Alpilles Trévallon (Domaine de) Eloi Dürrbach 2022

Located on the northern slopes of the Alpilles, between Avignon and Arles, near St Rémy de Provence, Trévallon was acquired by René Dürrbach in 1955. A painter and sculptor and friend of Picasso, Léger and Gleizes, he wanted to get away from the bustle of the Côte d'Azur and withdraw to a more peaceful environment. In 1973, at the age of 23, his son Eloi Dürrbach, who was studying architecture in Paris at the time, decided to come and live in the "mas" (a Provençal farm) at Trévallon, and to create a vineyard by dynamiting some of the hills surrounding the property. The first vines were planted in the winter of 1973 on an extraordinary site that combines garrigues with limestone rock.
The vineyard consists of small plots that lie within a two kilometre radius of the winery. The vines are grown using natural, traditional methods, with no fertilizers or chemical weed control. For the red wines, Elöi Dürrbach chose an equal quantity of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. A decision that resulted in the INAO (the official body that oversees AOC regulations) refusing to approve his wine as AOC Baux de Provence when the appellation was created in 1993. The reason given was that Cabernet Sauvignon was over-represented in the blend. However, it is this that gives the wine its special character: on the Alpilles terroir it brings spiced notes with aromas of cinnamon and pepper. The Syrah gives the wine richness and a silky, seductive character. Previously classified under Coteaux d'Aix, Trévallon's wines have been labelled as Vin de Pays des Bouches du Rhône since 1996. Despite the obstacles the winemaker had to overcome, many of his peers were quick to recognise him as a wine genius: Robert Parker, Aubert de Villaine (Domaine de la Romanée-Conti)... Eloi Dürrbach passed away suddenly in 2021 and his children, Ostiane and Antoine, took over the estate that is considered one of the legends of Provence.
Wine lovers should note that, for the 1983, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1991, the wine was classified under the Coteaux-d’Aix-en-Provence appellation; from 1994 to 2008 under VDP Bouches-du-Rhône, and finally, since 2009, under IGP Alpilles.

Produced only in small quantities, this white comes from a limestone, clay, stony terroir. Each of the varietals in this blend are matured separately in barrels for one year. The wines are gently filtered before bottling. It is worth decantering half an hour before serving to fully appreciate its exceptional golden hue and its bouquet which is at once complex, intense and fresh; in its youth the nose exudes fresh fruit aromas, which develop in time to reveal a distinct minerality from the limestone terroir. Unctuous, fresh and balanced, this is a masterful stroke from this domaine and one of the finest wines in the region. Fabulous food pairing versatility.