that bakes in summer and shivers in winter is stuffed with olive trees, stunted oaks and pine. Crumbling castles and secluded monasteries hug craggy hilltops, while red-roofed bastides dot the countryside.

The air is loaded with salt and iodine - a whiff of the sea is just possible through the heavy scent of wild thyme, oregano and rosemary. In fact, the proximity to the sea, and the resulting humidity, are just a couple of the vital ingredients that contribute towards the individuality of these unique wines.

Like Bordeaux, Bandol takes its name from the nearby port of the same name, from where the wines were despatched in days of yore. The Greeks were supposed to have planted the first vines here, back in 600BC. Then the Romans carried on the tradition.

The wines had quite a reputation until phylloxera decided to munch its way through the roots in the late 19th century. The vines were replanted, but the traditional (and stubborn) local variety, Mourvèdre, was passed over in favour of more easy-going grapes like Carignan. And with it, by all accounts, went Bandol's reputation. Mourvèdre, you see, is Bandol's secret weapon. This workhorse grape that fails to shine elsewhere takes centre stage here.

Even when Bandol was awarded AOC status in 1941, making it one of France's oldest appellations, there was still very little Mourvèdre around. It wasn't until a few years later, when local grower Lucien Peyraud persuaded his fellow growers to plant more Mourvèdre, that quality picked up again.

Since 1988, it has been required that all Bandol producers use at least 50% Mourvèdre in their wines. In reality, it's more like 70%, with certain wine-makers, such as Gravier, using 95% in their blends. "Mourvèdre is what makes Bandol," he says. "It's not used in many other places but it really does good things here."

Why is this? "It's the humidity," declares Gravier. While the rainfall in the winter months is adequate (650mm), the scorching summers are relieved by a night-time humidity that kicks in because of the appellation's proximity to the sea, delivering just the right amount of water to the vines (irrigation is not allowed). Add to that the clay-limestone soils and virtually organic viticulture, and you get wines of eye-popping intensity, with remarkable staying power.

As well as Mourvèdre, Bandol reds can be made up of six other permitted grapes - Cinsault and Grenache are the most commonly used. The same rules apply for Bandol's rosé, which is among the best in the region.

Rosé is an important part of production, and useful, too, when the climate conspires against things. Grapes that would have been limbering up for red production can happily make the move to rosé if the quality isn't as it should be.

There is also a small percentage of white wine (3%), mostly made with Clairette and Ugni Blanc, and while some are pretty good, and command similar prices, the reds are where the action is.

Low yields are another important factor in the success of Bandol reds. At 35-40 hectolitres per hectare, yields are among the lowest in France and far below the norm for the rest of Provence. Domaine Vivonne's Gilpin allows only about six bunches of Mourvèdre per bush.

The age of the vines, too, plays an important part, Gilpin says. The vines must be at least eight years old to make a Bandol red. "But if you want to make really great red wines in Bandol, you have to use 50-, 60-, even 70-year-old vines," he says. "And the vines won't age properly if you use chemicals."

The vines don't need to be doused with chemicals as the region is relatively bug- and mildew-free. Any bugs that do happen into the vineyard are dealt with organically. L'Hermitage, for example, has just introduced pheromone boxes between the rows to lure pests away from the grapes.

There is another rule: Bandol reds must be aged in large oak barrels for 18 months - but not for the wood flavours, you understand. "We use them for aeration, not for the oak taste," says wine-maker Gérard Duffort at Domaine l'Hermitage.

A mature Bandol is packed with a spectrum of flavours ranging from dried cherries, bilberries, blackberries and liquorice to truffle, chocolate and tobacco. Drink it too young and you'll pucker up with the chewy tannins. Wait five years - or better, 10 - and the wine will yield a similar array of thrusting adjectives.

Nobody seems to know quite how, or why, these reds develop in the way they do. The low acidity and high pH of Mourvèdre would suggest that the wines should develop quickly - which is not the case. I tasted a 1986 from Domaines des Salettes that was still remarkably fresh. It followed a tasting of mature Bandol reds where the marks got higher as the wines got older.

However, many 1998 barrel samples we tasted were already showing great promise. "It's the best vintage for us so far," claims Gravier.

The sad fact is that most Bandol producers' current releases are 1997s and, while collectors may nurture these in their lovingly stocked cellars, the rest of us will knock it back as soon as the case hits the doorstep. So, in response to this 21st-century wine-drinking conundrum, many Bandol producers are making their wines in a gentler, fruitier, more accessible style.

Destemmers are now making an appearance in all but the most die-hard wineries. "Just about everybody has got one now," says Gravier. "It's made a big difference. Twenty years ago they were pretty powerful reds that you couldn't drink for at least five years after bottling. Now, things aren't quite so aggressive."

Bandol reds are not for everybody. But for those who like their game well-hung - a perfect partner, by the way - and truffles with everything, then this is your drink.