Domaine de la Tour du Bon - En Sol 2017
17/20
Bettane & Desseauve
16,5/20 Coup de Coeur
RVF
"One of the most original Mourvèdre wines in the region"
"Vinification in amphorae has tamed the ardor of Mourvèdre and makes it purr in the glass, without losing any of its assertive character. Velvety tannins, fine and tight texture, beautiful freshness, all accompanied by a lovely expression of black fruit, aromatic herbs, blackcurrant, blueberry, bramble, and garrigue flowers. It is beautiful, sincere, and utterly charming."(Le Guide des Vins Bettane & Desseauve)
Buy your Tour du Bon wines at the best price in a private sale!
from €99 on your first order
Nose
Expressive notes of jammy fruit (blackcurrant, blueberry), floral and garrigue notes
Mouth
Full-bodied, juicy, with racy yet elegant tannins—what energy!
Serve
At 16-18°C
Open
1 hour before in a carafe
Drink before
2028
Food and wine pairings
Enjoy with stew, game meats, duck with red berries, rack of lamb with herbs, or squab with truffles.
Bettane & Desseauve
Wine rated 17/20 (Reference wine)
Rated estate (2024 guide) 3 stars (High-quality production, serving as a benchmark in its sector)
About wine:
Vinification in amphorae has tamed the ardor of the Mourvèdre grape, allowing it to purr in the glass without losing any of its assertive character. Velvety tannins, fine and tight texture, beautiful freshness, all accompanied by lovely expressions of black fruit, aromatic herbs, blackcurrant, blueberry, bramble, and garrigue flowers. It is beautiful, sincere, and utterly charming.
About the estate:
Agnès Hocquard-Henry runs her estate with the aim of producing small quantities of high-quality wine. On her 14 hectares, she produces elegant wines that reflect the terroir, sometimes straying from the beaten track to create original micro-vintages. The reds, rosés, and whites are beautifully crafted, but the most surprising is the cuvée en-sol, produced in tiny quantities with Elisabetta Foradori, the high priestess of amphora wines in Italy. The Mourvèdre expresses a dimension of suppleness and unexpected finesse, vibrant and stripped of all artifice. We loved it!
RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France
Wine rating (2020 guide) 16.5/20 Favorite
Rated estate (2024 guide) 2 stars (These very large estates, often blessed with fabulous terroirs, are must-haves which, thanks to their consistency and the excellence of their production, deserve a place in the cellars of discerning wine lovers).
About wine:
One of the most original Mourvèdre wines in the region. It was destemmed and macerated for six months in amphorae, resulting in a subtle floral bouquet and gently extracted flavors. Its rough, lively texture gives it plenty of personality and a surprising sensation of fresh grapes.
About the estate:
The Hocquard family has been at the helm of this estate since 1968. Located in Le Castellet, La Tour du Bon benefits from a unique terroir of limestone and sandy soils with varied exposures, making it one of the earliest ripening vineyards in Bandol. The estate began to make a name for itself in the mid-1980s, notably with the creation in 1987 of the Saint-Ferréol cuvée, a sunny, refined red wine from three plots planted around a 20-million-year-old hill. Then, from 1990 onwards, with the arrival of Agnès Henry-Hocquard at the head of the estate, the wine took on a whole new dimension! Surrounded by Loire winemakers (Thierry Puzelat and Antoine Pouponeau), she has maintained a course of excellence with wines that retain great personality and age harmoniously with a delicate profile, without ever becoming overly mature, extracted, or aged. Since 2013, the curious winemaker has been isolating Mourvèdre grapes for the En Sol cuvée, macerated for six months in amphorae. This is an ancestral but perilous practice (the wines can become heavy and lack precision), but it is masterfully executed in a fine red with a rare iodine sensation.
Discover other wines from the estate