In the 1980’s to of Burgundy’s greats, Jacques Seysses, founder of Domaine Dujac and Aubert de Villaine, Co-owner of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, along with their mutual friend Michel Marcoux, decided that the Var, in Provence, had enormous potential, and as it was prohibitively expensive to purchase new vineyard in Burgundy at the time, set out looking for a property.
Domaine de Triennes, though relatively new, has serious pedigree. In the 1980’s to of Burgundy’s greats, Jacques Seysses, founder of Domaine Dujac and Aubert de Villaine, Co-owner of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, along with their mutual friend Michel Marcoux, decided that the Var, in Provence, had enormous potential, and as it was prohibitively expensive to purchase new vineyard in Burgundy at the time, set out looking for a property.
In 1989, they found one. They didn’t purchase it because it was producing good wine (in fact, the wines were horrible), or because it had well-planted vineyards, or even a nice winery. The property was on a hillside, 400 meters above the valley floor where most vineyards in the area were planted in overly fertile soil, and had thin, clay-limestone soil that reminded them in places of a Burgundian vineyard, and in places of St. Emilion. The vineyard had a perfect southern aspect, and because of it’s altitude and proximity to the small mountain ranges of Mts Aurelian and St. Baumes, it had a giant diurnal (day to night) temperature shift of as much as 50 degrees in the height of the summer that would allow them to prolong the growing season, and produce grapes of greater richness and complexity. Jacques explains their move thussly:
“I started thinking of buying a vineyard outside of Burgundy when vineyard prices soared in the mid-eighties, making it almost impossible to operate with a return on one’s investment. I was interested in going to an area where the benchmark had yet to be set, and where I could experiment with other grape varietals.”
The results have been phenomenal, and so far, phenomenally priced. This wine, from 100% Viognier, from a 13.5 ha plot that is a combination of 35 year old vines and 5-6 year old vines that yields a shockingly low 20-25 hl/ha, never sees oak, and has an explosive aromatic quality that is surprisingly not overwhelming. Though the wine is rich, it maintains a delicacy through mineral character and acidity that is really exceptional, and makes it a truly memorable wine. About 450 cases are made.
The wine is named after the Roman festival Triennes, held every three years, to honor Bacchus. Though the name also represents the three partners.
Try it with seared scallops, buttermilk fried chicken, and semi-soft cheeses. Drink now – 2011.
