I’m going to go ahead and assume that most of the people reading this (assuming, of course, that there are people reading this) are not too familiar with Domaine de Trevallon. Since I’m about to spend 2 weeks there and in all likelihood disappear from my new online digs for much of that time, I thought I’d write a bit more about them, and why it’s their grapes that will be all over me starting Monday morning.
To be honest, I didn’t know much about Trevallon either, until Antoine Durrbach (son of founder and winemaker Eloi Durrbach) came to New York for the first time in May and spent a day with me selling his family’s wine, when I was still a salesman with Winebow.
The first thing I learned was that the wines are absolutely stunning. The second, that Antoine was a hell of a lot of fun to spend time with. (Unfortunately not always the case on my supplier work-withs… quality of wine does not necessarily correspond to strength of personality, as I’ve learned)
Our meeting happened at a fortuitous time - just as I was starting to hatch the grand scheme for my ‘walkabout.’ I asked my new friend when they tend to harvest, and if they hire people to help…
So yeah, that’s the short version.
Trevallon is also, luckily for me, in a beautiful place - Baux de Provence. (The link takes you to the google map - if you use the satellite view and zoom in you can even see the vineyards) I’ve never been to the south of France, and my French could use some practice before I spend the next couple of years speaking Spanish… as if I needed an excuse to go there!
Trevallon wine is not only yummy, however, but also unique and even politically edgy. In a sense, the Durrbachs are the wine rebels of Provence.
The French wine laws that govern what goes on the label are extraordinarily strict, and make up the basis for the wine laws in most of the rest of the world. Each specific designation (”appellation d’origine controlee,” or simply “AOC,” or “appellation”) may control what kind of grapes are used - and in what proportion; where they are grown - and bottled; how long the wine is aged - and in what kind of vessel.
If a wine ‘breaks the rules” for it’s appellation, it is demoted to a “Vin de Pays” (”VdP,” or “country wine”), which indicates only where the wine was grown, and nothing else. AOC Baux de Provence wines are not supposed to contain more than 20% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes…. Trevallon’s vineyards are planted with 60% Cabernet and 40% Syrah. The wine is classified as a Vin de Pays des Bouches-du-Rhone. Those daredevils.
Those of you not in the wine business may be asking yourselves why any of this matters. The short answer is that it doesn’t, really - if you like a wine, drink it, regardless of what’s on the label!
But issues begin to crop up when you try to sell the wine, as most consumers, not entirely without reason, assume AOC wines to be of higher quality than VdP wines, and are willing to pay higher prices for them. Thus the (admirable) ‘cult’ status of certain small wineries, like Trevallon, that are willing to take a stand and let nothing come between them and the wine they seek to make.
When Eloi planted the vineyard to Cabernet vines he knew he was taking a risk, and in doing so helped pave the way for others who wanted to express their creativity, even if it meant giving up AOC (or DOC…) status.
(For more on declassified wines read a little bit about Italy’s Super Tuscans. There’s enough there for a whole post, so I’m going to hold off on that one for now)
After all is said and done Trevallon, for one, is no worse off for being a VdP wine. They really have the whole package: you probably noticed the awesome label at the top of this post. Of course there’s a story there, too; one that dates back to before planted Eloi planted the first vines in 1973. His father Rene was a painter and sculptor - a friend and contemporary of Pablo Picasso. Rene bought the property in 1955, where he lived and worked and (presumably) drank wine with the likes of Picasso and Albert Gleizes. Towards the end of his life, when he wasn’t working much, his son Eloi gave him 50 posters to work on. These, created with crayon, became the Trevallon labels.
Pretty cool stuff.
Now I’m really psyched. I wonder if I’ll get any sleep tonight.