The Tourbillon Brothers – A Family Story in the Southern Rhône Valley

If you come and visit us at the cellar, we will inevitably tell you about Benjamin and Alexandre.

First because they are the two brothers behind Domaine Tourbillon today. And then because, if you start asking us questions about the wines, it makes sense to explain a little about who makes them and how they work.

They are brothers and grew up with the same family history, but their days are not exactly the same.

Benjamin is the craftsman behind the Domaine. You will rarely find him at the tasting counter, simply because he is usually busy elsewhere: in the vineyards or at the winery in Violès. Alexandre, on the other hand, is more often with us, meeting visitors, customers and everyone who comes to discover the wines.

In the end, the balance works rather well.

Benjamin, the vineyards and the winery

Benjamin spends a great deal of time among the family vineyards, including parcels inherited from his grandparents. This is important in the way he sees the Domaine. An old vine is not simply a vineyard that produces grapes. It is also a piece of family history.

And when you work with old vines, you inevitably learn to be patient.

You have to watch the grapes, follow their ripening, know each parcel and accept that every vintage is different. Then come the harvests, fermentations, ageing and all the decisions that give a wine its own character.

This is where Benjamin comes in.

He likes to know what is happening in his vineyards and to follow the wines as closely as possible at the winery. It is not necessarily the part of the job you see when you come to buy a bottle at the cellar, but with 37 hectares of vineyards and 12 cuvées, it takes up a large part of his days.

And I think it says quite a lot about the way he approaches winemaking.

He is not trying to make every bottle from the Domaine taste the same. Quite the opposite. When you work with Gigondas, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes-du-Rhône and Plan de Dieu, you have the opportunity to show different expressions of the southern Rhône Valley.

But Benjamin and Alexandre also have a fairly simple ambition: to offer a coherent range of wines from the southern Rhône Valley, with a real sense of continuity from one cuvée to the next.

The idea is not to collect appellations simply for the sake of having more of them, or to make things complicated for the sake of it. We want to be able to move from one wine to another and discover different expressions of the southern Rhône, while keeping the same level of care and a clear overall identity.

And above all, the range should remain accessible.

You may want to discover a great Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but you may also simply be looking for a good bottle to share around the table with friends. Both have their place at Domaine Tourbillon.

That is also why we like having different appellations and different styles of wine. A Côtes-du-Rhône, a Plan de Dieu, a Gigondas and a Châteauneuf-du-Pape do not have exactly the same role, and that is precisely what makes the range interesting.

A Gigondas can show richness, concentration and the structure expected from the appellation. A Châteauneuf-du-Pape may express more finesse, freshness and elegance.

Each appellation should remain true to itself.

The Revue du Vin de France highlighted this distinction in its 2026 tastings, awarding 95–96/100 to our Cuvée 1947 and 94–95/100 to our Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes.

Scores are important. They are recognition from the wine industry.

But when we are at the cellar, we would still rather pour both wines and ask you what you think.

That is much more interesting.

Alexandre is more often with you

Alexandre has a different daily routine.

He is much more involved in the life of the cellar and in our relationship with customers. He looks after welcoming visitors, sales and everything that allows the wines to make the journey from Benjamin's work in the vineyards and winery to your table.

It is really a complementary role.

Because once the wine is ready, you still have to introduce people to it.

And that is where we come in.

Someone arrives knowing exactly what they want. A Gigondas, for example. Perfect.

Someone else arrives saying they do not know much about wine but would like something good for dinner. That is perfectly fine too.

By taking the time to talk, we can find a wine that suits your taste, the occasion and your budget.

That is also why tasting is free. We are not here to recite a technical sheet or tell you that you absolutely have to like a particular wine.

We would rather open the bottles.

You taste.

We talk.

And sometimes the wine you thought you were going to choose is not the one that ends up going home with you.

And that is absolutely fine.

