Bandol AOCMourvedre, Grenache, Cinsault26 haFounded 1752Portalis familyBandol
The Portalis family have farmed Pradeaux on the Bandol coast at Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer since 1752, working a Mourvedre-dominant red programme (around 95 percent of the encepagement) with traditional long-foudre ageing.
Tasting: Tastings by reservation Monday to Friday, 9am to 12:30pm and 3pm to 6pm; tastings 15 EUR per person
Signature wines: pradeaux-bandol-rouge, pradeaux-le-lys, pradeaux-bandol-rose
Tip: The estate's basic Bandol rouge is bottled with very long oak ageing and needs five to ten years before it really shows.
Bandol AOCMourvedre, Grenache, Cinsault, Clairette, Bourboulenc30 haFounded 1963Delille familyWinemaker Reynald DelilleBiodynamic PracticingORGANIC CERTIFIEDBandol
Reynald Delille farms 30 hectares of certified organic Mourvedre, Grenache and Cinsault on dolomitic limestone at Ollioules, a few kilometres back from the Bandol coast, producing precision Bandol reds and a notable Bandol Blanc on dolomitic limestone.
Tasting: Tastings Monday to Saturday, 9:30am to 12:30pm and 2:30pm to 6pm; on-site restaurant
Signature wines: terrebrune-bandol-rouge, terrebrune-bandol-blanc, terrebrune-bandol-rose
Tip: Visit the on-site restaurant for the producer-led pairing menu featuring the estate cuvees.
Bandol AOCMourvedre, Grenache, Cinsault, Clairette, Ugni Blanc15 haFounded 1968Hocquard familyWinemaker Agnes Henry-HocquardORGANIC CERTIFIEDBandol
Family estate on the north-western fringe of the Bandol AOC near the village of Le Castellet, organic-certified since 2014, run by Agnes Henry-Hocquard. The Saint Ferreol cuvee, pure Mourvedre, is the flagship.
Tasting: Open Monday to Friday 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 6pm; Saturdays and Sundays by appointment
Signature wines: tour-du-bon-bandol-rouge, tour-du-bon-saint-ferreol, tour-du-bon-bandol-blanc
Tip: Saint Ferreol is the cellar candidate; the white from Clairette and Ugni Blanc is a textbook coastal Bandol Blanc.
Bandol AOCMourvedre, Grenache, Cinsault, Clairette, Ugni Blanc15 haFounded 1965Dutheil de la Rochere familyWinemaker Jean-Baptiste DutheilBiodynamic PracticingORGANIC CERTIFIEDBandol
Long-established Bandol estate in the eastern part of the appellation at Sainte Anne d'Evenos, working its terraced limestone-and-clay slopes organically and biodynamically since the 1960s under three generations of the Dutheil de la Rochere family.
Tasting: Cellar visits and tastings by appointment
Signature wines: sainte-anne-bandol-rouge, sainte-anne-bandol-collection, sainte-anne-bandol-rose
Tip: The Collection cuvee, a barrel selection of the best old-vine Mourvedre, is a low-intervention reference.
Bandol AOCMourvedre, Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan19 haFounded 1997Alain PascalWinemaker Alain PascalBandol
Alain Pascal founded Gros 'Nore in 1997, bottling Mourvedre-led Bandol from family vineyards worked for three generations as growers. The reds are dense, tannic and require long cellar ageing (typically 10 to 20 years).
Tasting: Cellar visits and tastings by appointment
Signature wines: gros-nore-bandol-rouge, gros-nore-bandol-rose, gros-nore-cuvee-antoinette
Tip: The cuvee Antoinette, named after Alain's mother, is the producer's old-vine flagship.
Bandol AOCMourvedre, Grenache, Cinsault, Clairette, Ugni Blanc55 haFounded 1801Dumoutier familyBandol
The Dumoutier family have farmed l'Olivette since 1801; today the estate runs 55 hectares of Mourvedre-led red, rose and white across plots on the Le Castellet plateau.
Tasting: Tastings at the estate; contact through the website to arrange
Signature wines: olivette-bandol-rouge, olivette-bandol-rose, olivette-bandol-blanc
Tip: The cuvee Marie Levenes (top-of-range red, oak-aged old-vine Mourvedre) is the cellar wine to seek out.
