Mount Bargylus
Viticulture in Syria was imported more than 3000 years ago by the Romans who cultivated vines on the foothills of Mount Bargylus, a place known as “Jebel Al-Ansariyé”. Mount Bargylus stretches from the valley of the Orontes near the ancient city of Antioch to the valley of Eleutherius south of ancient Emesa.
The Bargylus Estate
Today, Domaine Bargylus is known as one of the great precursors in Syria, with an international reputation.
The Domaine Bargylus, 12ha, is located near Deir Touma, very close to the last vestiges of the Crusader and Saladin era. It was founded by the Lebanese-Syrian brothers Karime & Sandro Saadé in 2003. They are also the owners of Château Marsyas, in Lebanon.
Their ambition is to share the quality of Syrian wine using bio-dynamic techniques.
Production
at Bargylus
Domaine Bargylus produces ¾ of their wines with Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot. For the whites, the most common grape varieties are Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc.
Stéphane Derenoncourt, one of the best Bordeaux oenologist-consultants in the world, contributes to the winemaking process.
But making wine in Syria is not easy, especially since the outbreak of war. Forced to carry out part of their manufacturing process abroad (samples of grape varieties sent to be tasted in Beirut, laboratory tests…), Sandro Saadé underlines that “Bargylus is nowadays the symbol of a production of quality developed in very difficult times”.
900m above
the sea
Geographical location of the domain
The domain is located at an altitude of 900m above the sea, and benefits from cold air currents thanks to maritime influences. The stony and calcareous soils give minerality and salinity to the wines. The slow maturation helps creating deep and aromatic wines.
