Our red wines, a remarkable know-how
Among the many Mediterranean wines, the reds of Château des Bormettes have distinguished themselves thanks to their diversity, combining freshness, delicacy and character. The family farm takes particular care of its red production by harvesting by hand. The unique terroir of La Londe, intense in schist, and the winemaking specific to the reds of Château des Bormettes produce authentic wines with character, dark color and red fruit notes, which will delight all wine lovers. Between the Pic Saint Martin vintage, Instinct Parcellaire or Pater, discover and let yourself be carried away by the subtle aromas, simple or more complex, of the Domain’s red wines, which will perfectly match your cheeses or grilled meats!
Click on the cuvée of your choice or simply scroll down the page.
« Expérience »
Protected Côtes de Provence Appellation
At Château des Bormettes we are curious, we like to experiment and are always looking for new ways to progress, to reveal new facets of our terroir… and to satisfy all the desires that wine can inspire. With each vintage, we launch a challenge, we try something new, while respecting our fundamentals (maturity of the grapes, respect for the raw material, the least possible inputs). We do this on small volumes of course. And the same label will be used on different vintages, with an original creation by our partner graphic designer that leaves room for imagination… You must read the back label to understand the Experience that awaits you.
Vinification
Feel like a thirsty red, to be served chilled, without worrying about the color or the weather. With our young Grenache grapes, very ripe, very cheerful, hand-picked, supported by some of the most docile Syrahs, we tried the experiment. This challenge of the supple and easy red on a stony soil and in a hot and dry vintage made us do some acrobatics in the cellar. But we are players. Less administration, which is why we will be satisfied with the name Vin de France.
Tasting session
This aperitif red, fruity, smooth and silky, will also perfectly accompany cold meats, ideal for a picnic on the beach. To be drunk with a treat.
Professional price on request : commercial@chateaudesbormettes.com
Cuvée « Côte & Mer »
Protected Côtes de Provence Appellation
From within an exceptional nature site that overlooks the Mediterranean and the Îles d’Hyères, wine has been made at the Château des Bormettes since the 10th century.
The cuvée Côte & Mer red wine was relaunched with the 2016 vintage. It is a wine that we had last made with the 2010 crop before the winery, and in particular the vatting room for our red wines, was renovated and reorganised. The idea behind this cuvée is to propose the perfect entry-level wine: an enjoyable easy to drink red that yields all its taste from its youth. For the 2018 vintage, the cuvée “Tradition” red wine has been renamed “Cote & Mer” red wine. With a new bottle and a new label, Coté & Mer is the red wine to enjoy with friends and family.
Vinification
The blend of this vintage is built around Syrah (40%) supplemented by Mourvèdre (40%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (20%).
The grape varieties were all vinified separately. The softest Syrah were selected from the harvest of different plots before being gently vinified following a very short period of cold maceration. Fully ripe Mourvèdre were harvested and sorted by hand before being initially vinified in stainless steel infusion vats, then finished in oak casks. The Cabernet-Sauvignon were the last to be harvested. A machine equipped with a destemmer was used, and the small grape berries were vinified with the upmost care.
Tasting session
The robe is ruby red.
A charming nose of griotte cherries, blueberry and strawberry, that reveals nuances of sweet spices upon breathing.
In the mouth it is supple, fresh and slippery, based on blended tannins, red fruit flavours, floral notes, and a light touch of vanilla.
Harmony
This red is best served between 14-16 °C depending on the season and the occasion: with a salad of gizzards in the shade, a barbecue in the garden, with pizza whilst watching a match, to accompany a picnic on the beach, or whilst enjoying a walk in the countryside.
Professional price on request : commercial@chateaudesbormettes.com
Cuvée « Pic Saint-Martin »
Protected Côtes de Provence Appellation
In the heart of the property, Pic Saint-Martin is one of the highest points in the area, with a breathtaking view of the beaches, and was occupied in the 13th century by a castrum, making it a symbolic place of the terroir of La Londe-Les-Maures. It is at its feet that most of our plots, and in particular those that make up this cuvée, mainly old vines harvested by hand, are located.
Vinification
For this cuvée, the harvest is manual, allowing a sorting by plot. They start with Syrah, partially destemmed, which ensures that the fermentation starts with indigenous yeasts. Whatever the vintage, Syrah is the heart of the blend, which is generally carried out from the harvest. Grenache is also always present, bringing its generosity. Depending on the year, another grape variety can complete the cuvée, such as Rolle, which brings suppleness and fruit freshness. The vinification process consists of a very gentle extraction, close to infusion, for a total of 15 to 20 days. Only the free-run juice is kept, for a 6-month ageing in concrete vats. This wine is not fined but very slightly filtered.
