{"product_id":"2001-chateau-sainte-anne-bandol-rouge-cuvee-collection","title":"2001 Château Sainte Anne, Bandol Rouge, \"Cuvée Collection\"","description":"\u003cp\u003eChâteau Sainte Anne sits above the village of Sainte-Anne-d'Évenos, one of the highest and coolest points in the Bandol appellation, in the hills of Provence. The estate has been in the Dutheil de la Rochère family for generations, first under Françoise Dutheil de la Rochère and now her son Jean-Baptiste, who farms the vineyards organically and works with as little intervention as possible in the cellar. Bandol is Mourvèdre's great French home, and this estate has long been one of its most honest, least showy interpreters, favoring freshness and structure over brawn.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Cuvée Collection is the estate's top red, built almost entirely from Mourvèdre (95%) with a small dash of Grenache (5%), sourced from vines averaging 70 years old and rooted in limestone and clay soils. The wine ages for 18 months in large old 50-hectoliter oak foudres, a slow, low-oxygen aging regimen that lets the grape's structure soften without picking up new oak character. A quarter-century on, this 2001 has settled into the savory, secondary phase that makes mature Bandol so compelling: the primary black fruit has given way to notes of dried fig, leather, garrigue, and forest floor, carried by a frame that, while considerably softened, still holds its shape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy You'll Love It\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA textbook example of what 25 years does to great Mourvèdre: fruit recedes, savory complexity takes over.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eExpect dried fig, leather, dried herbs, and a whisper of forest floor rather than fresh berry fruit.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe tannins have resolved into something silky rather than gripping, with acidity that still feels lively underneath.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA long, earthy finish that lingers on garrigue and old-leather notes.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA genuine library-wine experience at a fraction of what mature Bandol from more famous estates commands.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow To Serve It\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eServe at 60-65°F, slightly below room temperature, to keep the wine from tasting flat.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStand the bottle upright for a day or two before opening, then decant gently for about 30 minutes to separate the sediment a wine of this age will have thrown.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePour into a Bordeaux-style glass to give the savory aromatics room to unfold.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePair with slow-braised lamb shanks with rosemary and garlic, or a rustic dish of wild mushrooms and game to match its earthy, mature character.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"SommSelect","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47151088664630,"sku":"SOMM2608-STANE01COL-750","price":139.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0551\/3628\/8822\/files\/2001SainteAnneBandolRogeCuveeCollection..png?v=1786467439","url":"https:\/\/sommselect.com\/products\/2001-chateau-sainte-anne-bandol-rouge-cuvee-collection","provider":"SommSelect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}