Domaine Lou Capelan
Wow! What a place – from the wonderful views of the barrel-lined car park to the welcome we received in the boutique-style cave-a-vin. We found this estate to be a summer-breeze sort of a place, where it would be easy to send an hour or two on the south-facing terrace with your rosé from the cellar and charcouterie & fromage platter from, the kitchen.
The first rosé we sampled was the interesting 2016 Ambre. This wine with just over 40% Mourvèdre was flowery at the front end, although had a lot of minerality through the length. The second we tasted was the 2016 Lou Capelan with 53% Mourvèdre and was more fruity and slightly more metallic (and was a bronze award winner in 2017). The third and final rosé we tried from this estate was the 2017, ‘little brother’ of the previous pour and more sweet yet minerally overall. Each wine was €13.90/bottle
Tried, tasted and purchased the 2016 Bandol Rosé Ambre at €13.90/bottle.
Destination, drop in or drive-by? – Destination without hesitation. And put it on the early part of your list to get a good overview of the Bandol amphitheatre and an idea on the lower levels of Mourvèdre inclusion.