Terres Fidèles, Fidèle, Soleilla, AOP Maury Sec Rouge, Languedoc Roussillon, France, 2020

Producer Profile

Wines inspired by the spirit of place - ‘L’esprit de lieu’. The wines of Terres Fidèles are created in the Roussillon and surrounding regions, a place of remarkable stories where layers of history and cultures are embedded in the raw and wild landscape.

Authentic, crafted small batch wines. Wines of the wilds. Old vine Grenache, Carignan, Malbec, Cinsault, Viognier and more. Wines to share..., some of which, namely Felicette, Mont Rocher and Montsablé we have been proudly producing for some time.

Viticulture

The Soleilla vineyard is perched high in the dramatic hills and terraces above the Vallée d’Agly with a unique character of its own.The famed black schist is interspersed with pocketsof limestone fromthe higher slopes, combining the richness and power that is typical of Maury with a fresher, more finely defined character. Heady and opulent but some how fresh and refined. Ying and yang, darkness and light, power and grace. A very special site and a very special wine. Crafted by Fergal Tynan MW, this is a blend of 80% old vine Grenache from the hillside Soleilla vineyard and 20% of century old Carignan from the summit of the plateau. Faithful, loyal and devoted, to the old vines and to the authenticity and translation of site to wine.

Winemaking

Thousands of years of winemaking tradition help with this wine too, with traditional methods at the front of their minds.

Oak Ageing

No oak ageing

Tasting Note

Dark brooding aromas, offering up refreshing raspberry coulis and layers of ripe Morello cherry. More dark fruits follow with exotic kirsch, blackberry and plum fading to reveal the more savoury, wild character of the Soleilla site and the characteristic fragrance of the Roussillon garrigue, with its juniper, rosemary and fennel. The palate is rich, round and full with opulent ripe fruit, hints of cassis and dark chocolate. The plush, rich texture of the Grenache is framed by the fresher acidity, firm tannic structure and concentration that the centennial Carignan adds but as important as the Carignan is in this wine, it is the Grenache that gives this wine its distinctiveness.