Fortuné Piche never went to Paris. Why would he: La Suffrène has everything the heart desires. Since 1996, his grandson Cédric Gravier has been making wines here that now bring the world to his door.
La Suffrène lies on the slopes of La Cadière-d'Azur, between the village and Le Castellet, looking out over the Mediterranean. 45 hectares of vines and olive trees, soaked in sunshine, brushed by sea air. The family has been farming here for more than a century. The terroir is made up of many small plots, and it is exactly this variety you taste in the wines.
Fortuné Piche was born at La Suffrène and never left it his whole life. His children did not want to take over, and the family tradition very nearly ended there. Then his grandson Cédric Gravier spent a year in the United States after his studies, kept telling people about his family back in France, and understood from their reactions what his grandfather had known all along: home has everything. Cédric came back and took over the estate in 1996, aged just 23. Until then, the harvest had gone to the cooperative. He built his own cellar and rewrote the story of La Suffrène.
Cédric farms with the environment in mind, using agroforestry and organic production. The climate helps: over 300 days of sunshine a year make it possible to work without major chemical intervention. The wines are meant to stay as natural as possible, which is why they are not filtered before bottling. What ends up in the bottle is the terroir, not the technology.
Location & Soils
Soils Many small, scattered plots on sandy, limestone and clay soils. The Lauves limestone gives the cuvée of the same name its character.
Grapes
Vines Mourvèdre shapes the reds and the rosé, joined by Grenache, Cinsault and Carignan. For the white Bandol, Cédric relies on Clairette.
Climate
Climate More than 300 days of sunshine a year, plus fresh air from the nearby Mediterranean. The sun brings power, the sea brings balance.
The reds of La Suffrène are powerful and beautifully structured. They mature for 18 months in large 50-hectolitre oak casks before being bottled unfiltered. The pride of the estate is the «Cuvée Les Lauves», 95% Mourvèdre, a classic vin de garde: a wine that can age for years and thanks you for every one of them.
La Suffrène does not only grow wine: the estate also produces an olive oil with an excellent reputation in the region. And it tells one of Bandol's loveliest stories of generations. Fortuné, who never wanted to leave home, and Cédric, who had to cross the Atlantic to realise that the world was right on his doorstep.
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