Domaine des Tourelles > Bekaa Valley

Domaine des Tourelles > Bekaa Valley > Lebanon

Domaine des Tourelles is one of the longest established and most highly acclaimed wineries in the Bekaa Valley. Founded in 1868 by French adventurer François-Eugène Brun, the estate was the first commercial cellar in Lebanon producing wines, arak and other spirits. In 2000, it was bought by descendants of Brun’s Lebanese wife, Nayla Kanaan Issa-el-Khoury and Elie F. Issa. It is run today by their children, Faouzi Issa (winemaker), Christaine Issa and Emile Issa-el Khoury. Faouzi trained in Montpellier and worked at Domaine René Rostaing in Côte Rôtie before joining the legendary Château Margaux, from 2007 to 2008. He then went back to the Bekaa Valley and his efforts placed his family's wines amongst the most recognized and awarded in Lebanon. Decanter Magazine called him the "Dusty Winemaker": dust, Faouzi says “encourages the natural yeasts that give our wines their distinctive character.” The winery also boasts a museum worthy collection of old machines.

Lebanon lies at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, with a surface area of 4,000 square miles – slightly smaller than the state of Connecticut. At 2,500 to 3,000 feet above sea level, the Bekaa Valley is a plateau separating the Lebanon Mountains from the Anti-Lebanon Mountains (the name comes from the Latin Antilibanus - opposite to the Mount Lebanon range). It benefits from a microclimate and enjoys 240 days of sun. The heat of the summer days is compensated by the freshness of the cool nights, when gentle breezes circulate throughout the valley, dropping the temperature from 90F to 60F. These cold nights sustain the vineyards through the heat and drought of summer. Annual precipitations are between ten and eleven inches of rain, concentrated in the autumn and winter seasons. It decreases in the spring, with almost no rain in the summer, which makes for healthy grapes. The rocky soil is covered by a layer of clay-chalk and limestone, making the Bekaa Valley ideal for vine growing. Along with the climate, these conditions produce rich, fleshy and tannic reds and delicate, aromatic whites.

Domaine des Tourelles winery and vineyards are at the highest altitude, in Chtaura. Its 40 hectares of dry-farmed vineyards receive water from the snow melt from the surrounding mountains. They are either owned or under long-term contracts - 25 and 30 years. Some of their vines are amongst the oldest in the Bekaa Valley: more than 70 year old, giving extremely low yields. Everything is hand-harvested.

Farming practices/vinification: the vineyards are organically farmed. They are only treated with sulfur and copper (Bouillie Bordelaise) when needed. The winery was built following an intelligent ancestral design that keeps it at an ideal temperature year round. The concrete vats (very rare in Lebanese wineries) provide the best biological conditions for a natural wine making process, which is favored to preserve the authenticity of the wine. The wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts, in stainless steel tanks for the whites and rosés, and in concrete tanks for the reds. Minimum amount of sulfur is added at bottling. The wines are vegan.

Domaine des Tourelles Website

Bekaa Rosé

40% Cinsault, 30% Syrah, 30% Tempranillo. The 15 to 20 year old vines grow in dry-farmed, high elevation vineyards, 1,050 meters (3,445 feet) above sea level. The soil is sandy limestone. The grapes are hand-harvested in small boxes. The grapes ferment separately in stainless steel tanks. Rosé “de saignée” for the Syrah and “de presse” for both Cinsault and Tempranillo. The wine is then blended, fined and filtered. Scents of wild strawberries and litchi when first tasted. The flavor is marked by an exquisite freshness, a fruity and elegant taste inspired by summer. 13% ABV. RS 2gr/l.

Bekaa White

65% Viognier, 20% Chardonnay, 10% Obeidi, 5% Muscat d’Alexandrie. The 15 to 20 year old vines grow in dry-farmed, high elevation vineyards, 1,050 meters (3,445 feet) above sea level. The soil is gravel and limestone. The grapes are hand-harvested in small boxes. The grapes ferment separately in stainless steel tanks. The wine is then blended, fined and filtered. Bouquet of pineapple, lychee and jasmine. 13% ABV.

Bekaa Red

40% Syrah, 40% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 15% Cinsault, 5% Carignan. The 15 to 20 year old vines grow in dry-farmed, high elevation vineyards, 1,050 meters (3,445 feet) above sea level. The soil is sandy limestone on the surface, with a clay subsoil. The grapes are hand-harvested in small boxes. The grapes ferment separately in concrete vats for 10 days, with spontaneous malolactic fermentation. The wine is then blended and aged in concrete vats. Ruby color, delicate nose of morello cherries, silky tannins and red fruits on the palate. 14% ABV.

Cinsault Old Vines

100% Cinsault. The 50 year old vines grow in dry-farmed, high elevation vineyards, 1,050 meters (3,445 feet) above sea level. The soil is clay, with a clay and limestone subsoil. The grapes are hand-harvested in small boxes. Fermented in concrete vats with indigenous yeasts, then aged in old oak barrels for 8 months. 13.5% alcohol.

Syrah du Liban

100% Syrah. The 20 to 25 year old vines grow in dry-farmed, high elevation vineyards, 1,050 meters (3,445 feet) above sea level. The soil is gravel, with a clay subsoil. The grapes are hand-harvested in small boxes. Fermented in concrete vats, then aged in new American oak barrels for 24 months. Unfined and unfiltered, minimum amount of sulfur added. Some spices, along with floral notes. An elegant red to serve with hearty dishes. 14% alcohol.

Marquis des Beys Blanc

100% Chardonnay. The 20 to 25 year old vines grow in dry-farmed, high elevation vineyards, 1,050 meters (3,445 feet) above sea level. Gravel and limestone soil, with a clay subsoil. The grapes are manually harvested in small boxes. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts in stainless steels tanks for 10 days, no malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged in French oak barrels (1/2 new, 1/2 first use) for 8 months. Rich and lush, this wine reflects the abundance of sunshine that is typical of Lebanon’s climate. 13% alcohol.

Marquis des Beys

50% Syrah, 50% Cabernet-Sauvignon. The 20 to 25 year old vines grow in dry-farmed, high elevation vineyards, 1,050 meters (3,445 feet) above sea level. The soil is gravel, with a clay subsoil. The grapes are selected from the best parcels, and manually harvested in small boxes. They ferment separately in concrete vats for 10 days, with spontaneous malolactic fermentation. The wine is then blended, and aged in French oak barrels (1/3 new, 1/3 one year, 1/3 two year old) for 18 months. Dark purple color. Cedar aromas, a gentle reminder that this wine is an illustrious ambassador of Lebanon. 14% alcohol.

Arak Brun

Produced from the alcohol of estate grown Obeidi and Cinsault grapes, harvested at optimum ripeness, and blended with fresh anise. Named after François-Eugène Brun, Arak Brun is the world’s most famous arak. It is produced inside a hundred-year-old cellar in the prestigious Domaine des Tourelles, and processed traditionally using a three-stage distillation in traditional alembics. Arak is not sweetened. Serve with water - ice can be added. 53% ABV.

Arak Brun 5 Year Reserve

Produced from the alcohol of estate grown Obeidi and Cinsault grapes, harvested at optimum ripeness, and blended with fresh anise. Named after François-Eugène Brun, Arak Brun is the world’s most famous arak. It is produced inside a hundred-year-old cellar in the prestigious Domaine des Tourelles, and processed traditionally using a three-stage distillation in traditional alembics, then aged for 5 years in old clay jars. It is served with water, and ice can be added. 53% ABV.