The wines
of Domaine
Trévallon, Provence, France
Domaine Trévallon, 13103 Sainte-Etienne-du-Grès,
France
Tel: 0033 (0) 4 90 49 06 00 Fax: 00 33 (0)4 90 49 02 17
Website: www.trevallon.com
Situated on the edge of the Alpilles between Avignon
and Arles, Domaine Trévallon is one of the south of France’s best
known estates, with a reputation for naturally made wines that have
long ageing potential.
Back in 1973, 23 year old architect graduate Eloi
Durrbach headed south with a vision for making fine wine naturally
from an uncompromising terroir of craggy limestone rock that
characterize the Alpilles (his son, Antoine, is pictured right).
Over the next three years 15 hectares of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon
were planted; subsequently a bit of Marsanne and Roussanne (from
Beaucastel) were added to make white wine. The first Trévallon
wines were made in 1976.
Winemaking here is as natural as it comes. There’s no
destemming, with bunches being fermented whole, without any added
yeast, and without temperature control. After a two week maceration
the wines are pressed into old oak where they mature for 20–25
months before being bottled unfiltered. Since their origin the
vineyards have been managed organically.
The wines are all designated Vin de Pays des Bouches du
Rhône because they exceed the permitted level of Cabernet Sauvignon
for the AOC here (Les Baux de Provence; the INAO made this
controversial ruling in 1993, which led to Trevallon losing is AOC
status). There’s no reason to suspect that the lovely reds
shouldn’t age well for decades, unlike many of the other, more
obviously sweetly fruited and more approachable new wave Southern
French wines.
Domaine Trévallon Blanc 2005
45% Marsanne, 45% Roussanne, 10% Chardonnay. Lovely rich, open nose is
quite ripe and sweetly fruity, with waxy, herby notes. The palate is
open and fresh with a similar texture to a
white Rhône (perhaps unsurprising given the grape varieties):
quite fat, with a bit of a gap in the mid-palate. There’s sweet
fruit, a bit of herbiness and a vanilla note, too. Finishes long. An
interesting white. Very good/excellent 92/100
Domaine Trévallon 2001
A brilliant expression of Cabernet (even though it’s half
Syrah). Beautiful nose: sweet, pure, rich blackcurrant fruit
dominates, with a nice herby character in the background. There’s an
olivey, minerally character, too. The palate is nicely concentrated
with lovely purity of fruit and a minerally edge to the nicely
structured palate. Very good/excellent 93/100
Domaine Trévallon 2003
Sweet, full nose of lovely, pure red and black fruits with a spicy
edge. It’s quite serious. The palate is nicely concentrated, showing
some elegance, with an earthy tannic structure underpinning the spicy
fruit. Finishes dry and spicy. Very good/excellent 92/100
Wines tasted 05/06
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