CHATEAU KEFRAYA LES COTEAUX 2019

In Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, this organic and sustainable estate planted its first vines in 1951 on hillsides once used by Romans as military observation posts, surviving the 1975-1990 civil war to release its inaugural vintage in 1979 under founder Michel de Bustros. Les Coteaux blends 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Marselan, 20% Syrah, 15% Tempranillo, and 5% Cinsault from dry-farmed vineyards on clay-limestone, gravel, and sand soils at elevations that provide dramatic temperature shifts between hot days and cool nights.

Hand-harvested grapes undergo optical sorting, two-to-three-week maceration in stainless steel at 75-77°F, malolactic fermentation in concrete, then 11 months aging with 55% in new French oak barrels before 16-month bottle aging with natural cork. Black cherry, wood spice, and earthy minerality define the nose, while the palate shows smooth tannins and concentrated dark fruit reflecting the Bekaa's high-altitude continental climate and vegan winemaking that avoids animal-derived fining agents.