Surrounded by red wine country, Limoux is finding success with its still and sparkling whites.   See also:     Languedoc Breakthrough The Languedoc-Roussillon region produces an exciting 2000 vintage   Limoux: White Wines Take the Lead     For more information:     If You Go

France's Mediterranean coast between Marseille and the Italian border is most famous for the Riviera, home to skimpy bikinis, Monte Carlo casinos and big yachts -- a playground for the rich.

Fortunately, jet-set retreats have not yet conquered all portions of this idyllic coast. This is Provence, after all, where storied fields of lavender flank languid villages, and vineyards roll to the water's edge. Most of the vines produce good but unmemorable wines, especially rosés, but there is a quiet corner that ranks as one of the world's great wine regions -- Bandol.

Located between Marseille and Toulon, Bandol is almost unique among Provence's wine regions by being compact, unified and easy to visit. Some of its top vineyards are only a stone's throw from the Mediterranean, and nearby seaside towns are home to bountiful produce markets. Farther inland, there is a series of small hilltop villages that offer sweeping vineyard views, as well as pleasant restaurants in which to wine and dine.

While the region does make good-quality whites and rosés, Bandol's claim to wine fame rests in the deep, rich and intense bottlings made from Mourvèdre, a red grape that reaches its zenith in this region. Known as Monastrell in Spain and sometimes as Mataro in California, Mourvèdre boasts plenty of character, but it presents challenges to both grapegrower and enophile. It rewards the patient and those searching for distinctive flavors.

The best red Bandols are deeply colored, with intense dark fruit flavors and meaty and peppery overtones. At times they can be monolithic -- and they rarely offer the supple texture typical of many New World wines. These are wines of muscle and brawn. Top-quality Bandols benefit from aging and are a good match for cuisines of roasted meat and game; they offer excellent quality mostly in the $20 to $30 range.

"Mourvèdre can be quite creamy after a few years," says Eric de Saint-Victor of Château de Pibarnon, a top Bandol estate. "The goal with Mourvèdre is to keep the strength but not to go too far. To stop before you lose elegance. We feel Mourvèdre can be both big and elegant."

Pibarnon makes only three wines: a rosé (50 percent Mourvèdre and 50 percent Cinsault), a white (50 percent Clairette and 30 percent Bourboulenc) and a red (up to 95 percent Mourvèdre). All are usually of very good to outstanding quality, and are some of Bandol's most well-crafted bottlings. For his reds, Saint-Victor looks to Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo for inspiration -- an interesting choice in light of Mourvèdre's power, but one that has paid off given the refinement of his wines.

Pibarnon's success is relatively recent, a trait it shares with many of the region's top domaines and châteaus. Eric's father, Henri, bought a ramshackle estate in 1978 with 8.5 acres of vineyards. Today, grapevines cover almost 125 acres. They rank as the highest in Bandol and top out at almost 1,000 feet; particularly impressive is a deep amphitheater filled with grapevines. Pibarnon's soils, like most of Bandol's, are based on limestone and clay, and are stony as well.

Mourvèdre does best in Bandol because it flourishes in the intense heat of the Mediterranean sun. Rainfall is less than 20 inches a year, and most of the vineyards are set in a bowl that encompasses a variety of exposures and terroirs. Mourvèdre yields can be small, and the fruit verges on bitter if not ripened properly.

To be labeled Bandol, the red wine must be aged in casks for at least 18 months and contain at least 50 percent Mourvèdre. Most vintners still prefer the large oak barrels called foudres, but some are also experimenting with smaller oak barrels to see how Mourvèdre performs with the barriques common in most other fine wine regions. At Domaines Bunan, for example, Laurent Bunan aged 10 percent of his 2001 château red in barrique, which gave an extra touch of richness to his wine.

The forward-thinking Bunans are energetic proponents of the region, and their wines are some of the most widely available in the United States. They own four properties in Bandol: Chateâu La Rouvière, Moulin des Costes, Mas de la Rouvière and Domaine de Bélouvé. The headquarters is located at Moulin des Costes near the town of La Cadiére d'Azur; brothers Paul and Pierre Bunan purchased it in 1961 when Bandol was still struggling. Today, Paul's son Laurent helps oversee winemaking.

"What is very interesting here is we have a lot of terroir and we can play with it. We make a lot of wine, and I like experimenting with different grapes, different tanks, different cuvées," says Laurent, who spent time in his youth working at Napa Valley's Robert Mondavi and Joseph Phelps wineries.

One of the most deeply flavored wines from Domaines Bunan is called Charriage, an almost 100 percent pure Mourvèdre that is harvested from a single parcel at Moulin des Costes. Yields are extremely low and the grapes are left to hang on the vines almost to the point of overripeness, according to Laurent. They are then given a long maceration to extract as many fruit flavors as possible. A sample of the 2000 Charriage taken from barrel late last year was aromatic, powerful and highly extracted, with gorgeous dark plum, smoke and chocolaty flavors; it is potentially one of the best Bandols yet made.

Also impressive was a sample of 2002 white Moulin des Costes, a blend of Clairette and Bourboulenc, which had rich mineral and smoke flavors. "We try to leave a little bit of the lees in the tank to add body and richness to the wine," says Laurent in the friendly and busy tasting room at Moulin des Costes, where the family sells about 30 percent of Domaines Bunan's wines each year.

Bandol's modern history began in 1941, when the late Lucien Peyraud of Domaine Tempier helped to gain Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée status for the region. The Peyraud family still owns Tempier, Bandol's best-known winery, and they routinely make outstanding reds, including two estate blends (cuvée especiale and cuvée classique) and three single-vineyard wines (La Miguoa, La Tourtine and Cabassou).

Lucien's son Jean-Marie retired after the 1999 vintage, and although he is still a presence at the winery, the cellar is now the responsibility of Daniel Ravier, who formerly worked at Domaine Ott, which is known for its rosés. Wines tasted from his first vintage, 2000, were quite impressive, with deep, full-bodied flavors. My favorite was the Cabassou, which has the highest amount of Mourvèdre of Tempier's wines (95 percent). It was intense but balanced, with rich, dark, long-lasting fruit flavors.

Newer names to look for from Bandol include La Tour du Bon, run by the gracious Agnes Henry, who makes a concentrated single-vineyard bottling called St.-Ferreol; ex-boxer and Bandol native Alain Pascal, who formerly sold his grapes to Domaine Ott and Pibarnon but now makes an outstanding red at his Domaine du Gros' Noré; and Domaine La Suffrene, which makes one of the region's best whites, as well as solid reds.

The growing quality of Bandol's wines, let alone the magnificence of the surrounding Provence landscape, makes a visit worthwhile the next time you find yourself in the south of France. Few French wine regions are as accessible or hospitable. Just don't expect luxury -- leave that to the hot spots on the Côte d'Azur.