Soula Le Casot des Mailloles 2018

Casot des Mailloles Soula, biodynamic wine, Grenache 100%, like Chateauneuf with explosions of energy and emotion. Soula is produced from old vines of Grenache planted on steep terraced vineyards overlooking the Mediterranean in Banyuls. It is a wine which in youth hides its potential for profound depth and complexity behind exuberant fresh red fruits. With age it becomes something much more, animal and dark fruit aromas develop.  You smell the local garrigue, black olives and taste the salt of the sea.

This new 2018 vintage is superb, actually drinking already very well.  Casot des Mailloles Soula 18 has a softness to the palate which normally arrives later in the wines life.  It is possibly due tio the warm vintage.  It has those classic sensations and emotions of high quality Grenache, a grape which surely must rank as one of the finest red grapes in the world. Round, warm, rich red fruits, well balanced acidity, tension and softness, delicious. With Provencal flavoured meat dishes, this is delicious.

PS – If you want untouched natural wine with no added sulphites but also with no rough hewn edges or overly funky notes, this is the wine for you.

Le Casot des Mailloles is a 5 hectare estate nestled on steep terraces overlooking the town of Banyuls, in the Roussillon.

It is named after the traditional stone shelters that dot the vineyards in the region.  It was made famous by Biodynamic pioneers Alain Castex and Ghislaine Magnier who ran the estate until 2015.  The terrain here is steep so all the work is done manually.  The old vines of Grenache have buried their roots deep into the unique dark schist which is found in this area.

At Le Casot des Mailloles, they are strictly organic and biodynamic in the vines.  They use natural fermentation and never filter or fine the wines. Sulphites are also avoided entirely. 

After Alain Castex's retirement in 2015, production was passed on to Jordi Perez, a young winemaker very much in Alain's mould. He has continued the work and makes wine using the same methods as Alain and Ghislaine. Jordi is young and a very talented wine maker.  He is devoted to the Casot style and the integrity of these mystical vineyards but is also putting his own stamp on the wines. They have always carried great emotion and energy.  Jordi is aiming to bring also an element of precision and elegance which will raise the wines into the realms of the super fine.

Now after nearly 8 years at the helm, Jordi has made his mark.  The wines of Le Casot are absolutely stunning.  They have a vibrancy and energy that few other wineries in France and the world can match.  He has added some skin contact to some of the white wines and the older vintages, some which which predate Jordi continue to age majestically.  Natural wine for fine natural wine lovers, put a few cases away for 10 years.  You will be amazed how good they become.