Collection: Les Frères Soulier

Charles and Guillaume Soulier took over their father's estate in Saint Hilaire d'Ozilhan, at the junction of the Rhône and Gard regions, in 2014 and produced their first vintage in 2015. By selecting the best sites, they work on a total of ten hectares, mainly with red varieties such as Grenache and Syrah.

Their plots are located on the hills surrounding the village, where the different soil types provide a rich variety. There is sand, clay and limestone, as well as red clay interspersed with pebbles, the latter forming the “Valmal”, home to an 80-year-old Grenache plantation.

Charles, who studied viticulture and oenology at the prestigious Montpellier Agricultural School, and his younger brother Guillaume, who is also passionate about nature, are doing an amazing job, including replanting forgotten old varieties. Picardan, Terret Noir and Counoise – all selected using massale – bring an exciting splash of color to their wines.

The vineyards follow biodynamic principles, but the main emphasis is on the soil. Their goal is to create biodiversity from the ground up, encouraging microbial life. They have abandoned the use of large machinery in the vineyards to disturb nature as little as possible, using only horses for any soil work, and everything else is done by hand.
The presence of animals is of utmost importance to them, in keeping with Steiner's philosophy, so goats, sheep, and chickens roam freely in the vineyards to remove weeds and fertilize the soil.

In the cellar, they use an old wooden basket press, which is a multi-person task, but they believe it greatly helps preserve the quality of the juice. The brothers do not shy away from unusual methods during winemaking, playing a lot with the “non top up” technique, i.e. not filling the barrels completely. The aim of this is to encourage the appearance of a natural yeast membrane, which protects the wines, makes them more resistant and preserves their freshness. Their goal is to completely eliminate sulfur. The end result is unique and unmistakable, and, by the way, it pushes us out of our comfort zone.