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89-90 WA.
"The white 2009 Le Soula - composed primarily of Sauvignon Blanc, Macabeu and Grenache Blanc; and aged mostly in used demi-muids, with a bit left in tank - had been assembled but not yet bottled when I visited and tasted it in April. Heliotrope, honeysuckle, quince, pineapple, and Persian melon on the nose put me in a bit in mind of Grenache Gris or Chenin; although lime and grapefruit (with the nicely-integrated bitterness of their rinds), cassis and honeydew melon - all of which become more prominent on the palate - certainly point toward Sauvignon. I tasted this from a two day old bottle that displayed a slightly awkward juxtaposition of textural creaminess vanilla cream flavor with the wine's citric, bright elements; whereas when recreated in the moment, those aspects of the assemblage seemed harmonious. While less exuberant than its 2008 counterpart, this finishes with admirable refreshment and complexity, no doubt in part a testimony to the ability of these vineyards to offset the effects of 2009 heat, but also to the synergy of an unorthodox blend. . . . . Gerard Gauby continues to advise 2001 co-originators and co-owners Roy Richards and Mark Walford (who also constitute the U.K. import company Richards-Walford), but since 2008, young yet internationally-experienced Gerald Standley has been calling the shots as Soula's vineyard and cellar manager. Blends and elevage continue to vary from year to year, as the numerous cepages - planted in many small parcels in the largely granitic northwestern limits and highest elevations of Roussillon - offer considerable flexibility, particularly in white, and the team here is both humbly and astutely conscious of their efforts being a work in progress. The range of microclimates and grape varieties also accounts for a generally protracted harvest; in 2008, for instance, black grapes were picked all the way from the 22nd of September to the 9th of October. If there has been - and there has - a widespread movement in Roussillon toward wines of enhanced freshness, one has to say that Soula was way out ahead of that curve. Demi-muids are favored over barrique, and the share of new wood employed has steadily diminished. Whole-berry fermentation is pursued for the red, with increasingly minimal attempt to extract polyphenols that are not liberated via infusion. The white 2010 Le Soula - as had been the case with its immediate predecessor - was very slow to finish fermenting, and so it was impossible even to assess its components on the occasion of my visit." Wine Advocate #195, May 2011 |