Domaine de Trévallon - Alpilles Wine
It was great to catch up with Ostaine Icard last October, albeit poignant as it was the first time we had met since the sudden death of her father Eloi Dürrbach in 2021. Unlike most winemakers in France, she harvested greater volumes of fruit in 2021 than in 2022 when yields were depleted by high temperatures and low rainfall.
Today, Domaine de Trévallon extends to 17 hectares of vines some 20km south of Avignon on the bauxite soils of the Alpilles - all of which are now protected by high tensile anti-boar fencing after a high proportion of grapes were ravaged in 2016. The red grapes here - which cover 15 hectares - are Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah that are planted in equal proportions. The organically grown, hand-harvested grapes are vinified in individual parcels and matured in barrel and vat prior to fastidious blending and bottling. The finished wine is highly distinctive and redolent of wild, red garrigue fruit with notes of leather, spice and enough acidity and tannic structure to support 10 to 20+ years bottle age. Older vintages are prized by aficionados and are extremely difficult to source when fully mature.
Domaine de Trévallon is rightly regarded as a great gastronomic wine and can be found gracing the lists of international fine-dining establishments. It is well suited to all manner of rich Provençale or Moroccan dishes filled with hearty olives, peppers and spice.
