Leon Stolarski Fine Wines Provence White Wine

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Domaine de Trévallon

Domaine de Trévallon

The Domaine de Trevallon is located outside the small town of Saint-Etienne-du-Grès, 25 km south of Avignon and 7 km west of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. It is situated on the northern slopes of the Alpilles, a massif composed of limestone rock with sharp, jagged crests reminiscent of what the Provençal poet, Frédéric Mistral, described as a "Greek landscape". The Trévallon vines are planted in a series of vineyards dotted about the hillside, surrounded by holm oaks, olive and almond trees and scrub - to the avid wine enthusiast, a quite magical landscape. And the wines made here are simply wonderful. Indeed, to lovers of fine, terroir-driven wines, Domaine de Trévallon is undoubtedly one of the greatest estates in the whole of France.

The celebrated wine writer Clive Coates speaks of Trévallon thus;

“It is here, literally dynamited out of the solid, craggy limestone rock, that Eloi Durrbach blasted the surrounding garrigues into submission and planted a vineyard. It is here that one of the great and most individual wines of the Midi is produced………. If anything comes close, it is Mas de Daumas Gassac, or Auguste Clape’s Cornas, or the Peyraud’s Domaine Tempier in Bandol. Or a mixture of the three. All these are splendid wines in their own right. But they will only hint at what Trévallon has to offer.”

As one of the pioneers of the wine-growing renaissance that took place in the region around Les Baux, Eloi Dürrbach planted his first vines here in 1973. "My father, René Dürrbach, who was a friend of the painter, Albert Gleizes, one of the forerunners of Cubism, used to come and visit him in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, back in the 1950's" said Eloi Dürrbach. "At the time, we lived in Cavalaire, on the French Riviera, where I was born. My father wanted to find somewhere more peaceful to live and, in 1955, bought the Trevallon farmhouse, surrounded by 60 hectares of scrubland. Back then, nothing grew here, there was nothing but rock. But my father always thought it would be an excellent place to make wine."

And that is just what Eloi Dürrbach decided to do - but not before embarking on the monumental task of preparing the ground for the planting of his vines. The rock was broken up with dynamite, the ground was worked to a deep level, mixing the splinters of rock into the soil. Finally, Eloi planted his first 3 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon (grown from cuttings taken from nearby Chateau Vignelaure) and Syrah (cuttings taken from Chateau Rayas in Chateauneuf-du-Pape) in the winter of 1973, with the first Trevallon wine being produced in 1976.

The Domaine de Trévallon red wine is a 50/50 blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Each variety is vinified and aged separately. 90% of each goes into large old oak foudres, whilst the remaining 10% is aged in 2 year-old 225 litre oak barriques, which will have been used for ageing the previous year’s white wine. The white itself is a blend of 45% Marsanne, 45% Roussanne and 10% Chardonnay, which is aged in 1 year-old 225 litre oak barriques. This is a very special white wine that will age gracefully for 10 years or more.

Domaine de Trévallon has a superb website www.domainedetrevallon.com where you can read more about the origins and development of the estate, together with tasting notes for every vintage ever produced, up to and including 2005. At the time of writing, we are listing the 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2005 red wines, plus the 2006 white wine. Because of Monsieur Durrbach’s never-ending quest for perfection, no wine was made at Trévallon in the cold and damp 2002 vintage, and only a relatively small amount was made in 2003, which suffered from the opposite extreme of searing heat and extreme drought. But the vintages we are offering are all (to some extent or other) classic Trévallon vintages – and all will offer superb drinking over the next twenty years. And we hope that the wines of Domaine de Trévallon will become a fixture of our list for many years (and many vintages) to come.

All of these wines are available elsewhere in the U.K (though often only in full case quantities) but rarely will you find all of them on any single merchant’s list - and the prices will almost invariably be more expensive than ours.

If you have tasted the wines of Domaine de Trévallon before, then you will know just how good they are. If you haven’t, then you really should – this estate is undoubtedly the “1st Growth” of Provence, and to my mind one of the greatest estates in the world.

Domaine de Trévallon Blanc 2007 Vin de Pays des Bouches du Rhone
Domaine de Trévallon white 2007 table

Vintage	2007	Image to follow
Region	Provence - Saint-Etienne-du-Grès, near Les Baux
Colour/Style	Dry white, full bodied. Aged in oak for 14 months
Grapes	45% Marsanne, 45% Roussanne, 10% Chardonnay
Alcohol (a.b.v)	13.0%
Food	Smoked salmon, shellfish, chicken, cheese
Next day	Brilliant - maybe even better
Drink	Can be drunk now, but will age for 5 to 10 years
This wine is made from just 2 hectares of vines, with only 4,000 to 5,000 bottles made each year. Unlike the red (the majority of which is aged in large old oak foudres) the white is aged mostly in 1 year-old oak barriques. New vintage - tasting note to follow. *Extremely limited quantity - limited to 2 bottles per customer.*

Price: £45.95 (Including: VAT at 17.5%)

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Chateau d'Estoublon

Chateau d'Estoublon

As a merchant specialising in the wines of southern France, I tend to get numerous emails every week from some or other grower or their agent, looking to gain a foothold in the UK wine market. Time (or a distinct lack of it) dictates that I reply to only a small percentage of these emails – usually dependent on whether I am one of hundreds of recipients of a bulk email, or the target of an altogether more selective campaign. And although the majority of the growers on our current list are there because I found them, a few are there because they found me.

