Château de la Soujeole

AOP MALEPERE

Château de la Soujeole

Estate wines


When, in 1740, one of the sons of the lordship of Montclar bought the Soujeole, he paved the way for nine generations of owners. The last direct descendant of the family, Monseigneur Bertrand de la Soujeole, rector of the Saint-Nazaire Basilica in Carcassonne, passed on the keys of the estate to Gérard Bertrand, who invested in the vineyards and the winery in order to reveal the quintessence of this unique terroir.

History

When, in 1740, one of the sons of the lordship of Montclar bought the Soujeole, he paved the way for nine generations of owners. The last direct descendant, Mgr Bertrand de la Soujeole, rector of the Saint-Nazaire basilica in Carcassonne, vowed to guarantee the integrity of the estate and had to choose a successor. In 2012, when Gerard Bertrand visits la Soujeole, he experiences a feeling of fullness that is due to the nature of the place: "the landscapes are hilly and picturesque, with trees of high forest. Sometimes, time goes weightless. Calm and silence bring us back to a state of consciousness, strengthen our convictions and priorities, and reveal the way forward. "A dialogue begins with the bishop, who has found his successor. Since then, Gérard Bertrand has converted the estate to biodynamic farming, introduced working the land with horses and invested in the vineyards and the winery in order to reveal the quintessence of this terroir.

Character & Nature

Gateway to two worlds, Atlantic and Mediterranean, La Soujeole is ideally situated in the Malepère appellation, very close to the watershed of Naurouze. The château, the westernmost of the Languedoc region, looks out towards the Atlantic, as much if not more than towards the Mediterranean. This land on the border borrows the best of both climatic influences and celebrates their meeting. The vegetation sees Mediterranean arbutus and holm oaks growing alongside pedunculate oaks and oceanic beeches. In the vineyard, in accordance with theAOP Malepère specifications, cabernet franc represents half of the vines, supplemented by merlot and malbec. Deeply Languedoc, the wines of La Soujeole share the Occitan accent of the wines of the Southwest, whose deep colour and eye-catching tannins they have. The hillside terroirs are cultivated on horseback to connect the animal, mineral, plant and human kingdoms. The estate has been biodynamically cultivated since 2013.

Winemaking

Here, the South turns to the West and claims subtle and powerful wines, magnified by the Cabernet Franc, which expresses itself in a unique way in the Cathar terroir. It is the basis of the blends of the Great Wines, both rosé and red. Coming to full maturity in the Languedoc, it does not have the vegetal notes of blackcurrant buds and green pepper that can be associated with colder terroirs. At La Soujeole, it retains its freshness and elegance while developing tasty notes of blackberry and smoked paprika. In red, it offers a generosity of fruit, a depth of colour and a firm mouthfeel that calls for a solid gastronomy. The French Paradox starts here, between the wines of La Soujeole and the cassoulets of Carcassonne and Castelnaudary. The grapes are hand-picked in two stages: first the youngest vines of Cabernet Franc and Merlot are harvested, whose grapes are destined for the Grand Vin rosé. It is matured in barrels for 6 months to reveal its unique and great character. Then, from the end of September to the end of October, the grapes from the old vines of merlot, then malbec and finally cabernet franc are harvested, destined for the Grand Vin red. After 12 months of maturing, the grape varieties are blended and the wine is bottled on a fruit day of the lunar calendar, in accordance with the precepts of biodynamics.

Château la Soujeole "The Fullness"

n.f. (in old French: small stream): domain where the frontier of worlds meets, exchanges and reveals.