2020 Domaine Tempier Rouge ‘Lulu & Lucien’

Responsibly Farmed
Hidden Gem
Geeky

Domaine Tempier is often called the grand cru de Provence. They create deep and structured wines of refinement and longevity that rival those of Burgundy and Bordeaux. Decant for an hour or two before enjoying with a ribeye.

Organic farming practices, hand-harvested, and native yeast fermentation.

We visited this legendary estate in 2016 and the afternoon we spent there was one for the books. Read more below.

Red
  • Tasting Notes plum, red currant, blueberry, dried herbs, tobacco, pepper, game
  • Variety 75% Mourvedre, 14% Grenache, 9% Cinsault, 2% Carignan
  • Region France, Provence
  • Volume 750ml
  • Alcohol Volume 14.5%
  • Table Talk Lulu & Lucien were the late founders of Domaine Tempier. Lulu passed recently at the age of 103! This bottle is a tribute to them.

$85.00

Out of stock

In June of 2016, Arden and I flew to France for our first time since passing our certified sommelier exam. Finally we were going to be able to meet the winemakers and feel the soil we had spent endless hours studying. The road trip began in the Loire Valley, over to Chablis, up to Champagne and Alsace, down to Burgundy, through the Rhone Valley, and finally ended in Provence.

By the end of our trip we were seasoned professionals in getting lost on our way to every single appointment. We gave ourselves an extra hour to find Domaine Tempier and seemingly arrived just on time! This was our last appointment in France and we didn’t know what to expect. As with all our appointments, one hour could easily turn into three or four. Not to mention, the night before we had met two Paso Robles winemakers in Avignon, and “lets meet for a drink” turned into 6 bottles of wine and a nightcap at their apartment. Needless to say, our feet were dragging a bit…until we saw Lulu. We were standing just inside the front door of the domaine, introducing ourselves to Lulu’s daughter Veronique when she walked out. She is 98, stands about 4’10 inches tall and her incredibly genuine and unassuming smile made us realize that she has absolutely no idea who she is…to us at least. We have been following Lulu, the stories written on her by Alice Waters and cooking the recipes from her cookbook “Lulu’s Provencal Table.” To us, she is absolutely legendary. Lulu came and went and Veronique poured us their 2015 rosé as we made our way to the cellar. As we walked Veronique spoke of the family history, the soil, landscape, and the climate. We barrel tasted everything in sight and ended our visit on the patio overlooking Provence while Lulu played scrabble with her daughter. It is memories like these that are the foundation of Argaux.