Tasting session
Expressive nose with aromas of red and black fruits, with a dominant blackberry, cherry nuances and a hint of pepper. With aeration the spices reveal themselves, with notes of garrigue. Full-bodied but not very well structured, the palate is supple, balanced, with a fresh finish, a crunchy tannin grain, a velvety sensation. It will open out at table served between 14 and 17°C on grilled meats, Espelette pepper pasta, and will also be appreciated as an aperitif with tapas and mezzés, or as a snack with cold meats, terrines and mountain tomes.
Professional price on request : commercial@chateaudesbormettes.com
Cuvée Instinct Parcellaire « le Rif » 2017
Protected Côtes de Provence Appellation
Some parcels express more than others the personality of the vintage and the character of our schist terroir. We followed our instincts in 2017 to harvest and vinify except Le Rif, an area where 19th century archaeological excavations revealed the presence of a Gallo-Roman winegrowing estate. Mostly planted with Syrah, with an average age of 20 years, this hillside is among the most influenced by the Mediterranean, located less than 900 meters away. Although heterogeneous, its soil is characterized by a more marked presence of grey shales, particularly poor, allowing a naturally high concentration.
Vinification
The harvest took place at the beginning of September 2017, and was entirely manual, allowing sorting by plot. Destemmed and partially crushed, the harvest was cooled and macerated 5 days before a start of fermentation on indigenous yeasts. It has been vinified in a so-called infusion tank, made of stainless steel, allowing a very gentle extraction, a system of grids to keep the marc cap submerged. Then the quintessence of the juice obtained – only the drops – was raised in stainless steel for nearly a year before bottling.
Tasting session
Under its dark color, this wine reveals subtle aromas of garrigue, black fruit and pepper, revealing enchanting notes of violet with aeration. Sweet and fresh at the same time, it covers the palate with silky tannins, with flavors of intense character, on notes of cherry, liquorice and pebbles. Very fine tannin, supple and mineral, it is a pure Provençal juice, with a fresh and salty finish.
Harmony
This wine with medium ageing potential can also be enjoyed young, decanted between 16 and 18°C, with meat or grilled fish with character, in particular tuna steak, duck with olives, Tartar in the great tradition, or pressed cheeses.
Professional price on request : commercial@chateaudesbormettes.com
Cuvée Instinct Parcellaire « St Georges » 2016
Protected Côtes de Provence Appellation
Some parcels express more than others the personality of the vintage and the character of our schist terroir. We followed our instincts in 2016 to harvest and vinify except for Saint-Georges, an area adjoining a hill where the Napoleonic cadastre mentioned the foundations of a leper colony of the Knights Templar, and where a charming building made of local stones now houses our grape harvest containers and their valuable driver. Mostly planted with Syrah with an average age of 40 years, these two plots cover just over 2 hectares with very low yields: although very ferrous, the soil is poor in clay and intensely stony.
Vinification
The harvest took place in mid-September 2016, and was entirely manual, allowing sorting by plot. Destemmed and partially crushed, the harvest was slightly cooled and macerated 2 days before a start of fermentation on indigenous yeasts. It was vinified in vats, then the quintessence of the juice obtained – only the drops – was aged in half-muids (French oak) of a wine for a full year, before final maturing in vats for a few months, for bottling at the end of February 2018.
Tasting session
Under its dark colour, this wine reveals aromas of blackberry, blackcurrant and graphite, with hints of mocha and burlat cherry. The palate attacks on notes of black fruit, its perfectly sheathed tannins give it a lot of verticality, its generosity and its roasted accents are balanced by the freshness of the vintage. The finish continues with a mineral aftertaste.
Harmony
This wine, with a particularly well integrated ageing process, can also be enjoyed young, decanted between 16 and 18°C, with grilled red meat, game, a poblano chicken or a lacquered duck.
Professional price on request : commercial@chateaudesbormettes.com
Cuvée Instinct Parcellaire « Aurélien » 2015
Protected Côtes de Provence Appellation
Some parcels express more than others the personality of the vintage and the character of our schist terroir. We followed our instinct in 2015 to harvest and vinify Aurélien, a plot that inherited the first name of the owner’s youngest son, who participated in the hard work of his plantation in 1994. Mostly planted in Syrah, these hilly and stony slopes, bordered by majestic umbrella pines, produce little but with a notable regularity, and particularly tasty small berries, singularly balanced in this dry vintage.
