Le Soula

The Le Soula wine estate embodies a visionary project born in the heart of the Fenouillèdes, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, at the crossroads of the Catalan Coast and Occitanie. Nestled between 400 and 600 meters above sea level, the vineyard benefits from a unique climate—both Mediterranean and mountainous—offering ideal conditions for vines that are, on average, 50 years old. This high-altitude terroir, shaped by winds and temperature contrasts, produces cuvées of great freshness, characterized by natural tension and a pure expression of fruit.

The history of Domaine Le Soula began in the 1990s, when Roy Richards and Mark Walford imported Gérard Gauby’s wines for the British market. Mark Walford was convinced that the high-altitude terroirs of the Fenouillèdes held real potential for producing high-quality wines. In 2001, they partnered with this iconic winemaker to create Domaine Le Soula, located in Saint-Martin de Fenouillet. From the very first winemaking efforts, the white and red cuvées earned a reputation for being pure, full of energy, and full of character.

In 2014, Wendy Wilson joined the venture. Trained in the Loire Valley and the United States, she worked alongside Gérard Gauby to bring about a paradigm shift in local viticulture, moving toward greater finesse, terroir expression, and respect for living organisms. In 2016, she succeeded him and further refined the wine estate’s already rigorous approach. Both in the vineyard and in the cellar, everything is designed to preserve natural balances: the 22 hectares are cultivated biodynamically; winemaking uses indigenous yeasts, without fining or filtration; and ageing takes place for extended periods in large oak vats or demi-muids to reveal the wine’s character without masking it.

The wine estate’s richness also lies in the diversity of its grape varieties, which shines brilliantly through in its cuvées. The red Soula, centered on Syrah, Carignan, and Grenache Noir, combines depth, freshness, and elegance in an approachable and refined style.

For its white wines, the wine estate stands out for its unique blend: Macabeu, Grenache Blanc, and Malvoisie du Roussillon are paired with Sauvignon Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, and Vermentino in complex, taut cuvées. Soula Blanc delivers a full-bodied, taut white wine with aging potential, brimming with energy. And the Trigone range, drawn from several vintages, emphasizes fruit, balance, and approachability, without ever compromising the wine estate’s signature style. As for the single-vineyard cuvées, they reveal, with rare precision, the uniqueness of the Fenouillèdes soils, like a sensitive X-ray of the landscape.