LE SOULA - Trigone Blanc n°19
Le Soula is located in the Fenouillèdes region, north-west of Maury in Languedoc-Roussillon. In the 1990s, Roy Richards and Mark Walford imported Gérard Gauby's wines for the English market. The latter was convinced that the Fenouillèdes vines, located on the heights at the foot of the Pyrenees, benefited from a cooler climate and had real potential to produce high quality wines. He therefore suggested that they form a partnership to exploit these vines. Together, they bought vines in the best sites and an old house in the altitude village of Saint Martin de Fenouillet, located in the heart of the vineyard. The house became Soula's first cellar and from the start in 2001, the red and white wines enjoyed a fine reputation. In 2008, the project had become too big for the premises of Saint Martin. Thus, the cellars moved to the foot of the mountain in the old cooperative cellar of Prugnanes which they restored. Gérald Standley, who had worked in Bordeaux, joined the team, initially, to assist Gérard Gauby as co-manager and subsequently by managing the estate alone. In 2012 Roy and Mark sold their wine import business to Berry Bros & Rudd and Mark Walford took over the management and marketing of Soula. In 2016, Wendy Paillé, with her extensive experience in vineyard management in the Loire and in the United States, took up the torch behind Gérald and is now at the head of the Soula team. The 22 hectares of vines have been cultivated organically from the start and certified biodynamic since 2008.
Trigone Blanc n°19 is a blend of 52-year-old Macabeu vines (90%) and 36-year-old Malvoisie du Roussillon vines (10%), grown on decomposed granite terroirs at an altitude of between 400 and 550 meters. The vinification is traditional, with direct pressing and indigenous yeasts. It is a blend of several vintages: 70% from 2019 and 30% from 2018. The wine is aged in casks for 80% and in demi-muids barrels for the remaining 20%.
Grape varieties: 90% Macabeu, 10% Malvoisie du Roussillon