Domaine des Tourelles Vieilles Vignes Carignan 2023

This Carignan comes from the western Bekaa, in Lebanon, where Domaine des Tourelles grows its vines at 1,050 metres. Present in the valley for more than two centuries, the grape variety is in perfect harmony with the Lebanese terroir. In 2018, the estate added it to its old-vine range, with vines more than fifty years old, to reconnect with its Mediterranean identity. The altitude and cool nights preserve the natural acidity of the grapes.

The grapes are harvested entirely by hand, in crates, with rigorous selection in the vineyard. Fermentation is carried out with native yeasts in concrete tanks, then malolactic fermentation starts spontaneously. The wine is then aged for two years in concrete tanks, without oak. The whole process relies on minimal intervention, to reflect as closely as possible the identity of this high-altitude terroir.

This wine reveals notes of cranberry, raspberry, black cherry, blackberry, liquorice, black pepper, bay leaf and thyme. Tangy red fruits dominate, lifted by pronounced liquorice and Mediterranean spices. The palate, with fine acidity, rests on balanced tannins; the concrete ageing gives it early drinkability and a fresh, spicy finish.

The whole history of Lebanese wine goes back more than five millennia. It begins with the Phoenicians, an ancient civilisation whose strong culture of travel and trade was of considerable importance to the development of the first Mediterranean civilisation. Wine was a major export for this ancient culture and was shipped to Egypt in large volumes and traded for gold. Lebanon was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire from 1517, and the strictly applied sharia laws allowed neither the growing of vines nor the making of wine, except for religious purposes. It was only when France inherited the mandate over Lebanon and Syria after the First World War, when the Ottoman Empire was dismantled, that viticulture would truly develop. Lebanon is therefore a Middle Eastern country with an ancient wine culture that has experienced a renaissance in recent decades. In 2011, around six million bottles of Lebanese wine were produced from 2,000 hectares of vineyards. Modern Lebanese viticulture has moved away from the old Phoenician port cities and shifted inland, to the fertile Bekaa Valley. There is also a handful of vineyards near Jezzine, a few kilometres from the southern end of the Bekaa Valley, just inland from Sidon. Most Lebanese wine is exported to the United Kingdom, France and the United States, where receptive consumers have encouraged healthy growth in Lebanon's modern wine industry. In 1998 there were fewer than 10 wineries in Lebanon; today there are more than 30. Red wines make up the largest share of production and are generally made from the classic grape varieties of southern France: Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. White wines may include Ugni Blanc, Clairette and Chardonnay.