Les Oeuvres Vives Bandol Rose 2023

Les Oeuvres Vives Bandol Rose 2023

Les Oeuvres Vives
$35.00

Grape: Mourvèdre, Grenache, Cinsault
Vintage: 2023
Type: Rosé

This dry rosé is an artisanal blend of seventy percent mourvèdre combined with grenache and cinsault from the coastal Bandol appellation. The estate manages its vineyards organically to foster fruit with high natural acidity and fine structural phenolics. The winemaking utilizes low-intervention protocols, featuring a completely spontaneous native fermentation conducted slowly at low temperatures in neutral tanks. The wine matures on its fine fermentation lees for six months inside stainless steel vats, completely bypassing oak wood manipulation.

It radiates a pale copper-pink color, releasing fresh aromas of wild strawberry, pomegranate, blood orange, and fresh Mediterranean herbs. On the palate, a medium-bodied frame balances a savory, slightly waxy mouthfeel with a sharp line of coastal acidity. Clean flavors of red currant interweave with a distinct vein of maritime salinity that reflects the sea winds. The fine-grained texture builds a solid structural core across the mid-palate volume. It concludes bone-dry and persistent.

Winery

Les Œuvres Vives is a small Bandol estate born from the meeting of Marie, Nicolas and Marc. Marie’s background includes enology and work in vineyards and cellars around the world; Nicolas came from Normandy to pursue wine and has worked with organic agriculture in Provence. Marc brought the family land, including a small farmhouse and roughly three hectares of vineyards within the Bandol landscape. Their partnership joins technical experience with a personal connection to the property and its future.

The shared approach begins with understanding the soil, the health of the vines and the seasonal cycles that lead to the harvest. Organic farming, biodiversity and respect for the people working the land are central to that outlook. Bandol rosé and red give different expressions of the Mediterranean setting, with Mourvèdre important to the red wines. The project’s name evokes the living structure beneath the surface, an apt image for an estate that sees the finished bottle as the result of the relationships among land, plants and people.