Collection: Domaine des Soualnes

The estate is named after the local word (Soulane) for a south-southeast facing hillside was created in 2002. It’s located between Tautavel and Maury and is owned by Cathy and Daniel Laffite. The vineyard is located in a natural corridor surrounded by garrige, at the foot of the rocky peaks of the last Cathar stronghold, the Château de Quéribus.

The Estate

The 17 hectare vineyard is divided into 4 main islets made up of 16 plots. The soils being geologically made up of metamorphic shales, sedimentary marls, clay and limestone, the vine flourishes on steep, arid and stony soils. Daniel quipped "I get through two pairs of climbing boots a year!" They spend a lot of time working the 'soil' encouraging the vines to grow deep roots to reach water, as "we only get 400mm or so of rain here."  The estate benefits from exceptional sunshine accompanied by a dry north-west wind, the Tramontane, which is an asset for plants.

Winemaking Process

Organic farming respects and preserves our environment for future generations. "Organic farming is more philosophical than a marketing thing for us" they say. The entire harvest is picked manually and is sorted on the vine if necessary. The method of vinification is traditional, the whole harvest is destemmed, each plot is vinified separately in small vats in order to highlight a grape variety, a terroir and a blend. Daniel favors wines with bright fruits, fresh flavors and silky tannins.