Cyril Fhal “Femme Soleil”

Cyril Fhal “Femme Soleil” is a white wine made with equal parts Grenache Gris and Macabeo in the Latour de France, a Pyrenean region on the French border of Catalonia.

On the nose Cyril Fhal ‘La Femme Soleil’ is tropical, with ripe fruit and slight leesy-ness. These pleasant aromas lead into a creamy, slightly oily texture on the palate backed by a refreshing, balancing acidity.

The grapes are farmed organically from 70 year old vines, by growers in nearby Montner. Natural vinification methods are used, with spontaneous fermentation by indigenous yeasts, the wine then spends 9 months in large wooden barrels aging on the lees. The wine is bottled unfiltered, and unfined, with no SO2 added.

According to Fhal, the local variety Macabeo is well suited to growing in the region, as it expresses the minerality and character of the terroir with transparency.

Clos du Rouge Gorge

Since 2002, Cyril Fhal has farmed approximately 6 hectares of hillside vines in the Latour de France. Challenging terrain due to poor drainage and high-siltation mean that yields can be as small as 10 hectolitres/hectare.

The vines are tended to biodynamically, with light plowing by hand or horse. Biodiversity in the vineyards is encouraged through cover crops. Subsequently, plants and flowers among the vines bring beneficial insects and a diverse fauna.

Harvesting at Clos du Rouge gorge is carried out by hand. Light crushing by foot is followed by slow fermentations. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation takes place in large barrel or old oak foudre.