The Iron Chevsky Wine Blog

My friend Scott decided to educate me on one of his all-time favorite producers Domaine Tempier . This domaine is considered by many the maker of the world's finest rosé wine. But the reds from this esteemed property in Bandol  are even more cherished among the inner circle of wine aficionados. Bandol reds are unique in that they are dominated by the dark, chocolate-and-olive flavored mourvedre grape, the minor ingredient of the main three grape varieties - Mourvedre, Syrah, Grenache - of the much more famous neighboring Southern Rhone region that includes Chateauneuf-du-Pape. But Bandol in the South of France, in Provence, is the one place on earth where mourvedre reigns supreme and achieves its ultimate expression. There is particular excitement around Tempier's reds in the 2010 vintage, because as I've been screaming at the top of my lungs to anyone who is listening - this is an amazing vintage across Europe. And that includes Southern France. Thus the Tempier line

2010 red Burgundies are soooo painfully good that I am shocked to admit I am becoming desensitized to $100/btl price barrier. In the past, I would only consider the mindbogglingly profound wines to sway me to consider spending north of $100. The world's greatest wine regions and producers have escalated their prices especially in a vintage as glorious all across Europe as 2010. Clearly the global demand for top Burgundy is on the rise. Great many red Burgs from 2010 are so excellent (delicious and age-worthy), that even at the village level they are hard to resist, even when approaching triple digits $$$. In the future the prices for this level of quality are likely to be even higher, maybe a lot higher. That's not to say that every 2010 is good, some are meh, so tasting is highly recommended before buying. But the average level is fantastic. Minimum 3-6 bottles for any self-respecting wine lover, and you are down half a grand, mind full of dreams of future delights. The scary