France – Bunan Moulin des Costes Cuvée Charriage 2010

Domaine and vineyard

The history of Domaine Bunan begins in 1961 when Paul et Pierre Bunan fell in love with a piece of land in the prestigious and noble AOC Bandol, in the south of France. With the second generation of Bunan to the head of the company the family takes a more granular control of the entire production and sales chain. In recent years, crucial for the domaine, the Bunan name makes its appearance in the envoironment of world wine, in particular the United States, and the company becomes a destination of great interest both for wine tourism circuits and as a location for ceremonies or vernissage of art.What over the years has never changed is the philosophy of the family that is to make good wine respecting the vines. Which means, nowadays, the turning of production towards the biological and biodynamic.The Domaine Bunan covers an area of ​​40 hectares distributed in the municipalities of La Cadiere d'Azur and Le Castellet on a clay-limestone soil, ideal especially for the main grape of this AOC, the Mourvedre. The yields are very low, to obtain a concentration and a higher quality: here we are about 35 hectoliters per hectare.

The wine

The Bunan Charriage Cuvée 2010 is mainly Mourvèdre (the specification of the AOC Bandol does not allow single-grape wines that still has to be added a 1% of other grapes, with no impact on the taste and characteristics). The grapes are selected when they are still in the vineyard and exclusively on older vines, grown in the parcel called Moulin des Costes. Following stripping, maceration, pre-fermentation  and then daily pressing during the 31 days of maceration in wooden conical. Following a slight shift in barrels before bottling and a long aging before being marketed.The result is a wine with intense and brilliant color, with a strong body and round and soft tannins. An ambitious wine, able to make his mark in the memory of one who tastes.It 'a wine to be stored in the cellar (again the optimum comes ten years after the harvest). In any case, however, before tasting the wine is decanted and left to breathe for about two hours.

Tasting Note

Date	21 September 2016
Wine name	CUVEE CHARIAGES	Vintage	2010
Nation	France	Region	Provence
AOC-DOC	Bandol	Grape Varieties	Mourvedre
Serving temperature	18° C	Alcohol	14
Price (in euro)	29	SO2 (in mg/l)	Nd

Visual Examination		Taste analysis
Limpidity	Limpid	Body	Full
Color	Purple Red	Balance	Balanced
Consistency	Consistent	Soft sensations	Warm, Soft
Effervescence	//	Hard sensations	Quite Tannic
		Flavors intensity	Intense
Olfactory analysis		Flavours	Blackberry,Pepper
Aroma intensity	Intense
Complexity	Quite Complex	Finish/Persistence	Persistent
Quality	Fine	Overall evaluations
Aromas	Spices, menthol, cedar	Development	Ready
		Harmony	Harmonious

Food and wine pairings

The wine holds up well pairing with red meat, confit de canard, dishes made with truffles, lamb shoulder or leg of lamb stuffed.

After buying this wine, so great was the curiosity of taste it again that, when I came home, I immediately uncorked a bottle. The first impact was however unfortunate: the wine had a great flavor, moderately intense aromas and above all, lacking in body, it seemed watered down!
I had not read, in all honesty, the board to let him breathe. I waited, hopeful, and after a couple of hours I was enyoing anything but wine, rich, round, fragrant and tasty. A wine that will remain in the memory.
Small anecdote: a bottle of this cuvee is heavier than traditional bottles, as if to emphasize the weight of this product within the range of the company offers.

Official website: www.bunan.fr