Château Guilhem Tournier Backgrounder

Château Guilhem Tournier is an emerging star of Bandol, known for using a high percentage (90%+) of Mourvèdre—despite the high cost— because it thrives in his vineyard, he has rare vines with direct lineage to Beaucastel (WWII era), and he loves it.

Bandol’s reputation was built on Mourvèdre, but after phylloxera and war devastation, higher yielding varieties were often favored as they are easier and less expensive to grow.  Today, the percentage of Mourvèdre mandated by the Bandol AOC is just 50%, and most producers use ~70%.  

Tournier’s seaside location is favorable for Mourvèdre—as the old saying goes, “le Mourvèdre doit voir la mer”—where the sun is intense enough for full phenolic ripening and Mediterranean breezes prevent mildew. His Mourvèdre vines are rare, selections massale from Beaucastel in CdP and Simone in Provence, which were acquired originally by his grandfather along with Lucien Peyraud (Domaine Tempier), during WWII. 

Tournier is a purist when it comes to farming, using horse drawn carts, natural fertilizers (compost, manure) and bioynamics; the vineyards are certified organic.  In the cellar he uses native yeasts, filtration and fining with clay and minimal S02.

Tournier’s wines have received medals from the prestigious Paris and Avignon competitions every year since the first vintage in 2005 and are served in many of the hip bistros in Paris.