The Violès winery, between Gigondas and Châteauneuf-du-Pape

The Domaine's winery is in Violès, between Gigondas and Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

This is where Benjamin spends much of his time once the grapes have left the vineyards.

The building is modern and equipped with everything needed to work precisely with the different cuvées. But the modernity of the winery is not really the point.

What matters is what you do with it.

Benjamin follows the fermentations, tastes the tanks, monitors the ageing and thinks about the blends. Some wines need time. Others are designed to be enjoyed sooner.

And then there are the tastings.

A lot of tastings.

Because in the end, you can have all the technical charts you want, but you still have to taste the wine.

The Domaine is more than the winery

That is also why we enjoy our two cellars so much.

At Lagnes, we wanted to create a place where people could really take their time discovering the Domaine. The cellar is just a few minutes from L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Fontaine-de-Vaucluse and Gordes, and many visitors come to see us while staying in the Luberon.

The place is modern, with its wall of barrels visible from the road, but Benjamin and Alexandre mainly wanted it to feel welcoming.

You can come to taste the wines, of course, but also simply to talk, ask questions or discover some carefully selected local products.

Some visitors already know the wines of the Rhône very well. Others simply stop because they saw the Domaine while driving past.

We welcome both in exactly the same way.

And apparently, it works rather well. Our cellar has now received several hundred Google reviews and has a 4.5/5 rating. When we read the comments, what comes up often is not just the wine. Visitors talk about the welcome, the tasting, the explanations and the feeling of having spent a good moment with us.

That is something Alexandre cares about.

Because wine can be a serious business.

But you do not necessarily have to take yourself too seriously when sharing it.

In Gigondas, the story is a little different

The Gigondas cellar has a different atmosphere.

We are in the heart of the appellation, at the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail, and above all in the heart of an important part of the family's history.

Gigondas naturally holds a special place at Domaine Tourbillon. Our Vieilles Vignes cuvée comes from old parcels and produces a wine with richness, depth and plenty of personality.

It is also regularly chosen by restaurant professionals, including the sommelier of Cyril Lignac.

It is always a pleasure to see a bottle from the Domaine arrive on a great table.

But once again, we would rather let you taste it than spend ten minutes explaining why it is good.

Especially because wine lovers have their say too.

On Vivino, the Domaine's wines have now received several thousand ratings. Cuvée 1947 has a 4.5/5 rating, while the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes and Confidentiel are around 4.2/5. The Gigondas Vieilles Vignes is also well received, with 4.1/5.

According to Vivino, Cuvée 1947 is even among the best-rated wines in its category on the platform.

We could show you all these figures at the cellar.

But honestly, we would rather open the bottle.

What we like about this story

What is interesting about Benjamin and Alexandre is that they do not have exactly the same role, and that is precisely what makes the whole thing work.

Benjamin is much more involved in the work behind the scenes, the part you do not always see. The vineyards, harvests, fermentations, ageing and tastings at the winery.

Alexandre is more involved in meeting the people who discover the wines. Visitors, customers, professionals, the two cellars and everything that allows the bottles to continue their journey once they have left Violès.

And behind all of this is a fairly simple idea: to introduce people to the richness of the southern Rhône Valley without making it complicated or inaccessible.

To offer a coherent, logical and affordable range in which everyone can find their wine, whether they are experienced wine lovers or simply curious to discover what different Rhône terroirs and appellations can offer.

And we are here to make the connection.

That is probably also why we enjoy welcoming people at the cellar.

A bottle on its own does not tell you very much.

Behind it there is a vineyard parcel, sometimes an old family vine, a vintage, work in the vineyards, hours at the winery and, ultimately, two brothers who have chosen to continue the story.

So when you come to see us, we will inevitably tell you about Benjamin and Alexandre.

We will tell you about their vineyards, the winery in Violès, Gigondas, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and all the other Domaine Tourbillon wines.

We will taste a few bottles together.

And then we will see which one leaves with you.