"Winemakers appear to relish challenges. Here, two of Burgundy's finest vignerons are pitting their collective skills against a block of 46 hectares of Syrah, Viognier, Carignan, Cinsault, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The results so far are attractive, both in price and quality."

~Rhône Renaissance, Remington Norman

In the late 1980's Jacques Seysses, founder of Domaine Dujac, and Aubert de Villaine, co-owner of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, started looking for a vineyard in the south of France. They were driven by the conviction that some great wines could be produced in the Var, an area typically known for its rosés and thin table wines. As Jacques explains it:

"I started thinking of buying a vineyard outside of Burgundy when vineyard prices soared in the mid-eighties, making it almost impossible to operate with a return on one's investment. I was interested in going to an area where the benchmark had yet to be set, and where I could experiment with other grape varietals."

Aubert was interested in joining as a silent partner, and a good friend from Paris, Michel Macaux, wanted to invest both time and money into the venture. After much searching, at the end of 1989, they came upon the Domaine du Logis-de-Nans, an existing estate in Provence, northeast of Marseille and due east of Aix-en-Provence. The vineyard was poorly managed, there was a very basic winery, containing some large and dirty storage tanks, and no housing attached. Futhermore, the 46 hectare vineyard was mostly planted with Ugni blanc, Cinsault and Carignan, varietals which the partners were only moderately interested in. What caught their attention was the slope itself. The three friends were attracted by the southern exposure of the vineyards and the clay and limestone soils, which in some areas resemble the great terroirs of Burgundy, in other the top coteaux of St. Emilion. Most vines in the area are planted on valley floors in deep soils; here, the entire estate was 'plein coteaux', on a south-facing slope, rich in limestone and with a low content in organic matter: too poor for agriculture but excellent for viticulture.

The estate which showed evidence of settlement and culture since Etruscan times, spreads between altitudes of 420-450m above sea level and lies on a gently sloping hillside between the mountain ranges of Monts Aurelien and Sainte Baume, guaranteeing cool nights and, as was found out, a long growing season, propitious to good acidities and complexity. Core soil samples were taken and analysed in Burgundy before the purchase to confirm the site's potential.

The estate was renamed Domaine de Triennes, after the triennia, festivities in the honour of Bacchus that took place every 3 years in Roman times. The 'tri' part of the name now reflects the three original partners.