Château Guilhem Tournier

Well cultivated soils and plenty of tall cedars separating the vineyard from the nearby main road welcomed us to these estate but to call it a château was a bit of a mystery as all we could see was a few stone buildings with plenty of undergrowth. We parked and walked up a stony path past a ‘degustation’ sign and round the back of one small farm house. It felt distinctly like visiting an old relative and on knocking and ‘bonjour-ing’ we walked into what seemed like an all-purpose sitting room, complete with musty smell, kitchen table and a few mis-matching wooden chairs. 

After what seemed like a good 10 minutes and a few shouts of, “J’arrive!” our elderly wild-haired host met us, bottle in hand with gusto and invited us to sit at his table. He opened the bottle of 2017 rosé by pulling the cork while holding the bottle between his legs and poured it into glasses wiped with a tea-towel from over his shoulder for us and one for himself and proceeded to chatter to us as if we were old friends. 

Unfortunately, the romance of the authentic eccentric estate was let down by the Cuvée la Malissonne which was very flowery and on the sweeter side of the Bandol rosés we had tasted, but the host didn’t seem put out by us leaving empty handed. Perhaps he poured himself another glass.

Tried and tasted the 2017 La Cadierenne rosé at €7.40/bottle and La Grande Tradition at ne at €9.20/bottle.

Destination, drop-in or drive by? – You can probably give this one a miss – unless you particularly want a morning chat over a glass of rosé.

Vieux chemin du Pey Neuf, Chemin des Paluns - 83740 La Cadière d'Azur