History
| Carved in to northern slopes of Provence’s Alpilles are the spectacularly beautiful vineyards of Domaine de Trévallon. The vines are planted into the hillsides’ steep, chalky, white limestone soil, making the mountains that protect them look as if they are always covered in snow.
René Durrbach purchased this estate and farmhouse in Saint-Etienne-du-Grès, in the Bouches-du-Rhône, for his family in 1955, as its idyllic beauty inspired his painting. René was part of a circle of painters that included Pablo Picasso, Fernand Léger and Albert Gleizes. While René had always thought the estate would be a great place to make wine, it was not until the early 1970s that his son, 23-year-old Eloi, began blasting the mountains and planting his vines. He planted Cabernet Sauvignon, which was rare outside Bordeaux. Grown here, the grape is very spicy, with notes of cinnamon and pepper; its tannins are perfectly mellowed by the region’s late-harvest Syrah. Eloi produced his first Trévallon wine from the 1976 harvest. He quickly gained notoriety among the top restaurateurs and sommeliers across France, who clamored for these intoxicatingly unique wines from this unique terroir. |