Domaine de Trévallon Vin de Pays Alpilles Blanc 2021

69% Marsanne, 20% Roussanne, 5% Chardonnay, 3% Clairette, 3% Grenache Blanc.

Organically farmed. The Durbach family plows to encourage the roots of the vines to plunge deeper into the soil for water and nutrients, and they believe in pruning short, which not only reduces the yields but extends the life of the plant by 20 to 50 years.

Just a short distance from Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, on the north side of the Alpilles, is Domaine de Trévallon, situated in the village of Saint-Etienne-du-Grès. Around the old farmhouse, the vineyards spread out over 17 hectares, carved into the northern slopes of Provence's Alpilles at Saint-Etienne-du-Grès in the Bouches-du-Rhône. Vines planted in 1973 by Eloi Dürrbach. The white comes from two hectares, mainly of Marsanne and Roussane.

The fact that the vines are grown on north-facing slopes gives incredible freshness and imparts a minerality and elegance to the Marsanne grape comparable with that found in a Hermitage white. The Roussanne is typically acidic and develops aromas of verbena, citronnella and honeysuckle. Eloi likens the addition of Chardonnay to adding salt and pepper to a dish.