Terrebrune

History of the Domaine de Terrebrune

The history of the Domaine de Terrebrune begins in 1963, when Georges Delille acquired an old Provençal bastide on the outskirts of Ollioules, in the heart of the Bandol AOC, one of the oldest appellations in France (1941). At that time, the property comprised only a few plots of abandoned vines. Driven by a passion for wine, Georges Delille undertook a patient reconstruction of the vineyard: earthworks, construction of terraced walls, resting of the land and planting. The dark brown colour of the soil around the bastide would inspire the name of the domaine.

The cellar, carved into the rock and built underground in 1975, is designed to offer the best conditions for vinification and ageing. In 1980, the founder's son, Reynald Delille, joined the domaine after completing his oenology studies, bringing his expertise to a philosophy rooted in respect for tradition and nature. That same year, the first bottle, named Terrebrune, was released. Since 2020, Jean d'Arthuys, an entrepreneur with a passion for wine, has partnered with the Delille family to give the domaine a new impetus, now regarded as one of the greatest in the South of France.

Terroirs and Vines of the Domaine de Terrebrune

The vineyard of the Domaine de Terrebrune rests on an exceptional terroir, the Trias, a limestone formation more than 200 million years old. The soil is composed at the surface of limestone pebbles in a characteristic brown clay, and at depth of filtering calcareous marls and a bedrock of blue limestone. The vine plunges its roots into the fissures of the rock to draw up a multitude of mineral elements, the signature of the saline and profound identity of the wines.

Cultivated on terraces facing the sea, the vines benefit from a Mediterranean microclimate with maritime influence, regulated by winds including the Mistral, ideal for the slow ripening of Mourvèdre. The vineyard is planted predominantly with Mourvèdre, complemented by Grenache Noir and Cinsault for the rosé, as well as a fine array of white grape varieties such as Marsanne, Rolle, Ugni Blanc, Bourboulenc and Clairette. Managed under organic farming, without herbicides, the work favours ploughing, hand hoeing and deliberately limited yields through bunch thinning.

Vinifications of the Domaine de Terrebrune

In the cellar, the work is deliberately non-interventionist and of great precision. Harvesting is done by hand, with rigorous selection of the bunches transported in small 30-kilogram crates to preserve the integrity of the grape skin and avoid any oxidation. The tanks are loaded by gravity, without pumping the harvest, so as to limit mechanical actions. Fermentations extend over fifteen to twenty days, without the addition of yeasts or chaptalization.

The red Bandol, predominantly Mourvèdre, undergoes two years of ageing in oak foudres, ensuring natural stabilisation and clarification without physico-chemical intervention. The rosé, produced by direct pressing, ferments slowly at low temperature in thermoregulated stainless steel tanks to preserve its finesse. The white, gently pressed and aged in stainless steel tanks until it reaches natural stability, retains all its aromatic brilliance and balance. This respectful approach reveals wines of great breed, faithful to their terroir and crafted for ageing.

The cuvées of the Domaine de Terrebrune

Bandol Rouge: the flagship cuvée of the domaine, a blend with a large majority of Mourvèdre (around 80%) complemented by Grenache and Cinsault, aged two years in large oak casks. It expresses the full nobility of Mourvèdre at Bandol: intense fruit, pronounced minerality, serious yet controlled structure and sustained freshness. A wine of character, crafted for the table and long ageing, which gains in depth with each passing year.

Bandol Rosé: a gastronomic rosé that stands apart in the Provençal landscape, crafted predominantly from Mourvèdre with Grenache and Cinsault by direct pressing. Ample, vinous and structured, with a taut and saline profile, it unfolds aromas of spiced citrus and star anise. Far from light rosés, this is a true wine for ageing, capable of waiting many long years in the cellar.

Bandol Blanc: a blend of Mediterranean grape varieties (Marsanne, Rolle, Clairette, Ugni Blanc, Bourboulenc) vinified and aged in stainless steel tanks. With a golden yellow colour, it seduces with a complex nose of white flowers such as linden and broom, citrus, orchard fruits and exotic fruits. The frank, round attack finishes on a pleasant minerality, with fine ageing potential.

Œnothèque: the domaine also offers older vintages from its reserve, kept in the best conditions in the underground cellar. These age-worthy wines — reds and rosés mellowed by time — allow one to discover the extraordinary ageing potential of Terrebrune's Mourvèdre and the complex evolution of great Bandol wines over the decades.