Domaine Tempier

The Tempier estate, an estate steeped in history

The Tempier estate has existed since the reign of Louis XV and has belonged to the Tempier family since the construction of the bastide in 1834. Between the phylloxera crisis in the 19th century, which destroyed a large part of the French vineyard, the Great Southern Wine Crisis in the early 1910s, which led to the uprooting of part of the estate's vines, and the economic crisis of 1929, the estate has lived through some turbulent centuries.

However, the estate was revived and the Bandol vineyard was put back in order after the war by Lucie Tempier and her husband Lucien Peyraud. Lucien Peyraud fought all his life to give Bandol wine the prestige it deserved, in particular by replanting grape varieties such as Mourvèdre, which is moreover adapted to the stony soil of the estate.

In 1941, the AOC decree "Vins de Bandol" was published, and a few years later Lucien Peyraud was appointed President of the AOC of Bandol wines for 37 years. In the 1960s, Lucien Peyraud's two sons, Jean-Marie and François, joined forces to succeed him. Finally, if since the 2000s, Daniel Ravier is the director of the estate, the major strategic decisions are taken by the family board of directors.

Richness of the Bandol estate and terroir

The estate is located in the heart of the Bandol appellation and extends over several parcels. It is made up of a multitude of terroirs, each of which has its own particularities, although they are all located on clay-limestone soils. For example, while La Migoua and Tourtine alternate strength, elegance and power, Cabassaou is more of a pure power.

The estate is renowned in the Bandol region because the Tempier family, then Peyraud, worked hard to ensure that Mourvèdre would take an important place in the Bandol appellation. Moreover, blended wines are part of the estate's culture. The red wines contain a majority of mourvèdre, complemented by grenache and cinsault.

Responsible farming methods

The Peyraud family seeks to preserve and respect this exceptional winegrowing heritage, made up of very old vines (vines were cultivated by the Phocaean Greeks in the 5th century BC). This search for authenticity includes the practice of sustainable viticulture. Daniel Ravier adopted biodynamic viticulture in 2013.

Thus, no phytosanitary products are used to treat the vines, the grapes are harvested manually and the soil is worked in the traditional way, without herbicides