LE SOULA - Macération 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.
Macération du Soula Blanc n°19 is the Orange Wine of Le Soula. It is a blend of 26-year-old Vermentino vines (76%) and 52-year-old Macabeu vines (24%). They are cultivated on terroirs of decomposed granites between 350 and 550 meters above sea level. During vinification, maceration in whole bunches lasts 10 to 15 days and then are pressed. The different vintages are blended (36% from 2019, 24% from 2018, 12% from 2017, 12% from 2015 and 16% from 2014). The wine is then aged in 500-litres demi-muids for 84% and the remaining 16% in glass.
Grape varieties: 76% Vermentino, 24% Macabeu
