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Domaine des Tourelles Syrah du Liban 2013
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Domaine des Tourelles
When the Frenchman Francois-Eugene Brun laid the foundations of the Domaine des Tourelles in Chtaura in 1868, he had no idea that he had just begun to write the story of a wonderful Lebanese wine. Honoring this great legacy of artisan know-how and quality, Domaine des Tourelles still produces some of the best wine, arak (its famous label "Arak Brun") and liqueur. The winery ranks among the best boutique wineries in the Middle East, described in the Financial Times as "the most seductive winery" in Lebanon. It is also one of the oldest wineries still operating in Lebanon, the first commercial winery in "modern" Lebanon to produce wines, arak and other spirits. The Brun family owned and operated the winery until the death of their last descendant in 2003, when two local families - the Issa and Issa el-Khoury families - joined forces to buy the property and continue the fine tradition of winemaking. So today this estate in the Bekaa Valley is run by Isa's three children - twins Fauzi and Johan and their sister Christian, together with Emil Isa-el Huri, son of one of the co-owners. This young and dynamic combination introduces several practices in the vineyards and cellar, including the use of local natural yeast, without fine and filtering and adding only very small amounts of sulfur. These techniques, along with the fruit of 40 hectares of ancient, organically cultivated and dry-grown vineyards (among the oldest in the valley) and a winery perfect for winemaking, make Domaine des Tourelles one of the best boutique wineries in the Middle East.
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Bekaa Valley
The Bekaa Valley is the heart of modern Lebanese wine - almost 90 percent of it is produced here. The long narrow valley is an oasis of agriculture and viticulture, which stretches for about 65 kilometers between the mountains of Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon. These mountains are the key factor for terroir here, as they provide protection from deserts in the east and sea rains in the west. The first vineyards of Bekaa Valley were planted with Cinsault, which was later joined by other French vine varieties: the red Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and the white Uni Blanc, Clairette and Chardonnay. The oldest winery in the area is Chateau Ksara, which was established by the Jesuit Christians of Taanayel (Tanail) in the 19th century. Chateau Musar, founded in 1930, is another long-established mansion in the valley and perhaps the most famous in the world. A 1979 publication in Decanter magazine by Michael Broadbent played a key role in opening up export markets, which helped establish Chateau Musar's name as a major Lebanese winemaker. The end of the civil war in the country in 1990 sets the beginning of modernisation and focus on quality production, which leads to the emergence of more small boutique family wineries.
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Syrah
Syrah/Shiraz - Two names of one and the same grape variety - the winemakers from the Old world use Syrah and the ones from the New world - Shiraz. The grape is a deep red, even the pulp, therefore this variety is not suitable for blanc de noir wine style. Syrah wine has specific floral aromas in its youth and develops notes of herbs and spices such as white and black pepper as it ages. These varietal specifics come out better when blended with a small amount of Viognier - a method gaining popularity more and more around the world. Syrah produces wines capable of ageing and improving over decades, which enhances its plummy and almost oriental spicy flavours.
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