Hall A4 - n°1721
Suffrène, Domaine la
FranceProvence CorsicaBandol AOPVar IGP
Information
- Description
- La Suffrène is an estate rooted deep in history.
For centuries, the generations have succeeded one another with a single mission: extracting the best of this wonderful Provencal terroir, and passing on this treasure and their passion to their children.
Fast-forward to the present, and you find Cédric Gravier, born in the nearby city of Marseille in 1973. As a typical city dweller, and with no real attraction for this rather agricultural way of life, he used to come over to visit his grand-parents during week-ends and school holidays. Taking up his legacy didn’t cross his mind until his spent a year abroad just after high-school. This is when he realized the richness of his heritage, and the unique impact of French culture and way of life across the world.
Further travels finished to anchor a certainty in his mind: he wanted to invest himself in his heritage, and continue the family history.
After studying wine-making and viticulture, Cedric took over the estate in 1996, then aged 23.
The production, which until then had been sent to the local winemaking cooperative, got a new lease on life with the addition of a modern wine cellar.
20 years later, the estate now spreads on 50 hectares of vineyard and olive groves. As is common on the Bandol appellation, the vines grow on a number of varied plots, located for the most part around the medieval villages of Le Castellet and La Cadière d’Azur. With red wines as the flagship of La Suffrène, Mourvedre is the main varietal used. It grows, alongside vines of Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan, Vermentino and Ugni Blanc, on an ancient bedrock of clay and limestone.
The plots, facing south and the nearby Mediterranean Sea, enjoy over 3000 hours of sun per year. They are lined with “restanques”, these small dry-stone walls which are a feature of our landscape and our culture. The Mistral wind helps maintaining a perfectly healthy climate in the vineyard.
The Bandol appellation production specification are demanding: Mourvedre as the main varietal, a maximum yield of 40HL/Ha,
mandatory hand-made harvest, reds made from vines at least 8 years old, and raised at least 18 month in big oak barrels (often over 50HL) called “foudres”... All this hard work pays, allowing us to produce high quality wines, with a great ageing potential.
Our red wines have a powerful nose, are rich in black fruits and spices notes, with a complex mouthfeel, structure and balance. They stand out with their notes of black fruit which, with time, will develop on aromas of leather and undergrowth.
The roses are resolutely gastronomic. Fruity, intense, complex and aromatic, they can be enjoyed throughout the year and can be left to age in bottle to discover more complex tertiary aromas. As for our white, expressive and elegant, it is a rare charmer, on notes of white flowers, citrus, and exotic fruits.
Cédric has always been mindful of the environment and the quality of his vineyard. For the past 15 years, cultural practices at La Suffrène have been similar to organic farming. In 2018, we started the process of official conversion, and our wines are certified organic since the vintage 2021. At the same time, we applied and obtained the HVE level 3 certification in 2019.
- Appellation
- Bandol AOP
- Région viticole
- Provence Corse
- Country
- France
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Production mode
- Year of certification
- 2021
- Quality approach
- HVE
- Packaging
- Glass bottleBulk wine
- Product type
- Still wine
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Distribution networks
- Current customer(s) type
- Café / Hotel / RestaurantCavisteCourtier / Agent commercialDétaillantDétaillant BioE-commerce / VPCExportateurGMSGrossisteImportateurSommelier
- Current countries
- AllemagneAustralieBrésilCanadaDanemarkFranceItalieJaponMonacoNorvègeNouvelle-CalédoniePays-BasRoyaume-UniRussieRépublique TchèqueSuisseSuèdeÉtats-Unis
- Type of target customer(s)
- Cafe / Hotel / RestaurantWine merchantBroker / Commercial agentRetailerOrganic RetailerE-commerce / Mail orderExporterWholesalerImporter
- Target country(ies)
- South AfricaGermanyAndorraArgentinaAustraliaAustriaBelgiumBrazilCanadaChileChinaCyprusColombiaCroatiaSpainFinlandFranceGreeceGuadeloupeHong KongHungaryReunion IslandIrelandIcelandJapanLuxembourgMaltaMartiniqueMexicoNew CaledoniaNew ZealandPolandPortugalPeruCzech RepublicRepublic of KoreaSerbiaSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSuedeVietnamVenezuelaEcuadorUNITED STATES
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Main contact
- First name
- Cédric
- Name
- Gravier
