2021 Vin de Pays des Cotes Catalanes

A blend of 76% Syrah and 24% Carignan, the deep ruby-colored 2021 IGP Côtes Catalanes Le Soula comes from a granitic high-altitude terroir, the vinification was made in whole bunches, and the wine was aged 22 months in oak barrels of different sizes. Very nuanced, fresh, tight, and vertical, this terrific red delivers peppery notes, wild red and black berries, orange zest, a hint of smokiness, and incense. Beautifully textured and structured, it reveals silky tannins, refined bitterness, and a very long, mentholated finish, fully embodying elegance in a velvet glove. Drink 2025-2040. This estate is the result of a long friendship between two men who wanted above all to produce wine for friends and for their own enjoyment. In the late 1990s, Mark Walford and Roy Richards, fine wine importers based in London, began searching for a vineyard in the Roussillon region. Thanks to the advice of Gérard Gauby, they found vineyards in the Fenouillèdes area, at an altitude of 600 meters. In 2001, they bottled their first vintage and from the outset, the wines showed a style distinct from those of the Roussillon plain, with great freshness and finesse. Organic from the start, Le Soula now covers 22 hectares and is certified biodynamic. Thanks to Wendy Wilson, who joined the estate in 2016, the wines show great consistency, even in difficult years. This estate often flies under the radar, but their wines are simply superb and deserve to be in the spotlight.