domaine de trevallon blanc 2019

"located on the northern slopes of the alpilles, between avignon and arles, near st rémy de provence, the domaine de trévallon was acquired in 1955 by rené dürrbach, father of the current owner. this painter and sculptor, a friend of picasso, léger and gleizes, was looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the côte d'azur and retire to a more peaceful area. in 1973, at the age of 23, his son, eloi dürrbach, then an architecture student in paris, decided to settle in one of the mas, trévallon, and to create a vineyard by blasting part of the hills surrounding the estate. the first vines were planted in the winter of 1973, in a quite extraordinary site, a mixture of garrigue and limestone rocks. the vineyard is made up of small plots located within a radius of two kilometres of the winery. the vines are cultivated in a natural and traditional way without insecticides, fertilizers or chemical herbicides. for the production of red wines, eloï durbach has chosen a 50/50 split between cabernet sauvignon and syrah. this decision led to a refusal by the inao to approve his wine as aoc baux de provence when the appellation was created in 1993. at issue was the cabernet sauvignon, which was too heavily represented in the blend. yet it is cabernet sauvignon that gives the wine its special character: on the alpilles terroir, it brings spicy notes, with aromas of cinnamon and pepper. syrah gives the wine its mellowness and a silky, bewitching character. until then classified as coteaux d'aix, the wines of trévallon have been labelled vin de pays des bouches du rhône since the 1996 vintage. for the 1983, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1991 vintages, this wine was classified as coteaux-d'aix-en-provence; from 1994 to 2008 as vdp bouches-du-rhône, and finally, since 2009, as igp alpilles. it is indeed a monument of the south of france. a confidential wine par excellence, this white wine comes from a limestone, clay and stony soil. each grape variety that makes up the cuvée has been aged separately in barrels for one year. the wines are lightly filtered before bottling. it is advisable to decant this wine half an hour before tasting to fully appreciate its exceptional golden colour, its intense, complex and fresh nose. at first, one discovers notes of fresh fruit. with the years, the nose evolves towards mineral and iodine touches conferred by its limestone terroir. the palate is charming and successfully combines smoothness, freshness and balance. this is a great wine from the region which requires very good pairing. open it at around 12° with seafood products that you have prepared yourself: swordfish sicilian style, squid stuffed in the ""sétoise"" style, or spaghetti with bottarga, dried salted fish eggs."