Properties for sale French riviera

Bandol Wine
When a courtier asked Louis XV the secret of his eternai youth, the king replied,'The wines of Rouve (in Bandol), which give me their vigour and spirit.' They had to have a certain vigour to survive the journey to Versailles, sloshing about in barrels in slow boats from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic and up the Seine. Today Bandol stili flexes its charming muscle; averaging euro 6-9 a bottle, it gets top marks in Provence for value for money.<br />
The arid, wine-coloured restanques (terraces) cut into the mountain flanks in the eight communes around Bandol have produced wines since 600 bc. Dominated by small, dense mourvedre grapes (which account for at least 50 per cent of the blend) mixed with cinsault and grenache, the reds are sombre of tone and require patience to reach their peak.Top vintages from Domaine Tempier and Chateau de Pibarnon are widely acknowledged as some of the best reds in the world. Bandol also comes in pale salmon-hued roses, known for their delightful perfume, and dense whites that are to the taste what wild roses are to the nose, and make the ideal accompaniment to grilled fish -1997 and 1998 were great years.<br />
Some Bandols have extraordinary pedigrees; Chateau des Saiettes, at La Cadiere-d'Azur has been in the same family since 1602. The Domaine Tempier, up in Le Plan-de-Castellet, is widely recognized to produce some of the finest wines in the area.<br />
Other estates to visit are the organic Domaine de la Tour du Bon, at Le Castellet, the rising superstar estate, and Domaine Ray-Jane, at Le-Plan-du-Castellet, where, besides wine, visitors can examine France's largest collection of cooper's tools.The Comte de Saint-Vlctor's estate of Chateau de Pibarnon, at La Cadiere-d'Azur, is sculpted into rugged limestone flanks geologically millions of years older than their neighbours, which give its spicy reds, charming roses and fruity whites a personality ali their own.<br />
Domaine de la Laidiere, at Sainte-Anne d'Evenos, is one of the most quality-conscious estates of the area, producing red, white and rose, with the red wine the finest.