Alain Chabanon/Domaines de Ravanes

[KJP Taylor]

Right,

This is going to sound really weird.

A few years ago my cousin got married, and my grandma got sent a load of bottles by a family friend (Alain Chabanon) which were Merlots, for the wedding. They were, frankly, gorgeous.

She told me they were from his vineyard. Since then my grandad has opened several remaining bottles of this wine (1994 & 1998) with me and they were, frankly, even more gorgeous.

Sadly my granny is now deceased, and, god rest her soul, my entire knowledge of this wine is the name on the bottle (Domaine des Ravanes) and the name of the family friend (Alain Chabanon).

This poses a number of problems.

1. The wine is clearly a south western wine as both Alain Chabanon and Domaines des Ravanes are identified with this region.

2. Alain Chabanon, whilst making reputed Merlots from this region (unusual in itself) is not identified with Domaines des Ravanes which appears as totally seperate in all searches I've made.

if anyone can help me, with advice on how to pursue this. I want to make contact with Alain who is a friend of the family without embarrasing myself but I've no real idea what wine it is that I drank...

[Thraz]

Ravanes and Chabanon look like two different domaines. I don't know them, but apparently Chabanon worked in Madiran until 1991, when he set up his own shop in the Languedoc Roussillon - so it seems he never worked for Ravanes. Keep up the relationship though, both domaines get great reviews.