One such grower is Chateau d’Estoublon, a long-established estate, situated on the southern slopes of the Alpilles, which was purchased in 1999 by the Schneider family (of Breitling watches fame). The family immediately set about restoring the imposing 18th Century Chateau and the surrounding vineyards and olive groves, whilst their young winemaker Remy Reboul (under the tutelage of the legendary Eloi Durrbach of Domaine de Trévallon) set about making the wines. Some replanting was also carried out – mature Grenache and Syrah vines were already there, together with Grenache Blanc for the white wine. But unfashionable workhorse varieties such as Counoise, Cinsault and Ugni Blanc were replaced with more noble varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvedre, Marsanne and Roussanne, which came into production with the 2002 vintage.

The red wines are based on Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, with the main Chateau red also containing 20% Cabernet Sauvignon (the maximum permitted for the Les Baux de Provence appellation). Despite the Cabernet in the blend, these reds are stylistically quite similar to Chateauneuf-du-Pape – and bloody good Chateauneuf, at that! Just one white is made, being a blend of Marsanne, Roussanne and Grenache Blanc. Because Marsanne and Roussanne are not permitted varieties for the AOC, this wine bears the label "Vin de Pays des Alpilles". But make no mistake, this is brilliant stuff, which stands comparison with the (far more expensive) Trévallon white wine – and indeed, many a top white Chateauneuf or even Hermitage. The wines are certified organic (Ecocert).

Domaine d'Estoublon Blanc 2006 Vin de Pays des Alpilles
Domaine d'Estoublon Blanc 2006 table

Vintage	2006
Region	Provence - Fontvieille, on the southern edge of the Alpilles
Colour/Style	Dry white, full bodied. Aged in oak for 11 months
Grapes	Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc
Alcohol (a.b.v)	13.6%
Food	Smoked salmon, shellfish, chicken, cheese
Next day	Still excellent
Drink	Can be drunk now, but will age for 5 to 10 years
A deep gold colour with orange glints. The nose is a riot of apples and pears, oranges and exotic fruits, with notes of honeysuckle, clove and star anise - hugely complex and alluring. Made in a slightly nutty, oxidative style, yet with a lovely streak of freshness. Glycerous and mouth-filling, it has complex flavours of candied fruits and flowers, stewed apple, mandarin and spice and a long finish. A lovely wine, in the style of a white Hermitage or Trévallon. Expensive, but worth every penny. Organic.

Price: £20.50 (Including: VAT at 17.5%)

Quantity:

Domaine d'Estoublon Blanc 2007 Vin de Pays des Alpilles
Domaine d'Estoublon Blanc 2007 table

Vintage	2007
Region	Provence - Fontvieille, on the southern edge of the Alpilles
Colour/Style	Dry white, full bodied. Aged in oak for 11 months
Grapes	Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc
Alcohol (a.b.v)	13.6%
Food	Smoked salmon, shellfish, chicken, cheese
Next day	Still excellent
Drink	Can be drunk now, but will age for 5 to 10 years
The colour is a bright yellow gold. The nose is uber complex - notes of quince, apricot, primrose, spices (fennel and clove spring to mind), with subtle hints of lemon, honey and clarified butter. The oak-ageing is subtle, too, with just a touch of vanillin. And the palate is as fresh as a daisy, with flavours of apricot and peach, quince and lemon zest. There is also honeyed, nutty richness that coats the mouth, whilst at the same time coming across as beautifully dry and focused. Restrained power is the order of the day - the sort that manifests itself in a long, mouth-watering finish. In fact, this is a wine that seems effortlessly to combine richness of flavour with supreme elegance. Which marks it out as a great wine, in my book. White Chateauneuf? White Hermitage? Even white Trévallon? This comes pretty close to them all - it is an absolute star of a wine, from an undoubted future star estate of Provençal winemaking. Buy it.

Price: £20.50 (Including: VAT at 17.5%)

Quantity:

Mailing list

Our list is constantly evolving, so if you would like to receive our occasional e-mail newsletter (around 8 times per year) click the logo >>>>

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Minimum order value, delivery charges and times

The minimum order value is £50 (plus the delivery charge). You may of course choose a mix of any wines in our range. Orders between £50 and £175: delivery charge is £6. Orders over £175: delivery is free! (If your order is over £175, please remember to change the delivery charge in checkout to £0.00). Please note: Delivery to non-mainland addresses (Scottish Highlands and Islands, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, etc.) is usually possible, but may not be on a next-working-day basis. It is also more expensive than delivery to mainland addresses, so will be charged at cost (for orders under £175) but with a small discount for orders over £175 - please call us for a quote.

Warning - you must be aged 18 or over

It is an offence to purchase or attempt to purchase alcohol if you are under the age of 18. (Section 149 Licensing Act 2003). We reserve the right to seek proof of age. Leon Stolarski says "drink less, but drink better!" Please consume alcohol in moderation.