One of the best pair of wines that you’ve never heard of ..

I originally met Richard Kelley, M.W. in South Africa where he was living at the time. Richard has always had a keen sense of finding the new ‘soon to be hot’ property from any given area. Richard has recently shown me a stunning pair of wines from the Cotes Catalanes that literally fell into his lap as they are owned in partnership with the importer that he is currently working for in the UK. The winery is called Le Soula and is a partnership between Gerard Gauby of Domaine Gauby fame and UK importer, Richards Walford.

There can be few wine lovers who have not at some time entertained the dream of owning a vineyard, even though one would have to know that doing so is extremely capital intensive and time consuming. Richards Walford started working with Gerard Gauby in 1991. Given Gauby’s almost universal acclaim as the premier vigneron of the Roussillon, it seems incredible to recall that then he was struggling to sell wine at under a few dollars a bottle. In and around his native Calce, Gerard has an intimate knowledge of every conceivable type of terroir, of slopes both concave and convex, and he coaxes the best out of his largely old vines through restricted yields and his own interpretation of biodynamic viticultural practice. Whilst visiting another vigneron in the north west of the region, high up in the Agly valley, Gerard came across two elements which he lacked in Calce: the first was altitude, and all that this implies in terms of cool climate and late picking, and the second was a soil of decomposed granite washed over with limestone, such as one finds on parts of the hill of Hermitage. Largely abandoned to viticulture, and situated at between 450 and 600 metres above sea level, the commune of St. Martin de Fenouillet seemed to offer an extraordinary opportunity. Below is a picture of the famous M. Gauby.

The final element of the team was Eric Laguerre, whose family has worked the vines at St. Martin for generations. His contribution was crucial, for as a local, he was able, discreetly, to buy up vineyard sites, either planted to very old vines, or completely neglected due to the incline of their slopes.

The Domaine is called Le Soula after the lieudit of its principal block of vines; in Catalan 'le soula' means 'sun' or 'south' or 'sunny site'. Le Soula's holdings are spread over the communes of St. Martin, Le Vivier, Lesquerde and St. Arnac, and represent a potential of 30 hectares plus another 10 or so which will always be left as scrub and trees. All the land is farmed organically as at Calce, and Eric has embraced biodynamism enthusiastically.

The soil consists of decomposed granite with limestone in particular playing a crucial role in retaining acidity. The often scorching temperatures of the Roussillon mean that the level of acidity can start to drop before the grapes are fully ripe and acidity is vital to the overall balance of a wine. So with the altitude allowing a longer ripening period, the soils help to retain the acidity over this time as well and it is these two elements that Gerard has been searching for.

As these wines are new in the US, there is no local press on them. Master of Wine and perhaps the most authoritative wine writer in the world, Jancis Robinson has the following to say about Le Soula:

Jancis Robinson Purple Pages
Gerard Gauby...The 'King' of the Roussillon & France's greatest winemaker ?

A rash statement you might think, but when you consider that Gerard Gauby does a lot of consulting work for some of Burgundy's top winemakers you begin to realise in just what regard he is held in France. Finesse and elegance are the hallmarks of great Burgundies, yet it is the search for even greater refinement of these elements that has led these Burgundians to Gerard's door, as he is considered the master. It is this quest for finesse and elegance that has led Gerard to establish his new estate, Domaine Le Soula. He has vines and viticulture in his blood; from a very early age he spent all his holidays with his grandfather in the family vineyards and left school the day he was eligible, so that he could join his grandfather full-time. He then set about creating his existing estate, Domaine Gauby, producing his first wine in 1985 in Calce not far from Perpignan in the south of France. Since then he has gained an intimate and detailed knowledge of the region, its soils and its climate. This expertise and local knowledge enabled him to find specific vineyards in the commune of St Martin de Fenouillet that are now the foundation of Domaine Le Soula. There are two very important points as to why these vineyards are special. Firstly, they lie at significant altitude (two of them are the highest vineyards in the Roussillon) and secondly, the type of soil which is decomposed granite with limestone washed down off the mountains, very similar to that of the hill of Hermitage. The altitude of between 450 and 600m above sea level is paramount to the quality of the fruit. It is just as hot during the day but considerably cooler at night. This slows down the maturity process; it can take up to a month longer than lower down, and this allows is an extra month for the all important phenolic elements (where all the flavour comes from), in the grape's skin to develop much more complexity and completeness, which considerably enhances the finished wine.

We are convinced that Domaine Soula's wines will become some of the most sought-after in France.


Blanc 2004 is a blend of Grenache Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Marsanne, Chenin Blanc and Vermentino. Alcoholic fermentation took place in a new oak foudre; 8 months on lees, then raised in 50% new oak and 50% first-year barrels for 15 months. Yield was only 2/3’s ton per acre with production of only 650 cases. This wine is a stunner! Very deep, minerally fruit that seems like a cross between a full bodied white Burgundy with the flavors of a top Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc.

Le Soula Blanc 2004, Retail $44.99 Warehouse $34.99


Rouge 2003 is predominantly 50/50 Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon with some Cinsault added. Vinified in Taransaud oak foudre, and raised in 50% new oak, 50% first-year barrels for 15 months. Yield is slightly less than 1 ton per acre which produced just over 1000 cases. Purple-black color in the glass. Much in the style of a fine Bordeaux with a huge and impressive palate. This wine displays freshness, balance and length with ripe black and red fruits on display.

Le Soula Rouge 2003, Retail $44.99 Warehouse $34.99

Given the weakness of the dollar currently, these wines are selling in the UK at the equivilent of over $50. So there is such a thing as a $35 wine bargain............