Vinification
The harvest took place in mid-September 2015, just before the first storms of this very dry vintage. Destemmed and partially crushed, the harvest macerated in concrete vats for nearly a month, with only one unloading and frequent pumping over. Then the quintessence of the juice obtained – only the drops – was patiently raised until December of the following year, still in concrete tanks. Not fined, the wine was very slightly filtered when it was bottled on December 08, 2016. 6,015 bottles and 102 magnums were drawn from it.
Tasting session
Under its dark color, this wine reveals subtle aromas of garrigue, black fruit and pepper, revealing enchanting notes of violet with aeration. Sweet and fresh at the same time, it covers the palate with silky tannins, with flavors of intense character, on notes of cherry, liquor ice and pebbles. Very fine tannin, supple and mineral, it is a pure Provençal juice, with a fresh and salty finish.
This wine for laying down can also be enjoyed young, decanted for a long time between 16 and 18°C, with grilled meats with character, in particular tuna steak, a duck with olives, a Tartar in the great tradition, or cheeses with a pressed paste.
Professional price on request : commercial@chateaudesbormettes.com
Cuvée « Instinct de Survie » 2014
Protected Côtes de Provence Appellation
Some parcels express more than others the personality of the vintage and the character of our schist terroir. We followed our instinct in 2014 to harvest and vinify La Fonderie, a parcel of old vines of Mourvèdres and Cabernet Sauvignon, whose name evokes the mining history of the property. The 2014 vintage will be remembered for its extreme weather conditions: between the January and November floods there was a long period of drought. This only ended with the hail of September 19, which forced us to strictly sort the grapes that we had saved, leading us to a harvest of barely….13 hecto liters out of the 5 hectares that this very rare cuvée represents!
Vinification
The blend of this cuvée is mainly based on these old Mourvèdres for 78%, to which Cabernet Sauvignon is added. The harvest, manual, took place on September 22, 2014. Destemmed and partially crushed, these 2 grape varieties were vinified together. Then the quintessence of the juice obtained was patiently raised until December of the following year, for 82% in concrete vats and for 18% in Bordeaux barrels of 2 wines. Not fined, the wine was very slightly filtered when it was bottled on December 15, 2015. 1474 bottles and 98 magnums were obtained from it, which makes it rare.
Tasting session
Under its dark colour, this wine reveals subtle aromas of blackcurrant, precious woods and Sichuan pepper. Both gourmet and structured, it offers black fruit and spice flavors on the palate, with civilised tannins and a beautiful length, with a mineral finish. This wine for laying down, whose power reminds us of the wild elements, can be decanted between 16 and 18°C to allow it to express all its aroma, on tasty meats or simmered dishes. This wine for laying down can also be appreciated in its youth, long decanted between 16 and 18°C, on roasted meats with character, in particular tuna steak, olive duck, Tartar in the great tradition, or pressed cheese.
Professional price on request : commercial@chateaudesbormettes.com
Cuvée « Pater »
Protected Côtes de Provence La Londe Appellation
Within the vast Côtes de Provence appellation, the reds of La Londe were among the first to be recognized as a specific terroir name, with drastic production conditions. These guide us in the elaboration of this cuvée, named in homage to the Chartreux Fathers of La Verne who made the estate great by settling there in the 15th century. It is also a nod to the passion for transmission that drives both the owner, Fabrice Faré, and his stage manager, Yannick Burles. It is largely raised in wood, in the former Moulin à Huile des Moines, an exceptional vaulted structure that they finished in 1701, and that we resurrected in a barrel cellar in 2015.
Vinification
The harvest took place between mid-September and the end of September 2015, starting with Syrah and ending with Mourvèdre. The manual harvest, sorted, is destemmed and partially crushed, then macerated in concrete vats for a little over a month, with only one unloading and frequent pumping over. Then the quintessence of the juice obtained – only the drops – was patiently raised, first of all for a full year for 50% in new half-muids (600 litres) of French oak and 50% in vats (Stainless steel and Flextank) then assembled and again raised a few months, in concrete vats. The launch took place on August 22nd: 6,000 bottles and 99 magnums were drawn.
Tasting session
Under its dark color, this wine reveals deep aromas of garrigue, black fruits, leather and sage. Powerful, it has abundant but silky tannins, with flavors of cocoa, prunes and orange peels. Its spicy finish reveals the salinity of its exceptional terroir. This wine can be enjoyed young, decanted between 16 and 18°C, with grilled meats of character, simmered dishes and Mediterranean cuisine.
Professional price on request : commercial@chateaudesbormettes.com
