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Domaine Terrasses d'Eole Côtes de Ventoux
The Domaine Terrasses d'Eole is located in the heart of Provence, at the bottom of Mount Ventoux, in the small town of Mazan. The property offers an exceptional view of Mount Ventoux, home to one of the most famous stages of the Tour de France. In the area exposed to the mistral or severe winds that pass through the Southern Rhône, the domaine's name is taken from the God of wind, Eole.
For years, Claude Saurel sold his grapes to the local cooperative. But in the mid-nineties, his son Stephane expressed interest in making wine. By 1997, they began making big plans.
They would leave the cooperative and set out on their own. In November of 1998, they broke ground on a new vinification chai. It remained a father and son project and, over the following ten months, they alone removed 120 tons of earth, and used 10,000 cinder blocks and 25 tons of cement to complete the winery. In fact, the vinification tanks were put in place in September, only a few days before the harvest began. Their hard work has paid off; they now have a modern winery built into a hillside that allows them to work by gravity and avoid excessive pumping that can often damage a wine.
Claude now tends to the forty some vineyard parcels they own. The vines are planted on different soils (sand based, stone based, chalk and limestone based). As Stephane says, "Richness is born from diversity." The Saurels produce a few white wines (a couple with clairette and ugni blanc, another with viognier) and a rosé. But the wines imported to the United States are the reds, which in addition to being extremely well-made and pure, also show excellent value.
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