The Soula - Red Trigone n°23
Le Soula is located in the Fenouillèdes region, northwest of Maury in the Languedoc-Roussillon . In the 1990s, Roy Richards and Mark Walford were importing Gérard Gauby 's wines for the English market. Gauby was convinced that the Fenouillèdes vineyards, located high up in the foothills of the Pyrenees, benefited from a cooler climate and had real potential to produce high quality wines. He suggested that they form a partnership to farm these vineyards. Together, they purchased vineyards in the best sites and an old house in the high altitude village of Saint Martin de Fenouillet, located in the heart of the vineyards. The house became the first winery of Le Soula and from the start in 2001, the red and white wines enjoyed a good reputation. By 2008, the project had outgrown the premises in Saint Martin. So, 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 it was Mark Walford who took over the management and marketing of Soula. In 2016, Wendy Paillé , with her extensive experience of vineyard management in the Loire and the United States, took over from Gérald and she is now at the head of the Soula team. The 22 hectares of vines have been managed organically since the beginning and certified biodynamic since 2008 .
Trigone Rouge No.23 is a blend of 30-year-old Syrah vines (80%), 70-year-old Carignan (15%) and 4-year-old Grenache Noir (5%) grown on decomposed granite terroirs between 400 and 600 meters above sea level. The vinification is traditional, with whole-cluster maceration for 5 to 13 days and indigenous yeasts. It is a blend of several vintages: 50% from 2022 and 50% from 2023. The wine is aged for 6 months in demi-muids and 18 months in foudre .
Grape varieties: 80% Syrah, 15% Carignan, 5% Grenache Noir
